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Data

Vapour Pressure Deficit Modulates Hydraulic Function and Structure of Tropical Rainforests Under Non-Limiting Soil Water Supply 

Ver: 1
Status of Data: completed
Update Frequency: notPlanned
Security Classification: unclassified
Record Last Modified: 2025-12-02
Viewed 191 times
Accessed 87 times
Dataset Created: 2023-08-24
Dataset Published: 2021-11-23
Data can be accessed from the following links:
HTTPPoint-of-truth metadata URLHTTPCow Bay Predawn and Midday leaf water potential dataHTTPCow Bay Sap flux dataHTTPCow Bay pneumatic vulnerability curve dataHTTPCow Bay soil water potential dataHTTPFile information inc. variable names and unitsHTTPRC and CB inventory dataHTTPRobson Creek Predawn and Midday leaf water potential dataHTTPRobson Creek Sap flux dataHTTPRobson Creek pneumatic vulnerability curve dataHTTPRobson Creek Soil water potentialHTTPro-crate-metadata.json
How to cite this collection:
Binks, O. & Meir, P. (2021). Vapour Pressure Deficit Modulates Hydraulic Function and Structure of Tropical Rainforests Under Non-Limiting Soil Water Supply. Version 1. Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network. Dataset. https://dx.doi.org/10.25901/86yk-5m77 
Tropical rainforests play a powerful role in mediating the global climate through the exchange and storage of carbon and water. Climate change is expected to generate higher atmospheric water demand in many areas, potentially increasing the rate of evaporation. In this study, we show that higher evaporative demand may in fact lead to lower fluxes of water from tropical rainforests and a reduced capacity of these forests to store carbon.
The record contains meteorological and forest inventory data in addition to data on soil water potential, sapflow measurements and tree hydraulic vulnerability measures from Robson Creek and Cow Bay study sites in Far North Queensland. The measurements occurred over a period of two years form 2019 to 2020. 
Credit
We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
This work was supported by ARC grant DP17010409 to PM; Catalan science and technology grant, Beatriu de Pinós, BP2021 00224 to Oliver Binks (OB). OB gratefully acknowledges the Daintree Discovery Centre for use of their facilities and power supply for the field equipment. Mike Liddell acknowledges the support of TERN in maintaining the field infrastructure at Cow Bay and Robson Creek, TERN is the Australian Government's Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (www.tern.org.au). 
Purpose
The study was conducted to understand the climatic drivers of transpiration of tropical rainforests, and the feedbacks between water stress in trees and forest structure and function. 
Lineage
Details of methology is provided in Binks et al. 2021 New Phytologist 10.1111/nph.17895, and Binks et al. 2023 New Phytologist.
  • Meteorological data were recorded from canopy towers 5-10 m above the forest canopy. Met data for the two sites are available on: Robson creek and Cow Bay.
  • Soil water potential was measured using Teros 21 sensors (Meter Group) installed in bore holes 80 mm wide, and measured at depths of 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2m (where possible).
  • Hydraulic vulnerability (P50, P80) was estimated using pneumatic vulnerability curves (percent air discharged).
  • Sap flux was measured using the EMS81 sap flow system.
 
Method DocumentationForest system hydraulic conductance: partitioning tree and soil components
Procedure StepsData not provided.
The study was conducted in a lowland tropical rainforest site, Cow Bay, and an upland site, Robson Creek.
Temporal Coverage
From 2019-04-29 to 2020-08-04 
Spatial Resolution

Data not provided.

Vertical Extent

Data not provided.

ANZSRC - FOR
Ecological physiology
Ecology
GCMD Sciences
BIOSPHERE - VEGETATION
LAND SURFACE - LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
Horizontal Resolution
1 km - < 10 km or approximately .01 degree - < .09 degree
Parameters
midday water potential
predawn water potential
sap flux
soil water potential
Platforms
Daintree Rainforest, Cow Bay
Robson Creek Rainforest
Temporal Resolution
1 minute - < 1 hour
Topic
climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
environment
Author
Binks, Oliver
Collaborator
Cernusak, Lucas
Contact Point
Binks, Oliver
Principal Investigator
Meir, Patrick
Publisher
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
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