Predicting Streamflow Elasticity Based on Percolation Theory and Ecological Optimality

Predicting Streamflow Elasticity Based on Percolation Theory and Ecological Optimality

A.G. Hunt, M. Sahimi, B. Ghanbarian

The ecological optimality principle applied was to exploit root-soil network interactions in such a way that partitions soil water (the water balance) into that combination of evapotranspiration and run-off that maximizes the net primary productivity of the plant ecosystem. The theoretical basis thus lies in the percolation theoretical descriptions of root growth and soil formation. The results describe the known variability of streamflow elasticity as a function of aridity index in global data bases using exactly the same range of storage values that generate the known variation in the water balance itself and also describe the dependence of streamflow elasticity on streamflow itself. As noted in the publication, the ecosystem level optimization of carbon assimilation on which this publication is based (WRR, 2021) yields essentially the same result for the water balance as a dynamic process model optimized for carbon profit, published in 2022, providing additional support for the proposed linkage to ecological optima.

AGU Advances 4, 4 (2023)
Corresponding Author: Allen G. Hunt

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