Abstract
Abstract Transpiration (T), the component of evapotranspiration
(ET) controlled by the vegetation, dominates terrestrial ET in
many ecosystems; however, estimating it accurately, especially
at the global scale, remains a considerable challenge. Existing
approaches mostly rely on the relationship between T and
photosynthesis, but untangling this relationship is difficult
and leads to diverging T estimates. Limited in-situ measurements
and the inability to directly measure transpiration from space
further complicate the reliable assessment of this crucial
process in the terrestrial water cycle. Here, we developed a new
hybrid Priestley--Taylor (PT) model combined with an Artificial
Neural Network (ANN) using globally available remote sensing and
reanalysis data of soil moisture, vapor pressure deficit and
windspeed. We also take advantage of the newly released global
sap flow measurement network SAPFLUXNET. In the proposed
approach, we avoid the parameterization of stomatal conductance
by training the ANN on the PT-Coefficient $\alpha$, obtained by
inverting the PT equation. The results showed that our model
framework can estimate T in different forest ecosystems based on
few predictors. By utilizing forcings from independent datasets,
we eliminate the reliance on in-situ measurements for predicting
T. Through upscaling actual observations to a larger scale, this
model framework helps alleviate the scarcity of T products.
Intercomparison of T with ET partitioning methods based on eddy
covariance data, shows high performances (KGE of 0.69 in Europe
and 0.60 in North America), slightly improving estimates
compared to other models. Analysis of contribution of T to ET
across 100 FLUXNET sites result in a global mean of 55.2\%. We
believe that modelling T independent from the carbon cycle can
support our understanding of land-atmosphere feedbacks and
climate extremes in future research.
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