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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Boise, Idaho » Northwest Watershed Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #111319
Title: UPSCALING LEAF AREA MEASUREMENTS FOR EVAPOTRANSPIRATION SIMULATION IN HETEROGENEOUS SEMIARID ENVIRONMENTS

Author
item Seyfried, Mark
item CROSBY, G - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item NEALE, C - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Large scale, distributed hydrologic models are usually based on relationships and measurement technologies developed at relatively small scales. In this case we wish to simulate evapotranspiration (ET) in mountainous, semiarid terrain as exemplified by the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed. This generally requires knowledge of leaf area index (LAI), which is known to vary considerably within the 250 square km area. Since the measurement scale of LAI using standard techniques is orders of magnitude smaller than the scale we wish to simulate, and because the regional spatial variability is high, we need to transfer intensive, small scale measurements to larger areas of interest. This process involves a scale transferal of both measurements and of modeling approach. In order to establish some criteria for the required input data accuracy, we analyzed the sensitivity of simulated ET to LAI variation and also how well simulations performed with well measured LAI data.