An improved methodology to measure evaporation from bare soil based on comparison of surface temperature with a dry soil surface

Accurate estimation of the resistances to water vapor movement is a major difficulty in evaluating evaporation from soil. By including the temperature of a dry soil surface (the temperature of the surface of a dry soil column buried in the field), a method for estimating evaporation from soil is proposed. The necessary input variables for the suggested method are temperature, net radiation, and soil heat flux. There are three advantages of the proposed method over the conventional methods. First, soil surface resistance and aerodynamic resistance are not required. Second, the variables included are fewer. Third, measurement and analysis of the parameters involved are relatively easy. Sensitivity analysis shows that the suggested method is sensitive to temperatures. Test experiments were conducted in a sandy field, where a weighing lysimeter was installed. Evaporation from soil, together with the variables specified above, were measured. For temperatures measured by thermocouples, experimental results showed that the mean absolute error (MAE) for the daily evaporation over 22 days was 0.17 mm day⁻¹. The regression between calculated and measured evaporation was highly significant (r²=0.89). Moreover, the intercept and slope of the regression equation were not significantly different from zero and unity, respectively, at the 0.05 probability level. Furthermore, by using the temperatures measured by infrared thermometers, the MAE between measured evaporation and estimated evaporation was 0.15 mm day⁻¹. The regression between them was highly significant (r²=0.94). In addition, the intercept and slope of the regression equation were not significantly different from zero and unity, respectively, at the 0.05 probability level. These results show that evaporation calculated using the proposed method is in good agreement with lysimeter measured values. By comparing with the temperature difference method, it was shown that the suggested method estimated soil evaporation more accurately than the temperature difference method. Therefore, it is concluded that the proposed method is not only a simple way for application, but also an accurate way to estimate soil evaporation.     

Seasonal rainfall partitioning under runon and runoff conditions on sandy soil in Niger. On-farm measurements and water balance modelling

In sparsely cropped farming systems in semi-arid tropics, rainfall partitioning can be complex due to various interactions between vertical and horizontal water flows, both in the atmosphere and in the soil. Despite this, quantifying the seasonal rainfall partitioning is essential, in order to identify options for increased yields. Results are presented on water flow components, based on field measurements and water balance modelling, for three years (1994–96) in a farmer's field cultivated with pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) Br.] in the Sahel (Niger). Water balance modelling was carried out for three common infiltration categories: runoff producing surfaces, surfaces receiving inflow of runon water from upstream zones, and a reference surface with zero runoff and runon. Runoff was calculated to 25%–30% of annual rainfall (which ranged from 488 to 596 mm), from crust observations, rainfall, soil wetness data, and infiltration estimates. Inflow of runon was estimated from field observations to 8%–18% of annual rainfall. The parameters in the functions for soil surface and canopy resistances were calibrated with field measurements of soil evaporation, stomatal conductance and leaf area. The model estimates of soil water contents, which were validated against neutron probe measurements, showed a reasonable agreement with observed data, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of approximately 0.02 m³ m⁻³ for 0–160 cm soil depth. Estimated productive water flow as plant transpiration was low, amounting to 4%–9% of the available water for the non-fertilised crop and 7%–24% for the fertilised crop. Soil evaporation accounted for 31%–50% of the available water, and showed a low variation for the observed range of leaf area (LAI <1 m² m⁻²). Deep percolation was high, amounting to 200–330 mm for the non-crusted surfaces, which exceeded soil evaporation losses, for 1994–95 with relatively high annual rainfall (517–596 mm). Even a year with lower rainfall (488 mm) and a distinct dry spell during flowering (1996), resulted in an estimated deep percolation of 160 mm for the non-fertilised crop. The crop did not benefit from the additional inflow of runon water, which was partitioned between soil water storage and deep percolation. The only exception to this was the fertilised crop in 1996, where runon somewhat compensated for the limited rainfall and the higher water demand as a result of a larger leaf area than the non-fertilised crop. The effects of rainfall erraticness, resulting in episodic droughts, explain why a crop that uses such a small proportion of the available water, in an environment with substantial deep percolation, still suffers from water scarcity. Application of small levels of phosphorus and nitrogen roughly doubled yields, from 380 to 620 kg ha⁻¹, and plant transpiration, from 33 to 78 mm. Evapotranspirational water use efficiency (WUE_ET) was low, 6500–8300 m³ ton⁻¹ grain for non-fertilised crop, which is an effect of the low on-farm yields and high non-productive water losses. The estimated seasonal rainfall partitioning indicates the possibility of quantifying vertical water flows in on-farm environments in the Sahel, despite the presence of surface overland flow.     

