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In this study, the authors used data from nine eddy covariance towers located across the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, to investigate how evaporation and transpiration vary within three primary biomes (Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal) for natural and managed land uses and land covers. This study provides additional understanding of tropical ecosystems and expected responses to land-use and land-cover change through the development of a harmonized dataset.
Drone panoramic aerial view of illegal amazon deforestation, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Forest trees and agriculture field land.
Photo: Paralaxis / Getty Images
Land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) can dramatically affect the magnitude, seasonality and main drivers of evaporation (E) and transpiration (T), together as evapotranspiration (ET), with effects on overall ecosystem function, as well as both the hydrological cycle and climate system at multiple scales. Our understanding of tropical ecosystem responses to LULCC and global change processes is still limited, mainly due to a lack of ground-based observations that cover a variety of ecosystems, land-uses and land-covers.
In this study, the authors used a network of nine eddy covariance flux towers installed in natural (forest, savanna, wetland) and managed systems (rainfed and irrigated cropland, pastureland) to explore how LULCC affects ET and its components in the Amazon, Cerrado and Pantanal biomes. At each site, tower-based ET measurements were partitioned into T and E to investigate how these fluxes varied between different land-uses and seasons.
The authors found that ET, T and E decreased significantly during the dry season, except in Amazon forest ecosystems where T rates were maintained throughout the year. In contrast to Amazon forests, Cerrado and Pantanal ecosystems showed stronger stomatal control during the dry season. Cropland and pasture sites had lower ET and T compared to native vegetation in all biomes, but E was greater in Pantanal pasture when compared to Pantanal forest. The T fraction of ET was correlated with LAI and EVI, but relationships were weaker in Amazon forests. Their results highlight the importance of understanding the effects of LULCC on water fluxes in tropical ecosystems, and the implications for climate change mitigation policies and land management.
Journal article / This study explores how Indigenous territories reduce deforestation but face socio-economic trade-offs, while sustainable-use areas achieve a better balance.
Journal article / This article explores the positions and views of stakeholders who resist the zero-deforestation agenda.
Other publication / The German economy is linked to significant amounts of deforestation risk, but the majority of this risk results from just five key commodities.
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