Comparison of root water uptake modules using either the surface energy balance or potential transpiration

Numerical models simulating changes in soil water content with time rely on accurate estimation of root water uptake. This paper considers two root water uptake modules that have a compensation mechanism allowing for increased root uptake under conditions of water stress. These modules, proposed by Lai and Katul and Li et al. [Adv. Water Resour. 23 (2000) 427 and J. Hydrol. 252 (2001) 189] use potential transpiration weighted, for each soil layer, by a water stress and a compensation function in order to estimate actual transpiration. The first objective of the paper was to assess the accuracy of the proposed root extraction modules against two existing data sets, acquired under dry conditions for a winter wheat and a soybean crop. In order to perform a fair comparison, both modules were included as possible root water extraction modules within the Simple Soil Plant Atmosphere Transfer (SiSPAT) model. In this first set of simulations, actual transpiration was calculated using the solution of the surface energy budget as implemented in the SiSPAT model. Under such conditions, both root extraction modules were able to reproduce accurately the time evolution of soil moisture at various depths, soil water storage and daily evaporation. Results were generally improved when we activated the compensation mechanisms. However, we showed that Lai and Katul [Adv. Water Resour. 23 (2000) 427] module was sensitive to soil hydraulic properties through its water stress function, whereas the Li et al. [J. Hydrol. 252 (2001) 189] module was not very sensitive to the specification of its parameter. The latter module is therefore recommended for inclusion into a larger scale hydrological model, due to its robustness.