Concept to rate and evaluate Evapotranspiration Potential
Background:
Water retention on land, infiltration of groundwater, cloud formation, precipitation and many other environmental factors, are related to evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration is the process by which water is transferred from the earth to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil, water and other surfaces; and by transpiration from plants.
The rates of evapotranspiration are highly variable and depend on numerous inputs and conditions that are constantly changing. There is currently no clear or understandable method to express or account for this fundamental process.
The following concept is one method to provide a user friendly table, to evaluate relative rates of evapotranspiration and relative humidity, over a given area.
The table will have two sets of information. The first is an estimate the Rate of EvapoTranspiration (RoET) on a scale of one to ten, with 1 = Very Low to 10 = Very High, over a 24 hour period. This estimate would be derived from a chart using all of the variables of water availability, temperature, humidity, wind speed, surface exposure, etc.
A second set of information will show the estimated Volume of water expected to Evaporate or Transpire, (VoET) as a number of cubic meters of water per square kilometre in the 24 hour period.
Given that 1 Square kilometre = 1,000,000 square meters and 1 Cubic meter is 1,000 liters.
Two Hypothetical Examples:
Example 1: A moderately low RoET of 2 could transform 1 liter of water per square meter, into the atmosphere, in a 24 hour period.
That would be characterized as VoET 1,000 or 1,000 cubic meters,of water per square kilometer.
Example 2: A moderately high RoET of 8 could transform 6 liters of water per square meter, into the atmosphere, in a 24 hour period.
That would be characterized as VoET 6,000 or 6,000 cubic meters,of water per square kilometer.
This information is important in many disciplines like forestry, agriculture, fire protection, wildlife management to name a few.
In our area the Englishman River watershed covers about about 320 square kilometers.
On a day with high evapotranspiration, RoET of 8 the Englishman River watershed could lose VoET 6,000 x 320 which is close to two million cubic meters of water to evapotranspiration. In four and a half days the equivalent amount of water stored behind Arrowsmith Lake dam.
Concept of …Trevor Wicks... TRENTEC INNOVATIONS January 10th 2017
Water retention on land, infiltration of groundwater, cloud formation, precipitation and many other environmental factors, are related to evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration is the process by which water is transferred from the earth to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil, water and other surfaces; and by transpiration from plants.
The rates of evapotranspiration are highly variable and depend on numerous inputs and conditions that are constantly changing. There is currently no clear or understandable method to express or account for this fundamental process.
The following concept is one method to provide a user friendly table, to evaluate relative rates of evapotranspiration and relative humidity, over a given area.
The table will have two sets of information. The first is an estimate the Rate of EvapoTranspiration (RoET) on a scale of one to ten, with 1 = Very Low to 10 = Very High, over a 24 hour period. This estimate would be derived from a chart using all of the variables of water availability, temperature, humidity, wind speed, surface exposure, etc.
A second set of information will show the estimated Volume of water expected to Evaporate or Transpire, (VoET) as a number of cubic meters of water per square kilometre in the 24 hour period.
Given that 1 Square kilometre = 1,000,000 square meters and 1 Cubic meter is 1,000 liters.
Two Hypothetical Examples:
Example 1: A moderately low RoET of 2 could transform 1 liter of water per square meter, into the atmosphere, in a 24 hour period.
That would be characterized as VoET 1,000 or 1,000 cubic meters,of water per square kilometer.
Example 2: A moderately high RoET of 8 could transform 6 liters of water per square meter, into the atmosphere, in a 24 hour period.
That would be characterized as VoET 6,000 or 6,000 cubic meters,of water per square kilometer.
This information is important in many disciplines like forestry, agriculture, fire protection, wildlife management to name a few.
In our area the Englishman River watershed covers about about 320 square kilometers.
On a day with high evapotranspiration, RoET of 8 the Englishman River watershed could lose VoET 6,000 x 320 which is close to two million cubic meters of water to evapotranspiration. In four and a half days the equivalent amount of water stored behind Arrowsmith Lake dam.
Concept of …Trevor Wicks... TRENTEC INNOVATIONS January 10th 2017