Water flux estimates from a Belgian Scots pine stand: a comparison of different approaches

Four distinct approaches, that vary markedly in the spatial and temporal resolution of their measurement and process-level outputs, are used to investigate the daily and seasonal water vapour exchange in a 70-year-old Belgian Scots pine forest. Transpiration, canopy interception, soil evaporation and evapotranspiration are simulated, using a stand-level process model (SECRETS) and a soil water balance model (WAVE). Simulated transpiration was compared with up-scaled sap flow measurements and simulated evapotranspiration to eddy covariance measurements.

Reasonable agreement in the temporal trends and in the annual water balance between the two models was observed, however daily and weekly predictions often diverged. Most notably, WAVE estimated very low, to no transpiration during late autumn, winter and early spring when incident radiation fell below 50 W m⁻² while SECRETS simulated low (0.1–0.4 mm day⁻¹) fluxes during the same period. Both models exhibited similar daily trends in simulated transpiration when compared with sap flow estimates, although simulations from SECRETS were more closely aligned. In contrast, WAVE over-estimated transpiration during periods of no rainfall and under-estimated transpiration during rainfall. Yearly, total evapotranspiration simulated by the models were similar, i.e. 658 mm (1997) and 632 mm (1998) for WAVE and 567 mm (1997) and 619 mm (1998) for SECRETS.

Maximum weekly-average evapotranspiration for WAVE exceeded 5 mm day⁻¹, while SECRETS never exceeded 4 mm day⁻¹. Both models, in general, simulated higher evapotranspiration than that measured with the eddy covariance technique. An impact of the soil water content in the direct relationship between the models and the eddy covariance measurements was found.

The results suggest that: (1) different model formulations can reproduce similar results depending on the scale at which outputs are resolved, (2) SECRETS estimates of transpiration were well correlated with the empirical measurements, and (3) neither model fitted favourably to the eddy covariance technique.     

Evaporation from the understorey in the Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Don ex Sm.) forest, southwestern Australia

Annual evaporation from groundflora, litter and soil of the jarrah forest was estimated from measurements of daily evaporation by ventilated chambers on several days over two separate 12-month periods. In the first year, when sampling ranged over 0.1 ha of forest, annual evaporation during daylight hours was estimated as 410 mm (0.32 rainfall). In the second year, sampling was more frequent, on a larger scale, and included the night hours. Annual evaporation was estimated at 360 mm (0.36 rainfall).

Similarly, in the second year, annual evaporation from two trees of the dominant middle storey species, Banksia grandis, was estimated at 7500 and 18,9001 respectively. The leaf area of these two trees was 9.6 and 22.4 m², respectively, so that annual evaporation, when expressed as mm³ per mm² leaf area, was similar for both trees (mean = 820 ± 30 mm). Applying that value to all Banksia trees in a hectare of forest, and using a measured estimate of leaf area index of 0.19, the estimated annual evaporation from the Banksia component was 155 mm (0.16 rainfall). For the upland part of the forest sampled, the combined annual evaporation from the lower and middle storeys accounted for about half (0.51) of the annual rainfall.

We conclude that reduced evaporation from the upper storey following clearing or thinning may be strongly counteracted by increased evaporation from the understorey due to increased availability of energy and water.     

