Contrasting roles of interception and transpiration in the hydrological cycle – Part 1: Simple Terrestrial Evaporation to Atmosphere Model

Terrestrial evaporation consists of biophysical (i.e., transpiration) and physical fluxes (i.e., interception, soil moisture, and open water). The partitioning between them depends on both climate and the land surface, and determines the time scale of evaporation. However, few land-surface models have analysed and evaluated evaporative partitioning based on land use, and no studies have examined their subsequent paths in the atmosphere.

This paper constitutes the first of two companion papers that investigate the contrasting effects of interception and transpiration in the hydrological cycle. Here, we present STEAM (Simple Terrestrial Evaporation to Atmosphere Model) used to produce partitioned evaporation and analyse the characteristics of different evaporation fluxes on land.