Research Article

Quantifying transpirable soil water and its relations to tree water use dynamics in a water-limited pine forest

  1. Tamir Klein1,
  2. Eyal Rotenberg1,
  3. Ella Cohen-Hilaleh1,
  4. Naama Raz-Yaseef1,2,
  5. Fyodor Tatarinov1,
  6. Yakir Preisler1,
  7. Jérôme Ogée3,
  8. Shabtai Cohen4,
  9. Dan Yakir1,*

Article first published online: 1 JAN 2013

DOI: 10.1002/eco.1360

Additional Information

How to Cite

Klein, T., Rotenberg, E., Cohen-Hilaleh, E., Raz-Yaseef, N., Tatarinov, F., Preisler, Y., Ogée, J., Cohen, S. and Yakir, D. (2013), Quantifying transpirable soil water and its relations to tree water use dynamics in a water-limited pine forest. Ecohydrol.. doi: 10.1002/eco.1360

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

  2. 2

    Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

  3. 3

    INRA, UR1263 EPHYSE, F-33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France

  4. 4

    Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani Center ARO, Beit Dagan, Israel

* Dan Yakir, Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
E-mail dan.yakir@weizmann.ac.il

Publication History

  1. Article first published online: 1 JAN 2013
  2. Manuscript Accepted: 19 NOV 2012
  3. Manuscript Revised: 30 SEP 2012
  4. Manuscript Received: 4 JUN 2012

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Keywords:

  • soil water retention;
  • water availability;
  • hydrological budget;
  • sap flow;
  • water potential

ABSTRACT

Knowledge of the relationship between soil water dynamics and tree water use is critical to understanding forest response to environmental change in water-limited ecosystems. However, the dynamics in soil water availability for tree transpiration (Tt) cannot be easily deduced from conventional measurements of soil water content (SWC), notably because Tt is influenced by soil water potential (Ψs) that, in turn, depends on soil characteristics. Using tree sap flow and water potential and deriving depth-dependent soil water retention curves, we quantified the ‘transpirable soil water content’ (tSWC) and its seasonal and inter-annual variations in a semi-arid Pinus halepensis forest. The results indicated that tSWC varied in time and with soil depth. Over one growing season Tt was 57% of rain and 72% of the infiltrated SWC. In early winter, Tt was exclusively supported by soil moisture at the top 10 cm (tSWC = 11 mm), whereas in spring (tSWC > 18 mm) and throughout the dry season, source water for Tt shifted to 20–40 cm, where the maximum fine root density occurs. Simulation with the soil–plant–atmosphere water and energy transport model MuSICA supported the idea that consistent tSWC at the 20–40 cm soil layer critically depended on limited water infiltration below 40 cm, because of high water retention below this depth. Quantifying tSWC is critical to the precise estimation of the onset and termination of the growing season (when tSWC > 0) in this semi-arid ecosystem. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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