The role of root distribution for climate simulation over land

Xubin Zeng, Yong Jiu Dai, Robert E. Dickinson, Muhammad Shaikh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

A comprehensive global root database is used to derive vertical root distribution and rooting depth for various vegetation categories in one of the most widely-used land models; i.e., the Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS). Using a variety of observational datasets, observed root distribution is found to significantly improves the offline simulation of surface water and energy balance. Global climate modeling further demonstrates that observed root distribution primarily affects latent heat flux and soil wetness over tropical and midlatitude land, respectively.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4533-4536
Number of pages4
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume25
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 15 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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