Tree Hydrodynamic Modelling of Soil Plant Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC-3Hpy)

Abstract

Abstract. Modelling the water transport along the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum is fundamental to estimating and predicting transpiration fluxes. A tree-hydrodynamic model (SPAC-3Hpy) for the water fluxes across the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum is presented here. The model combines the water transport pathways to one vertical dimension, and assumes that the water flow through the soil, roots, and above-ground xylem can be approximated as a flow in porous media. This results in a system of three partial differential equations resembling the Richardson-Richards equation describing the transport of water through the plant system and with additional terms representing sinks and sources for the transfer of water from to the soil to the roots and from the leaves to the atmosphere. The numerical scheme, developed in Python 3, was tested against exact analytical solutions for steady state and transient conditions using simplified but realistic model parametrizations. The model was also used to simulate a previously published case study where observed transpiration rates were available in order to evaluate model performance. With the same model setup as the published case study, SPAC-3Hpy results were in agreement with observations. Through a rigorous coupling of soil, roots, and hydroactive xylem, SPAC-3Hpy can account for variable capacitance while conserving mass and the continuity of the water potential between these three layers. SPAC-3Hpy provides a ready-to-use open access numerical model for the simulation of water fluxes across the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.