Estimation of groundwater evaporation and salt flux from Owens Lake, California, USA

Groundwater evaporation and subsequent precipitation of soluble salts at Owens Lake in eastern California have created one of the single largest sources of airborne dust in the USA, yet the evaporation and salt flux have not been fully quantified. In this study, we compare eddy correlation, microlysimeters and solute profiling methods to determine their validity and sensitivity in playa environments. These techniques are often used to estimate evaporative losses, yet have not been critically compared at one field site to judge their relative effectiveness and accuracy. Results suggest that eddy correlation methods are the most widely applicable for the variety of conditions found on large playa lakes. Chloride profiling is shown to be highly sensitive to thermal and density-driven fluxes in the near surface and, as a result, appears to underestimate yearly groundwater evaporation. Yearly mean groundwater evaporation from the playa surface estimated from the three study areas was found to range from 88 to 104 mm year⁻¹, whereas mean evaporation from the brine-covered areas was 872 mm year⁻¹. Uncertainties on these mean rates were estimated to be ±25%, based on comparisons between eddy correlation and lysimeter estimates. On a yearly basis, evaporation accounts for approximately 47 × 10⁶ m³ of water loss from the playa surface and open-water areas of the lake. Over the playa area, as much as 7.5 × 10⁸ kg (7.5 × 10⁵ t) of salt are annually concentrated by evaporation at or near the playa surface, much of which appears to be lost during dust storms in area.     

Simulation of crop growth and energy and carbon dioxide fluxes at different time steps from hourly to daily

Understanding the exchange processes of energy and carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the soil–vegetation–atmosphere system is important for assessing the role of the terrestrial ecosystem in the global water and carbon cycle and in climate change. We present a soil–vegetation–atmosphere integrated model (ChinaAgrosys) for simulating energy, water and CO₂ fluxes, crop growth and development, with ample supply of nutrients and in the absence of pests, diseases and weed damage. Furthermore, we test the hypotheses of whether there is any significant difference between simulations over different time steps. CO₂, water and heat fluxes were estimated by the improving parameterization method of the coupled photosynthesis–stomatal conductance–transpiration model. Soil water evaporation and plant transpiration were calculated using a multilayer water and heat‐transfer model. Field experiments were conducted in the Yucheng Integrated Agricultural Experimental Station on the North China Plain. Daily weather and crop growth variables were observed during 1998–2001, and hourly weather variables and water and heat fluxes were measured using the eddy covariance method during 2002–2003. The results showed that the model could effectively simulate diurnal and seasonal changes of net radiation, sensible and latent heat flux, soil heat flux and CO₂ fluxes. The processes of evapotranspiration, soil temperature and leaf area index agree well with the measured values. Midday depression of canopy photosynthesis could be simulated by assessing the diurnal change in canopy water potential. Moreover, the comparisons of simulated daily evapotranspiration and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) under different time steps indicated that time steps used by a model affect the simulated results. There is no significant difference between simulated evapotranspiration using the model under different time steps. However, simulated NEE produces large differences in the response to different time steps. Therefore, the accurate calculation of average absorbed photosynthetic active radiation is important for the scaling of the model from hourly steps to daily steps in simulating energy and CO₂ flux exchanges between winter wheat and the atmosphere. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

沙漠陆面过程参数化与模拟

沙漠地区植被稀疏、干旱少雨,其陆面物理过程具有与全球其它地区显著不同的特点.本文利用巴丹吉林沙漠观测资料,分析和计算了地表反照率、比辐射率、粗糙度和土壤热容量、热传导系数等关键陆面过程参数,建立了适合于沙漠地区的陆面过程模式DLSM (Desert Land Surface Model),并与NOAH陆面过程模式的模拟结果和观测资料进行了比较.结果表明:巴丹吉林沙漠地表反照率为0.273,比辐射率为0.950,地表粗糙度为1.55×10^-3 m,土壤热容量和热扩散系数分别为1.08×10⁶ J·m^-3·K^-1和3.34×10^-7 m²·s.辐射传输、感热输送和土壤热传导过程是影响沙漠地区地表能量平衡的主要物理过程.通过对这三种过程的准确模拟检验,DLSM能够较准确地模拟巴丹吉林沙漠地气能量交换特征;短波辐射、长波辐射和感热通量的模拟结果与观测值间的标准差分别为7.98,6.14,33.9 W·m^-2,与NOAH陆面过程模式的7.98,7.72,46.6 W·m^-2的结果接近.地表反照率是沙漠地区最重要的陆面过程参数,地表反照率增大5%,向上短波辐射通量随之增加5%,感热通量则减小2.8%.本文研究结果对丰富陆面过程参数化方案,改进全球陆面过程模式、气候模式具有参考意义.     

