Catchment evaporation and potential evaporation further development of a climatologic relationship

Abstract

When evaporation from the surfaces of a region is limited by the availability of moisture the resultant changes in the temperature and humidity of the overpassing air are reflected in the potential evaporation. Such interactions have provided the basis for the progressive development of a model in which the regional evaporation, a product of climatic, soil moisture and vegetative processes, is estimated from its effects on potential evaporation or on representative climatological observations. Further improvements are presented and the results are tested with previously published hydrologic and climatologic data from twenty river catchments in Canada and Ireland. These catchments have a range in annual runoff of approximately zero to one meter and a range of snow cover duration from almost zero to six months. Comparison of model predictions with precipitation less runoff estimates for five year periods provides reasonable evidence for the validity of the model with a maximum deviation of 44 mm yr⁻¹, or 9%, and a standard error of estimate of 26 mm yr⁻¹. Seasonal comparisons permit insights into the variability of catchment storage and the effects of climate and topograpy on regional evaporation.