Experimentally characterizing evapotranspiration (ET) in different biomes around the world is an issue of interest for different areas of science. ET in natural areas of the Brazilian Pampa biome has still not been assessed. In this study, the actual ET (ET_act) obtained from eddy covariance measurements over two sites of the Pampa biome was analyzed. The objective was to evaluate the energy partition and seasonal variability of the actual ET of the Pampa biome. Results showed that the latent heat flux was the dominant component in available energy in both the autumn–winter (AW) and spring–summer (SS) periods. Evapotranspiration of the Pampa biome showed strong seasonality, with highest ET rates in the SS period. During the study period, approximately 65% of the net radiation was used for the evapotranspiration process in the Pampa biome. The annual mean ET rate was 2.45 mm d⁻¹. ET did not show to vary significantly between sites, with daily values very similar in both sites. The water availability in the Pampa biome was not a limiting factor for ET, which resulted in a small difference between the reference ET and the actual ET. These results are helpful in achieving a better understanding of the temporal pattern of ET in relation to the landscape of the Pampa biome and its meteorological, soil, and vegetation characteristics.

Atmospheric downward longwave radiation flux (L↓) is a variable that directly influences the surface net radiation and consequently, weather and climatic conditions. Measurements of L↓ are scarce, and the use of classical models depending on some atmospheric variables may be an alternative. In this paper, we analyzed L↓ measured over the Brazilian Pampa biome. This region is located in a humid subtropical climate zone and characterized by well defined seasons and well distributed precipitation. Furthermore, we evaluated the performance of the eleven classical L↓ models for clear sky with one-year experimental data collected in the Santa Maria experimental site (SMA) over native vegetation and high relative humidity throughout the year. Most of the L↓ estimations, using the original coefficients, underestimated the experimental data. We performed the local calibration of the L↓ equations coefficients over an annual period and separated them into different sky cover classifications: clear sky, partly cloudy sky, and cloudy sky. The calibrations decreased the errors, especially in cloudy sky classification. We also proposed the joint calibration between the clear sky emissivity equations and cloud sky correction function to reduce errors and evaluate different sky classifications. The results found after these calibrations presented better statistical indexes. Additionally, we presented a new empirical model to estimate L↓ based on multiple regression analysis using water vapor pressure and air temperature. The new equation well represents partial and cloudy sky, even without including the cloud cover parameterization, and was validated with the following five years in SMA and two years in the Cachoeira do Sul experimental site (CAS). The new equation proposed herein presents a root mean square error ranging from 13 to 21 Wm⁻² and correlation coefficient from 0.68 to 0.83 for different sky cover classifications. Therefore, we recommend using the novel equation to calculate L↓ over the Pampa biome under these specific climatic conditions.

Energy and water exchange between the surface and the atmosphere are important drivers to Earth’s climate from local to global scale. In this study, the energy dynamic and the biophysical mechanisms that control the energy partitioning over a natural grassland pasture over the Brazilian Pampa biome are investigated using two micrometeorological sites located 300 km apart, in Southern Brazil. The latent heat flux, LE, was the main component of the energy balance in both autumn-winter (AW) and spring-summer (SS) periods. Annually, approximately 60% of the available energy is used for evapotranspiration (ET). However, the Bowen ratio presents seasonal variability greater in AW than SS. Global radiation, Rg, is the atmospheric variable controlling LE and sensible heat flux, H. Hysteresis curves in the daily cycle were observed for ET and surface conductance, Cs, regarding the environmental variables, net radiation, vapor pressure deficit, and air temperature. Among the variables analyzed in the Pampa biome, surface conductance and evapotranspiration respond more strongly to the vapor pressure deficit. The hysteresis cycles formed by ET and conductance show a substantial biophysical control in the ET process. The results obtained here allowed a comprehension of the biophysical mechanisms involved in the energy partition process in natural grassland. Therefore, this study can be used as a base for research on land-use changes in this unique ecosystem of the Pampa biome.

O balanço de energia torna-se importante, pois ele permite dimensionar as trocas de massa e energia no sistema solo-planta-atmosfera, através do estudo da partição do saldo de radiação (Rn) nos processos que ocorrem na superfície (Ramirez et. al. 2010). Neste trabalho, as trocas de energia entre um cultivo de trigo e a atmosfera foram estimadas para quatro fases de desenvolvimento do trigo. Energy fluxes estimates in the form of sensible, latent, and soil heat fluxes were done using the eddy covariance technique with observed data in one micrometeorological tower during the spring wheat cultive, 2001 winter cycle, in an experimental area located at Cruz Alta – RS, Brazil.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper