Experimental investigations of water fluxes within the soil–vegetation–atmosphere system: Stable isotope mass-balance approach to partition evaporation and transpiration

Irrigated agriculture is the largest user of freshwater worldwide and the scale of irrigated agriculture can be so large that it can have dramatic effects on the water cycle and even alter regional climates. Therefore, it is vital to improve the water use efficiency of irrigated lands in order to address the sustainable use of water resources, the growing need for agricultural products, and the health of ecosystems. Environmental isotopes have unique attributes that make them particularly suitable for tracing hydrological pathways and quantifying hydrological fluxes within the soil–vegetation–atmosphere system. The stable isotopic composition of soil water is mainly controlled by precipitation or irrigation inputs and evaporative losses. Because transpiration does not fractionate soil water isotopes, it is possible to estimate the relative proportions of evaporation and transpiration using isotopic mass balance calculations. In this study experimental investigations, combining classical hydrometric measurements, tracer hydrological methods and a soil water model were applied to laboratory lysimeters to study the transpiration processes of Teff ( Eragrostis tea (Zucc.) Trotter). Teff is an annual bunch cereal and an important aliment in Ethiopia and Eritrea and it is also gaining popularity in other countries. To determine the soil water contents, sensors using a capacitance/frequency domain technology were installed at different depths and soil water samples for the isotope analysis were taken using pore water samplers. Water contents in different depths and water fluxes, such as percolation and evaporation were modeled using the HYDRUS-1D software package. By using an isotope mass balance model the total evaporation and the fractions between soil evaporation and transpiration could be determined. The water losses which were estimated using the isotope mass-balance approach are in good agreement with the measured values using classical hydrometric measurements. The proportion of water lost by transpiration (T/ET) during the study period was about 0.7 for the Teff covered laboratory set-up.