Upscaling issues in ecohydrological observations

Authors: VEREECKEN, HARRY - Agrosphere Institute; Pachepsky, Yakov; BOGENA, HEIE - Agrosphere Institute; JAVAUX, MATHIEU - Agrosphere Institute; MONTZKA, CARSTEN - Agrosphere Institute

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/4/2017
Publication Date: 3/16/2019
Citation: Vereecken, H., Pachepsky, Y.A., Bogena, H., Javaux, M., Montzka, C. 2019. Upscaling issues in ecohydrological observations. In: Li X., Vereecken H., editors. Observation and Measurement of Ecohydrological Processes. Ecohydrology. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. p. 435-454.

Interpretive Summary: Ecohydrological systems are hierarchical. Both in applications and in research, It is necessary to use the information from small-scale observations to predict or interpret systems behavior at higher levels of organization. Such information transfer, called up-scaling, is far from trivial, because it requires the knowledge of how the heterogeneity of the systems at fine scales affects the system behavior at coarser scales. The objective of this book chapter is to present the review of existing approaches and the outlook of research opportunities. We characterize methods of up-scaling ecohydrological processes, of estimating the coarse-scale systems parameters using remote sensing, existing soil, land use and vegetation maps, and monitoring results. Design of observation systems for multiscale data collection is discussed. This review can be useful to hydrologists and ecologists as a reference and instruction material for organizing interdisciplinary collaborations and communications, and in focusing projects towards applications at societally important scales where policy and management decisions are to be made.

Technical Abstract: Scale is recognized as a central concept in the description of the hierarchical organization of our world. Pressing environmental and societal problems such require an understanding of how processes operate at different scales, and how they can be linked across scales. Ecohydrology as many other disciplines obtain bulk of their empirical information at fine scales, whereas results of environmental diagnostics, monitoring, and predictions are needed to make decisions at much more coarse societally important scales. It becomes imperative to relate information available and produced at different scales. The objective of this work is to present an overview of concepts that are currently used to transfer information from finer to coarser scales in ecohydrological studies. We address techniques and issues of upscaling water flow processes in the vadose zone, water-plant processes with the emphasis of scaling from leaf to canopy, from stand to region, and from individual root to root system. The major groups of the coarse-scale parameter estimation methods are discussed, including pedotransfer methods, remote sensing, and data assimilation. The design of multiscale observations in ecohydrology is analyzed. Finally, research opportunities and expected advances are listed.