Estimation of evapotranspiration and its components from an apple orchard in northwest China using sap flow and water balance methods

Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of leaf area index and soil moisture content on evapotranspiration and its components within an apple orchard in northwest China for 2 years. Evapotranspiration in the non‐rainfall period was estimated using two approaches: the soil water balance method based on tube‐type time‐domain reflection measurements, and sap flow plus micro‐lysimeter methods. The two methods were in good agreement, with differences usually less than 10%. The components of evapotranspiration varied with canopy development. During spring and autumn, soil evaporation was dominating as result of low leaf area index. In summer, plant transpiration became significant, with an average transpiration to evapotranspiration ratio of 0·87. The crop coefficient K_c showed a strong linear dependence on leaf area index. The water stress coefficient K_s was around 1·0 when soil moisture was above 23% and started to decrease linearly after that. This study demonstrates that prediction of evapotranspiration in apple orchards can be made using the Food and Agriculture Organization's crop coefficient method from commonly available meteorological data in the area. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Examination of Morton's CRAE model for estimating daily evaporation from field-sized areas

Morton's complementary relationship areal evapotranspiration (CRAE) model was originally designed to provide regional estimates of monthly evapotranspiration. Often, however, hydrologists and others require estimates of evapotranspiration for field-sized land units under a specific land use, for shorter intervals of time. This paper examines CRAE with respect to the algorithms used to describe different terms and its applicability to reduced spatial and temporal scales.

Daily estimates by CRAE of atmospheric radiation fluxes during the summer months are compared with monitored values. It is shown that errors in estimation of the extra-terrestrial flux, the transmittancy of clouds to short-wave radiation, the surface albedo and the net long-wave flux result in standard deviations of the difference between ‘modelled’ and ‘measured’ net all-wave radiation for 1-, 5- and 10-day periods of 2.58, 1.8 and 1.50 MJm⁻² day⁻¹ respectively.

The assumption in CRAE that the vapour transfer coefficient is independent of wind speed may lead to appreciable error in computing evapotranspiration. A procedure for incorporating a wind correction factor is described and the improvement in estimating regional evaporation is illustrated.

Comparisons of evapotranspiration estimates by CRAE and measurements obtained from soil moisture and precipitation observations in the semi-arid, cold-climate Prairie region of western Canada demonstrate that the assumptions that the soil heat flux and storage terms are negligible, lead to large overestimation by the model during periods of soil thaw.     

The distribution of deuterium and O in dry soils : 1. Theory

A mathematical model is developed describing the shape of H₂¹⁸O and HDO depth profiles which result from evaporation of water from dry soil under quasi-steady state conditions. Typically, isotope concentrations rise from a minimum at the soil surface to a maximum a short distance beneath the surface, and then decrease approximately exponentially to constant concentrations at depth. The model predicts that for isothermal conditions, the slope of the relationship between ¹⁸O and deuterium δ-values of samples of the soil water will be 30% lower for a dry soil than for a wet soil evaporating under the same conditions. It is concluded that low slopes should be indicative of soil water or groundwater recharged under arid or semi-arid conditions. Using the shape of the ¹⁸O and deuterium profiles, three independent methods for estimating evaporation for dry soils are developed. When water loss occurs by both transpiration and evaporation, the slope of the ¹⁸O-D relationship should be slightly lower than that for a site where water loss occurs by evaporation alone.     

Seasonal soil water storage changes beneath central Amazonian rainforest and pasture

Evaporation and infiltration were compared for tropical rainforest and pasture, near to Manaus, Brazil from October 1990 to February 1992 using measurements of soil water storage over a depth of 2 m. The soil is a clayey oxisol of low water available capacity. In both of the dry seasons studied, the maximum change in soil water storage in the forest was 154 mm and in the pasture it was 131 and 112 mm. Similar behaviour of the soil water reservoir below forest and pasture in the wet season implied that differences in evaporation and drainage were small. In the dry season, soil water storage behaviour in the upper metre of the soil was similar but there were marked differences in the second metre. The pasture took up little water from below 1.5 m but the forest appeared to utilise all of the available water in the 2 m profile in both seasons.

The water balance of the 2 m profile showed that the pasture evaporation rate was equal to that of the forest until storage had decreased 80 mm from the maximum. There was then a decline in pasture evaporation rate to 1.2 mm day⁻¹ as the storage decreased by a further 50 mm. In contrast, the forest uptake rate remained above 3.5 mm day⁻¹ until storage had decreased 140 mm from the maximum (within 15 mm of the extraction limit), before declining abruptly to less than 1.5 mm day⁻¹. There was strong evidence that the forest was able to abstract water from depths greater than 3.6 m.

Spatial variability of soil water storage was significantly greater beneath the pasture than beneath the forest, particularly following rainfall events in the dry season. This was largely the result of redistribution of rainfall as local surface runoff. There was no evidence of redistribution or runoff in the forest.     

A coupled surface resistance model to estimate crop evapotranspiration in arid region of northwest China

The Penman–Monteith (PM) model has been widely used to estimate crop evapotranspiration (ET), but it performs poorly with sparse vegetation. By combining the Jarvis canopy resistance model and the soil resistance model, we have developed a coupled surface resistance model to address this issue. Maize field and vineyard ET, measured by the eddy covariance method during 2007 and 2008, were used to test the estimations produced by the PM model combined with our coupled surface resistance model and Jarvis model, respectively. Results indicate that PM model combined with the coupled surface resistance model produces higher determination coefficient and lower root mean square error when compared with the PM–Jarvis method, either for maize field or for the sparse vineyard, on half‐hourly or daily time scales. Our study confirms that the coupled surface resistance model produces higher accuracy than the Jarvis model and provides a method to calculate resistance parameters for using the PM model to simulate the ET of sparse vegetation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of willow short‐rotation forest evaporation using a modified Shuttleworth–Wallace approach

Evaporation from a willow short‐rotation forest was analysed using a modified version of the Shuttleworth–Wallace model. The main modification consisted of a two‐layer soil module, which enabled soil surface resistance to be calculated as a function of the wetness of the top soil. Introduction of the threshold value of the leaf area index when scaling up from the leaf to the canopy resistance resulted in improvement to the simulated evaporation. The analysis was concentrated mainly on the 1988 season (May–October) when total evaporation was measured by the energy balance/Bowen ratio method throughout the growing season, covering all stages of canopy development. At the beginning of the 1994 season, soil evaporation were also measured with a ventilated chamber system. The general seasonal dynamics of the evaporation were fairly well simulated with the model. The largest deviation between measured and simulated evaporation occurred in June, when the model underestimated evaporation by about 1 mm day^?1. The model underestimated also in May but not as much as in June. In September and October the performance of the model was very good. For 130 days of the period May–October the cumulated measured evaporation was 364 mm and the simulated evaporation for the same days was 362 mm. It should be pointed out that this result was obtained without calibrating the model against the measured evaporation. The total simulated evaporation for the season was 450 mm with transpiration constituting 298 mm (66%), soil evaporation 102 mm (23%) and interception evaporation 50 mm (11%). The sensitivity analysis showed, in general, that simulated evaporation was most sensitive to changes in resistances when the leaf area index was smallest, i.e. under non‐closed canopy conditions. Changes in stomatal resistance, which is one of the most sensitive parameters, with associated changes in canopy transpiration, resulted in a negative feedback effect on soil evaporation. This reduced the total evaporation's sensitivity to stomatal resistance. This type of interaction between canopy and soil or undergrowth fluxes has been observed in other studies as well. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

