Carbon-water-energy relations for selected river basins

Total evaporation couples water and energy balance equations, while transpiration, which is the major component of total evaporation over most of the global land surface, is strongly determined by the rate of carbon assimilation. A model combining the rate of carbon assimilation with water and energy balance equations has been developed, and run using satellite and ancillary data for 48-month period (January 1987 to December 1990) over global land surface. Relations between net carbon accumulation by terrestrial plant communities, evaporation, and net radiation are presented for 15 largest river basins of the world, and evaluated against those derived from field measurements. (C) 2000 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.