Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-12-2024
Abstract
Understanding tree transpiration variability is vital for assessing ecosystem water-use efficiency and forest health amid climate change, yet most landscape-level measurements do not differentiate individual trees. Using canopy temperature data from thermal cameras, we estimated the transpiration rates of individual trees at Harvard Forest and Niwot Ridge. PT-JPL model was used to derive latent heat flux from thermal images at the canopy-level, showing strong agreement with tower measurements (R2 = 0.70–0.96 at Niwot, 0.59–0.78 at Harvard at half-hourly to monthly scales) and daily RMSE of 33.5 W/m2 (Niwot) and 52.8 W/m2 (Harvard). Tree-level analysis revealed species-specific responses to drought, with lodgepole pine exhibiting greater tolerance than Engelmann spruce at Niwot and red oak showing heightened resistance than red maple at Harvard. These findings show how ecophysiological differences between species result in varying responses to drought and demonstrate that these responses can be characterized by deriving transpiration from crown temperature measurements.
Recommended Citation
Javadian, M., Aubrecht, D. M., Fisher, J. B., Scott, R. L., Burns, S. P., Diehl, J. L., et al. (2024). Scaling individual tree transpiration with thermal cameras reveals interspecies differences to drought vulnerability. Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2024GL111479. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111479
Supporting Information S1
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
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Botany Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Fresh Water Studies Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons, Other Plant Sciences Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Geophysical Research Letters, volume 51, issue 20, in 2024. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111479