Dynamics of evapotranspiration from a riparian pond complex in the Western Boreal Forest,Alberta, Canada |
| |
Authors: | R. M. Petrone U. Silins K. J. Devito |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, and Cold Regions Research Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada;2. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1, Canada;3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1, Canada |
| |
Abstract: | The relative contributions to total actual evapotranspiration (AET) from pond and riparian areas in a pond‐wetland complex in the Western Boreal Plain (WBP) of northern Alberta are measured using the Bowen ratio energy balance technique. Measurements show that a pond typical of the WBP evaporates at a rate more than twice that of the adjacent riparian peatland. Relating the actual to potential evapotranspiration over both surfaces yields Priestley–Taylor α coefficients of 0·69 and 1·11 for the peatland and pond respectively. Further results demonstrate that the sheltering and turbulent influences of the adjacent forested areas must be considered in the processes governing the permanence of WBP ponds. That is, forestry practices may inadvertently enhance the evaporative losses from the ponds, over and above the controls exerted by the regional climate. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
| |
Keywords: | evapotranspiration potential evapotranspiration Bowen ratio Priestley‐Taylor model Western Boreal Forest pond evaporation wetlands |
|
|