Abstract:An energy balance was simulated under Robinia pseudoacacia woodlands, Quercus liaotungensis woodlands, grasslands and farmland with CoupModel in the Yangou Catchment of the hilly and gully region of the Loess Plateau. The impact of vegetation on latent heat flux, sensible heat flux and soil heat flux in sample-plots were studied. The results showed that latent heat fluxes in woodlands and grasslands were higher than in farmland, and the majority of energy released was by latent heat flux accounting for 72.1%-81.4% of total net radiation. The changes in latent heat flux in all experimental plots were similar, revealing peak values between July to August and minimum values between November and the following April. Energy released by sensible heat flux accounted for 16.4%-26.4% of net radiation, and sensible heat fluxes peaked between April and May and saw minimums between August and September. Soil heat flux accounted for only 1.4%-2.4% of net radiation, but had a direct effect on the timing and speed of soil temperature changes. The change of soil temperature showed a unimodel curve for all experimental plots. Soil temperature rose from February to July and decreased from August to January. Soil temperature went down gradually with soil depth from February to September and increased with soil depth from October to the following January. The average annual amplitude of soil temperature down to a 20cm depth in north-facing slopes decreased in the following order: farmland, grassland, Q. liaotungensis woodland, R. pseudoacacia woodland. On south-facing slopes, the amplitude in temperature decreased in the order of grassland, R. pseudoacacia woodland and Q. liaotungensis woodland. Vegetation growth was apparently affected by soil temperature. The date of leafing in grassland and R. pseudoacacia woodland on south-facing slopes occurred 1 week earlier than the same treatments in north-facing slopes as well as Q. liaotungensis woodland on the south-facing slope. Leafing in grassland and R. pseudoacacia woodland on south-facing slopes also preceded leaf out in Q. liaotungensis woodland on the north-facing slope by 12 days.