A PARABOLIC FUNCTION TO MODIFY THORNTHWAITE ESTIMATES OF POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION FOR THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

The Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration model is well known and widely used, but has received some criticism as it is primarily based on air temperature to estimate potential evapotranspiration. Errors of the Thornthwaite model can be analyzed using adjusted pan evaporation as an index of potential evapotranspiration. An examination of ratios of adjusted pan evaporation to Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration indicates that the ratios are highest in the winter and lowest during summer months. This trend suggests a parabolic pattern. In this study a parabolic function is used to adjust Thornthwaite estimates of potential evapotranspiration. Forty locations east of the Rocky Mountains are analyzed and indicate that a parabolic adjustment of Thornthwaite potential evapotranspiration estimates generally increases correlation with adjusted pan evaporation and decreases error by 20 to 70 percent. [Key words: potential evapotranspiration, pan evaporation, Thornthwaite.]