Budyko-Based Long-Term Water and Energy Balance Closure in Global Watersheds From Earth Observations.

ABSTRACT: Earth observations offer potential pathways for accurately closing the water and energy balance of watersheds, a fundamental challenge in hydrology. However, previous attempts based on purely satellite-based estimates have focused on closing the water and energy balances separately. They are hindered by the lack of estimates of key components, such as runoff. Here, we posit a novel approach based on Budyko's water and energy balance constraints. The approach is applied to quantify the degree of long-term closure at the watershed scale, as well as its associated uncertainties, using an ensemble of global satellite data sets. We find large spatial variability across aridity, elevation, and other environmental gradients. Specifically, we find a positive correlation between elevation and closu

SUBMITTER: Koppa A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8244049 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature