Zhao et al. (2026) Climatic-to-vegetation transition in controlling the ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration in China revealed by multi-dataset fusion

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-24
• Authors: Qingmei Zhao, GenXu Wang, Shouqin Sun, Xiangyang Sun, Chunlin Song, Shouzheng Jiang, Juying Sun, Shan Lin, Zhaoyong Hu
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111431

Research Groups

State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, College of Water Resource and Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China.

Short Summary

This study employed the extended double instrumental variable algorithm (EIVD) method to fuse three representative transpiration and evapotranspiration datasets over China for the period 1982-2020, producing a high accuracy T/ET product. The results showed a significant upward trend in mean annual T/ET with a southeast-to-northwest decreasing gradient.

Objective

• Investigate the spatiotemporal variations of transpiration to evapotranspiration ratio (T/ET) and its driving mechanisms over China.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Continental scale, covering all of China.
• Temporal Scale: 1982-2020.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Extended double instrumental variable algorithm (EIVD).
• Data sources: PT-JPL-derived, GLEAM, and SiTHv2-derived transpiration and evapotranspiration datasets.

Main Results

• The mean annual T/ET was 0.51 with a significant upward trend (p < 0.01) over the study period.
• Spatially, T/ET showed a southeast-to-northwest decreasing gradient.
• Change point analysis identified 2003 as a critical transition year, after which the rate of increase in T/ET accelerated 2.7 times.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the ecohydrological adaptation under long-term environmental transformation and highlights the increasingly pivotal role of vegetation in regulating ecosystem water fluxes.
• The results suggest that recent shifts in T/ET dynamics may be associated with broader vegetation recovery.

Funding

• This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51879213).

Citation

@article{Zhao2026Climatictovegetation,
  author = {Zhao, Qingmei and Wang, GenXu and Sun, Shouqin and Sun, Xiangyang and Song, Chunlin and Jiang, Shouzheng and Sun, Juying and Lin, Shan and Hu, Zhaoyong},
  title = {Climatic-to-vegetation transition in controlling the ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration in China revealed by multi-dataset fusion},
  journal = {Agricultural and Forest Meteorology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111431},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111431}
}