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Amazonian terrestrial water balance inferred from satellite-observed water vapor isotopes

Author

Listed:
  • Mingjie Shi

    (University of California
    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

  • John R. Worden

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Adriana Bailey

    (National Center for Atmospheric Research)

  • David Noone

    (University of Auckland)

  • Camille Risi

    (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique)

  • Rong Fu

    (University of California)

  • Sarah Worden

    (University of California)

  • Robert Herman

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Vivienne Payne

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Thomas Pagano

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Kevin Bowman

    (University of California
    California Institute of Technology)

  • A. Anthony Bloom

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Sassan Saatchi

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Junjie Liu

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Joshua B. Fisher

    (University of California
    Chapman University)

Abstract

Atmospheric humidity and soil moisture in the Amazon forest are tightly coupled to the region’s water balance, or the difference between two moisture fluxes, evapotranspiration minus precipitation (ET-P). However, large and poorly characterized uncertainties in both fluxes, and in their difference, make it challenging to evaluate spatiotemporal variations of water balance and its dependence on ET or P. Here, we show that satellite observations of the HDO/H2O ratio of water vapor are sensitive to spatiotemporal variations of ET-P over the Amazon. When calibrated by basin-scale and mass-balance estimates of ET-P derived from terrestrial water storage and river discharge measurements, the isotopic data demonstrate that rainfall controls wet Amazon water balance variability, but ET becomes important in regulating water balance and its variability in the dry Amazon. Changes in the drivers of ET, such as above ground biomass, could therefore have a larger impact on soil moisture and humidity in the dry (southern and eastern) Amazon relative to the wet Amazon.

Suggested Citation

  • Mingjie Shi & John R. Worden & Adriana Bailey & David Noone & Camille Risi & Rong Fu & Sarah Worden & Robert Herman & Vivienne Payne & Thomas Pagano & Kevin Bowman & A. Anthony Bloom & Sassan Saatchi , 2022. "Amazonian terrestrial water balance inferred from satellite-observed water vapor isotopes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-30317-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30317-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arie Staal & Obbe A. Tuinenburg & Joyce H. C. Bosmans & Milena Holmgren & Egbert H. van Nes & Marten Scheffer & Delphine Clara Zemp & Stefan C. Dekker, 2018. "Forest-rainfall cascades buffer against drought across the Amazon," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(6), pages 539-543, June.
    2. John Worden & David Noone & Kevin Bowman, 2007. "Importance of rain evaporation and continental convection in the tropical water cycle," Nature, Nature, vol. 445(7127), pages 528-532, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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