---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
_id: '22511'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Wildfires are increasing in frequency, intensity, and extent globally due
    to climate change and they can alter forest composition, structure, and function.
    The destruction and subsequent regrowth of young vegetation can modify the ecosystem
    evapotranspiration and downstream water availability. However, the response of
    forest recovery on hydrology is not well known with even the sign of evapotranspiration
    and water yield changes following forest fires being uncertain across the globe.
    Here, we quantify the effects of forest regrowth after catastrophic wildfires
    on evapotranspiration and runoff in the world's tallest angiosperm forest (Eucalyptus
    regnans) in Australia. We combine eddy covariance measurements including pre-
    and post-fire periods, mechanistic ecohydrological modeling and then extend the
    analysis spatially to multiple fires in eucalypt-dominated forests in south-eastern
    Australia by utilizing remote sensing. We find a fast recovery of evapotranspiration
    which reaches and exceeds pre-fire values within 2 years after the bushfire, a
    result confirmed by eddy covariance data, remote sensing, and modeling. Such a
    fast evapotranspiration recovery is likely generalizable to tall eucalypt forests
    in south-eastern Australia as shown by remote sensing. Once climate variability
    is discounted, ecohydrological modeling shows evapotranspiration rates from the
    recovering forest which reach peak values of +20% evapotranspiration 3 years post-fire.
    As a result, modeled runoff decreases substantially. Contrary to previous research,
    we find that the increase in modeled evapotranspiration is largely caused by the
    aerodynamic effects of a much shorter forest height leading to higher surface
    temperature, higher humidity gradients and therefore increased transpiration.
    However, increases in evapotranspiration as well as decreases in runoff caused
    by the young forest are constrained by energy and water limitations. Our result
    of an increase in evapotranspiration due to aerodynamic warming in a shorter forest
    after wildfires could occur in many parts of the world experiencing forest disturbances.
article_number: e16995
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Naika
  full_name: Meili, Naika
  last_name: Meili
- first_name: Jason
  full_name: Beringer, Jason
  last_name: Beringer
- first_name: Jiacheng
  full_name: Zhao, Jiacheng
  last_name: Zhao
- first_name: Simone
  full_name: Fatichi, Simone
  id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
  last_name: Fatichi
citation:
  ama: Meili N, Beringer J, Zhao J, Fatichi S. Aerodynamic effects cause higher forest
    evapotranspiration and water yield reductions after wildfires in tall forests.
    <i>Global Change Biology</i>. 2024;30(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995">10.1111/gcb.16995</a>
  apa: Meili, N., Beringer, J., Zhao, J., &#38; Fatichi, S. (2024). Aerodynamic effects
    cause higher forest evapotranspiration and water yield reductions after wildfires
    in tall forests. <i>Global Change Biology</i>. Wiley. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995">https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995</a>
  chicago: Meili, Naika, Jason Beringer, Jiacheng Zhao, and Simone Fatichi. “Aerodynamic
    Effects Cause Higher Forest Evapotranspiration and Water Yield Reductions after
    Wildfires in Tall Forests.” <i>Global Change Biology</i>. Wiley, 2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995">https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995</a>.
  ieee: N. Meili, J. Beringer, J. Zhao, and S. Fatichi, “Aerodynamic effects cause
    higher forest evapotranspiration and water yield reductions after wildfires in
    tall forests,” <i>Global Change Biology</i>, vol. 30, no. 1. Wiley, 2024.
  ista: Meili N, Beringer J, Zhao J, Fatichi S. 2024. Aerodynamic effects cause higher
    forest evapotranspiration and water yield reductions after wildfires in tall forests.
    Global Change Biology. 30(1), e16995.
  mla: Meili, Naika, et al. “Aerodynamic Effects Cause Higher Forest Evapotranspiration
    and Water Yield Reductions after Wildfires in Tall Forests.” <i>Global Change
    Biology</i>, vol. 30, no. 1, e16995, Wiley, 2024, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995">10.1111/gcb.16995</a>.
  short: N. Meili, J. Beringer, J. Zhao, S. Fatichi, Global Change Biology 30 (2024).
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:24Z
date_published: 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-11T05:51:07Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1111/gcb.16995
extern: '1'
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '37916642'
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995
intvolume: '        30'
issue: '1'
keyword:
- Aerodynamic effects
- Bushfires Australia
- Ecohydrological modeling
- Eddy covariancemeasurements
- Eucalyptus regnans
- Forest evapotranspiration
- Forest recovery
- Mountain Ash
- TERN OzFlux
- Wildfires
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16995
month: '01'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
publication: Global Change Biology
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1365-2486
  issn:
  - 1354-1013
publication_status: published
publisher: Wiley
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Aerodynamic effects cause higher forest evapotranspiration and water yield
  reductions after wildfires in tall forests
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 30
year: '2024'
...