北京大学陆面过程模式PKULM(Peking University Land Model)介绍及检验

陆面过程模式是气候模式和天气模式的核心组成部分之一.在土壤—植被—大气耦合模式(Soil-PlantAtmosphere Model,SPAM)的基础上,发展了新一代北京大学陆面过程模式PKULM(Peking University Land Model).本文首先介绍了PKULM的辐射传输、湍流输送、光合作用、土壤水热输送等过程的参数化方案;采用隐式迭代计算框架,发展并应用了一个快速的线性方程组求解算法,提高了模式计算稳定性;提出并使用了二分搜索算法计算气孔阻抗,避免了CLM(Community Land Model)等使用的迭代方法在干旱区不稳定的情况,提高了模式的适用性;采用水势为基础的土壤水分扩散方程,使模式能够模拟土壤饱和区的水分输送过程,为进一步与水文过程模式耦合奠定了基础;还发展了一个地表积水与径流过程的机理模型,提高了模式对地表水分平衡过程的模拟能力;最后,使用"中国西北干旱区陆—气相互作用观测试验"平凉站的资料对模式进行了检验并与NOAH(National Center for Environmental Prediction,Oregon State University,Air Force,and Hydrology Lab model)陆面过程模式的模拟结果进行了比较,结果表明PKULM能够较好地模拟西北半干旱区农田下垫面地气交换过程.     

On the role of soil moisture in daytime evolution of temperatures

This paper explores the relationship between temperature, evaporation and soil moisture using a planetary boundary layer (PBL) model. It focuses on illustrating and quantifying the effect of soil moisture on the evolution of daytime temperatures. A simple convective PBL model coupled with the Penman–Monteith (PM) equation is used to estimate evapotranspiration. Following calibration and sensitivity analysis, the model was used to simulate the relative impact of dry and wet soil moisture conditions on daytime temperatures by changing the surface resistance parameter in the PM equation. It was found that the maximum temperature that can be reached during a day is constrained by the amount of soil moisture and the available net radiation, confirming previously published results. Higher temperatures can be reached with greater net radiation and dry soil moisture conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An easily implemented agro-hydrological procedure with dynamic root simulation for water transfer in the crop–soil system: Validation and application

Models for water transfer in the crop–soil system are key components of agro-hydrological models for irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide practices. Many of the hydrological models for water transfer in the crop–soil system are either too approximate due to oversimplified algorithms or employ complex numerical schemes. In this paper we developed a simple and sufficiently accurate algorithm which can be easily adopted in agro-hydrological models for the simulation of water dynamics. We used a dual crop coefficient approach proposed by the FAO for estimating potential evaporation and transpiration, and a dynamic model for calculating relative root length distribution on a daily basis. In a small time step of 0.001 d, we implemented algorithms separately for actual evaporation, root water uptake and soil water content redistribution by decoupling these processes. The Richards equation describing soil water movement was solved using an integration strategy over the soil layers instead of complex numerical schemes. This drastically simplified the procedures of modeling soil water and led to much shorter computer codes. The validity of the proposed model was tested against data from field experiments on two contrasting soils cropped with wheat. Good agreement was achieved between measurement and simulation of soil water content in various depths collected at intervals during crop growth. This indicates that the model is satisfactory in simulating water transfer in the crop–soil system, and therefore can reliably be adopted in agro-hydrological models. Finally we demonstrated how the developed model could be used to study the effect of changes in the environment such as lowering the groundwater table caused by the construction of a motorway on crop transpiration.     

