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Finite element tree crown hydrodynamics model (FETCH) using porous media flow within branching elements: A new representation of tree hydrodynamics
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Nicolas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Nicolas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Nicolas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Estimating transpiration and water flow in trees remains a major challenge for quantifying water exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere. We develop a finite element tree crown hydrodynamics (FETCH) model that uses porous media equations for water flow in an explicit three-dimensional branching fractal tree-crown system. It also incorporates a first-order canopy-air turbulence closure model to generate the external forcing of the system. We use FETCH to conduct sensitivity analysis of transpirational dynamics to changes in canopy structure via two scaling parameters for branch thickness and conductance. We compare our results with the equivalent parameters of the commonly used resistor and resistor-capacitor representations of tree hydraulics. We show that the apparent temporal and vertical variability in these parameters strongly depends on structure. We suggest that following empirical calibration and validation, FETCH could be used as a platform for calibrating the “scaling laws” between tree structure and hydrodynamics and for surface parameterization in meteorological and hydrological models.
Received 12 April 2005; accepted 28 July 2005; published 2 November 2005.
Citation: (2005), Finite element tree crown hydrodynamics model (FETCH) using porous media flow within branching elements: A new representation of tree hydrodynamics, Water Resour. Res., 41, W11404, doi:10.1029/2005WR004181.
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