| Abstract: | An automated tunnel evaporation‐rate measurement system (TEMS) has been designed to measure automatically the evaporation from a cylinder 0·30 m in diameter and ～0·10 m tall. This cylinder continuously maintains a constant height of water, with losses to evaporation replenished from a stilling cylinder connected to a water reservoir. The evaporation rate is measured by a transducer located at the bottom of the stilling well. The TEMS was tested over a period of 3 months in an underground research facility with relatively strong wind effects, changing temperature, and changing humidity. During this period, the TEMS continued to function uninterrupted, automatically measuring the evaporation amounts along a tunnel and an enclosed niche. These observations suggest that this tool can be useful for investigations of evaporation processes both in enclosed and ventilated environments. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
