We designed and deployed a network of electronic automated weighing micro-lysimeters (n=58) on the North Slope of Alaska to partition evapotranspiration (ET) between major vegetation components of tussock tundra.
We found moss evaporation and tussock evapotranspiration to each contribute approximately 45% of total ET with mixed deciduous and evergreen shrubs contributing the remaining 5%.
This ET partitioning allows us to predict future changes in water flux associated with observed and predicted future vegetation change. Changes in the composition and cover of mosses and vascular plants will not only alter tundra ET dynamics, but also affect the significant role that mosses, their thick organic layers, and vascular plants play in the moisture regime and thermodynamics of arctic permafrost soils.
Our study clarifies the prominent role moss plays in facilitating water and heat efflux to the atmosphere.
