| 1. |
- Pfeffer, Julia, et al.
(author)
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Evaluating surface and subsurface water storage variations at small time and space scales from relative gravity measurements in semiarid Niger
- 2013
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In: Water Resources Research. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0043-1397 .- 1944-7973. ; 49:6, s. 3276-3291
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The acquisition of reliable data sets representative of hydrological regimes and their variations is a critical concern for water resource assessment. For the subsurface, traditional approaches based on probe measurements, core analysis, and well data can be laborious, expensive, and highly intrusive, while only yielding sparse data sets. For this study, an innovative field survey, merging relative microgravimetry, magnetic resonance soundings, and hydrological measurements, was conducted to evaluate both surface and subsurface water storage variations in a semiarid Sahelian area. The instrumental setup was implemented in the lower part of a typical hillslope feeding to a temporary pond. Weekly measurements were carried out using relative spring gravimeters during 3 months of the rainy season in 2009 over a 350 × 500 m2 network of 12 microgravity stations. Gravity variations of small to medium amplitude (≤220 nm s-2) were measured with accuracies better than 50 nm s-2, revealing significant variations of the water storage at small time (from 1 week up to 3 months) and space (from a couple of meters up to a few hundred meters) scales. Consistent spatial organization of the water storage variations were detected, suggesting high infiltration at the outlet of a small gully. The comparison with hydrological measurements and magnetic resonance soundings involved that most of the microgravity variations came from the heterogeneity in the vadose zone. The results highlight the potential of time lapse microgravity surveys for detecting intraseasonal water storage variations and providing rich space-time data sets for process investigation or hydrological model calibration/ evaluation.
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| 2. |
- Merbold, L., et al.
(author)
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Precipitation as driver of carbon fluxes in 11 African ecosystems
- 2009
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In: Biogeosciences. - 1726-4189. ; 6:6, s. 1027-1041
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study reports carbon and water fluxes between the land surface and atmosphere in eleven different ecosystems types in Sub-Saharan Africa, as measured using eddy covariance (EC) technology in the first two years of the CarboAfrica network operation. The ecosystems for which data were available ranged in mean annual rainfall from 320 mm (Sudan) to 1150 mm (Republic of Congo) and include a spectrum of vegetation types (or land cover) (open savannas, woodlands, croplands and grasslands). Given the shortness of the record, the EC data were analysed across the network rather than longitudinally at sites, in order to understand the driving factors for ecosystem respiration and carbon assimilation, and to reveal the different water use strategies in these highly seasonal environments. Values for maximum net carbon assimilation rates (photosynthesis) ranged from -12.5 mu mol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) in a dry, open Millet cropland (C-4-plants) up to -48 mu mol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) for a tropical moist grassland. Maximum carbon assimilation rates were highly correlated with mean annual rainfall (r(2)=0.74). Maximum photosynthetic uptake rates (Fp(max)) were positively related to satellite-derived f(APAR). Ecosystem respiration was dependent on temperature at all sites, and was additionally dependent on soil water content at sites receiving less than 1000 mm of rain per year. All included ecosystems dominated by C-3-plants, showed a strong decrease in 30-min assimilation rates with increasing water vapour pressure deficit above 2.0 kPa.
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| 3. |
- Sjöström, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Exploring the potential of MODIS EVI for modeling gross primary production across African ecosystems
- 2011
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In: Remote Sensing of Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0034-4257. ; 115:4, s. 1081-1089
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the most frequently applied methods for integrating controls on primary production through satellite data is the light use efficiency (LUE) approach, which links vegetation gross or net primary productivity (GPP or NPP) to remotely-sensed estimates of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR). Eddy covariance towers provide continuous measurements of carbon flux, presenting an opportunity for evaluation of satellite estimates of GPP. Here we investigate relationships between eddy covariance estimated GPP, environmental variables and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) across African savanna ecosystems. EVI was found to correlate well with estimated GPP on a site-by-site basis. Combining EVI with tower-measured PAR and evaporative fraction (EF, a measure of water sufficiency) improved the direct relationship between GPP and EVI at the majority of the sites. The slope of this relationship was strongly related to site peak leaf area index (LAI). These results are promising for the extension of GPP through the use of remote sensing data to a regional or even continental scale.
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