Global freshwater is crucial, and understanding how plants affect water cycles is important. Scientists used eddy covariance data to estimate evapotranspiration, which is the total water loss from plants. They found that new models can estimate transpiration and abiotic evaporation accurately. These models show how much water plants use compared to total evapotranspiration, and they help us understand water fluxes on a global scale. The researchers also identified uncertainties in the estimates and discussed ways to improve them.