Evaporation and land surface energy budget at the Salar de Atacama, Northern Chile

Playa systems are driven by evaporation processes, yet the mechanisms by which evaporation occurs through playa salt crusts are still poorly understood. In this study we examine playa evaporation as it relates to land surface energy fluxes, salt crust characteristics, groundwater and climate at the Salar de Atacama, a 3000 km² playa in northern Chile containing a uniquely broad range of salt crust types. Land surface energy budget measurements were taken at eight representative sites on this playa during winter (August 2001) and summer (January 2002) seasons. Measured values of net all-wave radiation were highest at vegetated and rough halite crust sites and lowest over smooth, highly reflective salt crusts. Over most of the Salar de Atacama, net radiation was dissipated by means of soil and sensible heat fluxes. Dry salt crusts tended to heat and cool very quickly, whereas soil heating and cooling occurred more gradually at wetter vegetated sites. Sensible heating was strongly linked to wind patterns, with highest sensible heat fluxes occurring on summer days with strong afternoon winds. Very little energy available at the land surface was used to evaporate water. Eddy covariance measurements could only constrain evaporation rates to within 0.1 mm d⁻¹, and some measured evaporation rates were less than this margin of uncertainty. Evaporation rates ranged from 0.1 to 1.1 mm d⁻¹ in smooth salt crusts around the margin of the salar and from 0.4 to 2.8 mm d⁻¹ in vegetated areas. No evaporation was detected from the rugged halite salt crust that covers the interior of the salar, though the depth to groundwater is less than 1 m in this area. These crusts therefore represent a previously unrecorded end member condition in which the salt crusts form a practically impermeable barrier to evaporation.     

Evaporation and energy balance of a sub‐Arctic hillslope in northern Finland

This paper presents measurements of the energy balance (radiation, sensible heat flux, evaporation) from a sub‐arctic hillside in northern Finland for a summer season. Comparisons are also made with a nearby wetland site. The hillslope measurements show an equal partition of the radiant energy into sensible and latent heat flux. The evaporative ratio of just over one half was remarkably constant throughout the season, despite very large day‐to‐day and diurnal variations of temperature, humidity deficit and radiation input. This conservative behaviour of the evaporation was caused by a strong rise in effective surface resistance to evaporation with increasing vapour pressure deficit. This suggests a strong physiological control on the evaporation, with stomata closing at times of high evaporative demand. There was no obvious impact of soil‐water stress on the evaporation. However, a comparison with the evaporation measured at a nearby mire site in 1997 suggests that the mire has a significantly lower surface resistance, even when the impact of a significantly lower humidity deficit in the earlier year is taken into account. The measurements are used to test, off‐line, the performance of MOSES (Meteorological Office Surface Exchange Scheme), a simple, but comprehensive, land surface model. The sensitivity of the energy exchanges to the thermal properties of the top soil layer (a surrogate for the upper soil/vegetation layer) is investigated with the use of the model. It is found that the evaporation is insensitive to these properties; they do, however, influence the partition of energy between the sensible heat flux and the ground heat flux (and hence the soil temperatures). It is suggested that the model needs to represent the thermal properties of the canopy more realistically. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A nonlinear function approach for the normalized complementary relationship evaporation model

A nonlinear function approach for the normalized complementary relationship evaporation model that is different from the methodology maintaining the symmetric complementary relationship with appropriate definitions of potential and wet‐environment evaporation is proposed and verified. This approach employs the definitions used in the advection‐aridity model, wherein the potential is estimated using the Penman equation. Normalized by Penman potential evaporation, the complementary relationship model is expressed as a function describing the relationship between the evaporation ratio (the ratio of the actual to the Penman potential evaporation) and the proportion of the radiation term in Penman potential evaporation. The new nonlinear function proposed in the current study is approximately equivalent to the advection‐aridity and the modified Granger models under conditions that are neither too wet nor too dry, but is more reasonable under arid and wet conditions. The new nonlinear function model performs well in estimating actual evaporation, as verified by the observed data from four sites under different land covers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.