Sun et al. (2026) Partitioning Evapotranspiration Using an Optimised Isotopic Technique Under Land Use Change

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: Jineng Sun, Feifei Wang, Jiahui Ha, Xiaoling He, Jinxia Fu, Zhi Li
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70398

Research Groups

Not specified in the abstract.

Short Summary

This study partitioned evapotranspiration (ET) into evaporation (E) and transpiration (T) and investigated the effects of land use change on these components on China's Loess Plateau using an isotopic tracing method. It found that converting farmland to vegetation significantly increased ET, primarily due to increased transpiration, while reducing soil water storage and eliminating deep drainage.

Objective

• To partition evapotranspiration (ET) into evaporation (E) and transpiration (T) and investigate the effects of land use change on ET components and soil water balance (SWB) through a space-for-time substitution approach and an optimised isotopic tracing method on China's Loess Plateau.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Plot-scale study on China's Loess Plateau, involving soil samples up to 20 meters deep from farmland and two converted vegetation types (13-year-old peashrub and 51-year-old apricot).
• Temporal Scale: Long-term effects of land use change, with results presented as annual averages (e.g., mm year⁻¹), reflecting vegetation ages of 13 and 51 years.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Optimised isotopic tracing method for ET partitioning; space-for-time substitution approach to study land use change effects.
• Data sources: Soil samples collected up to 20 meters deep; multiple isotopes (δ²H, δ¹⁸O, and ³H) used for tracing.

Main Results

• Following the conversion of farmland (F) to 13-year-old peashrub (P13) and 51-year-old apricot (A51), soil water storage declined by 44% and 39%, respectively.
• Deep drainage was completely eliminated in both P13 and A51 plots.
• ET significantly increased in P13 (511.7 mm year⁻¹) and A51 (411.6 mm year⁻¹) compared to F (372.5 mm year⁻¹).
• These ET values represented 131% (P13), 107% (A51), and 96% (F) of the mean annual precipitation.
• Evaporation (E) slightly decreased in P13 and A51 by 10% (7.0 mm year⁻¹) and 7% (4.6 mm year⁻¹), respectively.
• Transpiration (T) significantly increased in P13 and A51 by 48% (146.2 mm year⁻¹) and 16% (49.7 mm year⁻¹), respectively.
• T dominated ET across all three land uses, with T/ET ratios ranging from 82% to 89%.

Contributions

• Provided a quantified soil water balance that revealed the mechanisms by which land use change affects soil hydrological processes.
• Offered valuable insights for ecological restoration and water resource protection in arid and semi-arid regions.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Sun2026Partitioning,
  author = {Sun, Jineng and Wang, Feifei and Ha, Jiahui and He, Xiaoling and Fu, Jinxia and Li, Zhi},
  title = {Partitioning Evapotranspiration Using an Optimised Isotopic Technique Under Land Use Change},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70398},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70398}
}