Keir Soderberg

Uncertainties in the assessment of the isotopic composition of surface fluxes: A direct comparison of techniques using laser‐based water vapor isotope analyzers

[1] The isotopic composition of surface fluxes is a key environmental tracer currently estimated with a variety of methods, including: Keeling mixing models, the flux-gradient technique, and eddy covariance. We present a direct inter-comparison of these three methods used to estimate the isotopic ratio of water vapor in surface fluxes (dET) over half-hour periods, with a focus on the statistical uncertainty of each method (sdET ). We develop expressions for sdET as a function of instrument precision, sample size, and atmospheric conditions. Uncertainty estimators are validated with high frequency (1 Hz) data from multiple configurations of commercial off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) systems. We find measurement techniques utilizing the high frequency capabilities of ICOS system outperform those methods where a single average of the isotopic composition is obtained at each height, with improvements attributed to large sample counts and increased variation in observed concentrations. Analytically, and with supporting data, we show that over 30 minute periods the Keeling plot and flux-gradient techniques produce nearly identical dET and sdET values, while eddy covariance calculations always introduce more uncertainty given the same high frequency data. This additional uncertainty is proportional to the reciprocal of the correlation coefficient between vertical wind speed and water vapor mixing ratio. Finally, given the inverse relationship between dET uncertainties and the range of water vapor observed, we propose that experimental designs should attempt to maximize both sample count and the coefficient of variation in atmospheric water vapor. Citation: Good, S. P., K. Soderberg, L. Wang, and K. K. Caylor (2012), Uncertainties in the assessment of the isotopic composition of surface fluxes: A direct comparison of techniques using laser-based water vapor isotope analyzers, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D15301, doi:10.1029/2011JD017168.

δ2H isotopic flux partitioning of evapotranspiration over a grass field following a water pulse and subsequent dry down

The partitioning of surface vapor flux (FET) into evaporation (FE) and transpiration (FT) is theoretically possible because of distinct differences in end-member stable isotope composition. In this study, we combine high-frequency laser spectroscopy with eddy covariance techniques to critically evaluate isotope flux partitioning of FET over a grass field during a 15 day experiment. Following the application of a 30 mm water pulse, green grass coverage at the study site increased from 0 to 10% of ground surface area after 6 days and then began to senesce. Using isotope flux partitioning, transpiration increased as a fraction of total vapor flux from 0% to 40% during the green-up phase, after which this ratio decreased while exhibiting hysteresis with respect to green grass coverage. Daily daytime leaf-level gas exchange measurements compare well with daily isotope flux partitioning averages (RMSE = 0.0018 g m−2 s−1). Overall the average ratio of FT to FET was 29%, where uncertainties in Keeling plot intercepts and transpiration composition resulted in an average of uncertainty of ∼5% in our isotopic partitioning of FET. Flux-variance similarity partitioning was partially consistent with the isotope-based approach, with divergence occurring after rainfall and when the grass was stressed. Over the average diurnal cycle, local meteorological conditions, particularly net radiation and relative humidity, are shown to control partitioning. At longer time scales, green leaf area and available soil water control FT/FET. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of combining isotope flux partitioning and flux-variance similarity theory to estimate water use efficiency at the landscape scale.

Using atmospheric trajectories to model the isotopic composition of rainfall in central Kenya

The isotopic composition of rainfall (δ2H and δ18O) is an important tracer in studies of the ecohydrology, plant physiology, climate and biogeochemistry of past and present ecosystems. The overall continental and global patterns in precipitation isotopic composition are fairly well described by condensation temperature and Rayleigh fractionation during rainout. However, these processes do not fully explain the isotopic variability in the tropics, where intra-storm and meso-scale dynamics may dominate. Here we explore the use of atmospheric back-trajectory modeling and associated meteorological variables to explain the large variability observed in the isotopic composition of individual rain events at the study site in central Kenya. Individual rain event samples collected at the study site (n = 41) range from −51‰ to 31‰ for δ2H and the corresponding monthly values (rain volume-weighted) range from −15‰ to 15‰. Using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, we map back-...

Roots point to water sources of Welwitschia mirabilis in a hyperarid desert: Roots point to welwitschia water sources

Namib Ecological Restoration and Monitoring Unit, Gobabeb Research and Training Centre, Walvis Bay, Namibia Arid Lands Node, South African Environmental Observation Network, Kimberley, South Africa Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa Safety Health and Environmental Risks, Swakop Uranium, Swakopmund, Namibia Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey Geochemistry, S.S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland Correspondence Joh R. Henschel, South African Environmental Observation Network, PO Box 11040 Hadison Park, Kimberley 8306, South Africa. Email: joh.henschel@saeon.ac.za