Soil moisture controls on carbon and water cycling

Soil moisture is known to affect land-atmosphere interactions at multiple temporal and spatial scales; including boundary layer convection and energy balance partitioning. A study of soil moisture control on carbon and water cycling was conducted in a brome grass field experiencing woody-encroachment at the Nelson Environmental Research Area (NESA), located north of Lawrence, Kansas. One year of data from an eddy covariance station is used to examine the impact of soil moisture variability on surface energy balance, and the impact of water limitation on carbon and water fluxes. Special emphasis is placed on examining dry down periods and the responses of energy balance partitioning and closure as a function of time from precipitation events. Understanding the relative control over of soil moisture in such ecosystems is important for assessing regional scale water and carbon cycling in areas impacted by altered land cover.