About this Research Topic
Endorheic (or terminal) basins are land-locked drainage networks where water does not drain into rivers that flow into the oceans. Water losses in terminal basins occur through percolation and evapo(transpi)ration. Most of these basins are in water-stressed drylands (arid and semi-arid areas).
Endorheic basins and their sinks, such as lakes, are extremely sensitive to changes in climate and anthropogenic activities, such as water resources over-exploitation. However, much of the existing water resource and climate change research in terminal basins is still focused on understanding patterns of precipitation, surface air temperature, shrinkage of glaciers and lake in headwaters, and the behaviour of sinks, whereas land surface processes such as evaporation, moisture recycling mechanisms, energy balance, biogeochemical cycles, and related fluxes in Critical Zones (vegetation and subsurface systems) have received far less attention.
The proposed Research Topic aims to bridge the knowledge gap in understanding land surface and Critical Zone processes in endorheic basins under changing climates. We welcome submissions of original research studies that can provide insights on energy, water, and biogeochemical fluxes and cycles across time and space scales in these important underrepresented hydro-regions, particularly but not limited to the following themes:
• Energy and water balance
• Evapo(transpi)ration and its components
• Moisture recycling (from evaporation to precipitation)
• Biogeochemical cycles and fluxes, e.g. carbon and nitrogen, geochemistry
• Fluxes in Critical Zone (vegetation and subsurface systems)
• Behaviour of sinks, water storage processes
• Process-based modelling and knowledge-guided machine learning
• Heatwaves and droughts
• Paleo perspective, e.g. paleolakes
• Interaction between climatic effects on dryland processes and human activities
• Impacts of Climate Change
Endorheic basins and their sinks, such as lakes, are extremely sensitive to changes in climate and anthropogenic activities, such as water resources over-exploitation. However, much of the existing water resource and climate change research in terminal basins is still focused on understanding patterns of precipitation, surface air temperature, shrinkage of glaciers and lake in headwaters, and the behaviour of sinks, whereas land surface processes such as evaporation, moisture recycling mechanisms, energy balance, biogeochemical cycles, and related fluxes in Critical Zones (vegetation and subsurface systems) have received far less attention.
The proposed Research Topic aims to bridge the knowledge gap in understanding land surface and Critical Zone processes in endorheic basins under changing climates. We welcome submissions of original research studies that can provide insights on energy, water, and biogeochemical fluxes and cycles across time and space scales in these important underrepresented hydro-regions, particularly but not limited to the following themes:
• Energy and water balance
• Evapo(transpi)ration and its components
• Moisture recycling (from evaporation to precipitation)
• Biogeochemical cycles and fluxes, e.g. carbon and nitrogen, geochemistry
• Fluxes in Critical Zone (vegetation and subsurface systems)
• Behaviour of sinks, water storage processes
• Process-based modelling and knowledge-guided machine learning
• Heatwaves and droughts
• Paleo perspective, e.g. paleolakes
• Interaction between climatic effects on dryland processes and human activities
• Impacts of Climate Change
Keywords: Land-locked basins, Land surface processes, Critical zone, Drylands, Climate change, Heating, Vegetation, Heatwaves, Droughts
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
