How evaporative water losses vary between wet and dry water years as a function of elevation in the Sierra Nevada, California, and critical factors for modeling

摘要: [1] High altitude basins in the Sierra Nevada, California, have negligible summer precipitation and very little groundwater storage, making them ideal laboratories for indirectly monitoring changes evaporative losses between wet dry years. Dry years typically greater potential evapotranspiration (ET) due to warmer June July air temperatures, water/soil solar radiation exposure less frequent cloud cover, vapor pressure deficit, longer growing seasons. However, also limited moisture availability compared wetter years, thus actual is much than The balance of these factors varies with elevation. Here, we use gridded temperature, precipitation, snow data, along historic streamflow records two nested Merced River, a simple model determine following: Annual ET increases at midelevations (2100–2600 m), but this pattern can only be represented simulations that include some representation water transfer higher lower elevation soil reservoirs. At elevations (>2600 offset by shorter seasons cover duration. These results suggest models seeking represent mountainous terrain must, minimum, both hillslope processes (water down steep slopes) (timing energy supply).