22-09-2018

Evapotranspiration

Evapotranspiration = Evaporation+Transpiration
.

Factors affecting transpiration

 Atmospheric vapor pressure
 Temperature
 Wind speed
 Light intensity
 Characteristics of the plant such as the root and leaf system

Evapotranspiration

Potential Evapotranspiration (PET)

Evapotranspiration when sufficient moisture is always available to completely meet the
needs of vegetation fully covering the area

Actual Evapotranspiration (AET)

The real evapotranspiration occurring in a specific situation is called actual
evapotranspiration (AET)

Field Capacity (FC)

Field capacity is the maximum quantity of water that the soil can retain against the force
of gravity

Permanent Wilting point (PWT)

It is the moisture content of a soil at which the moisture is no longer available to sustain
the plants

Reference Crop Evapotranspiration

The rate of evapotranspiration from an extensive surface of 8 cm to 15 cm tall green grass
cover of uniform height, actively growing, completely shading the ground and not short
of water (Doorenbos and Pruitt, 1977)
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Evapotranspiration
The potential evapotranspiration of another
crop growing under the same conditions as the
reference crop

PET = Reference crop evapotranspiration Etr

 Crop coefficient kc

The actual evapotranspiration Et

= PET  Soil coefficient ks

( ) (0 < ks< 1)

0.2 ≤ kc ≤ 1.3 (Doorenbos

and Pruitt, 1977)

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Evapotranspiration

k2=1.0

k1=0.38
k3=0.55

Apr Jun Jul Sep Oct

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Evapotranspiration

If water supply to a plant is adequate, soil moisture will be at the field capacity and
AET=PET

If water supply < PET

AET/PET depends upon the type of soil and rate of drying of the soil.

Procedures for measuring Evapotranspiration

(i) by using Lysimeters or
(ii) by the use of Field plots

Measurement of Evapotranspiration - Lysimeter

 A lysimeter is a specially designed
watertight tank/ container filled with
soil where plants are grown at almost
natural conditions.

 Type and size of plants, soil and its

moisture content in lysimeter are the
same as those found in the surrounding
field

 The container is buried such that soil is

at the same level inside and outside the
container

 It allows monitoring/ recording of

fluxes of water, nutrients and
contaminants

 Evaporation is estimated in terms of the

amount of water required to maintain
constant moisture conditions within the
tank 10
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 Measurements are taken either volumetrically or gravimetrically through an

arrangement made in the lysimeter

 Lysimeter studies are time consuming

 Weighable lysimeters enable the direct measurement of precipitation and

seepage
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Measurement of Evapotranspiration - Field Plots

In field plots all the elements of the water budget are measured and the
evapotranspiration is estimated

Evapotranspiration
= Precipitation + Irrigation input – Surface Runoff – Increase in soil storage
– Ground water loss due to deep percolation

Moisture condition of the plot could be kept at the field capacity in order to
minimize ground water loss due to deep percolation, as it is difficult to measure.

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Penman Method

Daily PET 
 H n   Ea 
   
 Slope of the saturated vapour pressure versus temperature curve at
mean air temperature (mm Hg/C)
1 atm = 760 mmHg
H n Net radiation (mm/day) 1 atm = 101,325
 Psychrometric constant (0.49 mm Hg/C) Pa=101.325 kPa
1 mm Hg = 133 Pa
Ea  0.35 1  u2 /160   es  ea 

u2 Mean wind speed at 2 m above the ground

(km/day)

es Saturated vapour pressure at mean air temperature (mm Hg)

ea Actual mean vapour pressure in the air (mm Hg)
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Empirical Methods for Estimating Lake Evaporation

 17.27T 
ew  611exp   (Pascal or N/m2)
 237.3  T 
 17.27T 
ew  4.584exp   (mm of Mercury)
 237.3  T 
T=Temperature (C)

1 mm of Mercury = 133.322 Pascals

760 mm of mercury = 101.325 kPa

Relative humidity ea
Rh 
es

ea  es Rh

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Temperature Saturated vapour
(C) pressure, es  (mm/C)
(mm Hg)
0 4.58 0.30
5 6.54 0.45
7.5 7.78 0.54
10 9.21 0.60
12.5 10.87 0.71
15.0 12.79 0.80
17.5 15 0.95
20 17.54 1.05
22.5 20.44 1.24
25 23.76 1.40 4098es
27.5 27.54 1.61  (Pa/C)
(237.3  T ) 2
30 31.82 1.85
32.5 36.68 2.07 (T is in C)
35 42.81 2.35
37.5 48.36 2.62
40 55.32 2.95 15

Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Penman Method
Daily PET 
 Hn   Ea 
   

H n  Ra 1  r  0.29 cos   0.55n / N    Tmean
4
0.56  0.092 ea   0.10  0.90n / N 
Ha a b=0.52
Ra Incident solar radiation outside the atmosphere on a horizontal surface (mm/day)

r Reflection coefficient (close crops: 0.15-0.25; Barren land: 0.05-0.45; Water surface: 0.05)

 Latitude of the place

Tmean Mean air temperature (in Kelvin) = 273 + C

n : Actual duration of bright sunshine in hours/day (function of latitude)

N : Maximum possible hours of bright sunshine in hours/day (function of latitude)

 Stefan-Boltzman constant=2.01×10-9 mm/day 16
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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Penman Method
Daily PET 
 Hn   Ea 
   

H n  Ra 1  r  0.29 cos   0.55n / N    Tmean
4
0.56  0.092 ea   0.10  0.90n / N 
Ha a b=0.52

a = constant depending upon the latitude 

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Penman Method

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Penman Method

Ra Extra terrestrial radiation in equivalent evaporation units (mm/day)

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Daily PET 
 Hn   Ea 
   

H n  Ra 1  r  0.29 cos   0.55n / N    Tmean
4
0.56  0.092 ea   0.10  0.90n / N 
Ha a b=0.52
 Stefan-Boltzman constant=2.01×10-9 mm/day 20
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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Temperature Saturated vapour
(C) pressure, es  (mm/C) Table 3.3
(mm Hg)
0 4.58 0.30
5 6.54 0.45
7.5 7.78 0.54
10 9.21 0.60
12.5 10.87 0.71
15.0 12.79 0.80
17.5 15 0.95
20 17.54 1.05
22.5 20.44 1.24
25 23.76 1.40 4098es
27.5 27.54 1.61  (Pa/C)
(237.3  T ) 2
30 31.82 1.85
32.5 36.68 2.07 (T is in C)
35 42.81 2.35
37.5 48.36 2.62
40 55.32 2.95 21

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Table 3.4
Penman Method

Ra Extra terrestrial radiation in equivalent evaporation units (mm/day)

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Table 3.5
Penman Method

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

=n

Penman Method
Daily PET 
 Hn   Ea 
   

H n  Ra 1  r  0.29 cos   0.55n / N    Tmean
4
0.56  0.092 ea   0.10  0.90n / N 
Ha a b=0.52
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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Penman Method

Ea  0.35 1  u2 /160   es  ea 

u2 Mean wind speed at 2 m above the ground

(km/day)

es Saturated vapour pressure at mean air temperature (mm Hg)

ea Actual mean vapour pressure in the air (mm Hg)
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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Hargreaves Method

PET  CH Tmax  Tmin  Tmean  17.8 Ra

EH

Ra Extra terrestrial radiation in equivalent evaporation units (mm/day)

Tmax Maximum temperature (C)

Tmin Minimum temperature (C)

Tmean Mean temperature (C)

CH : 0.0023

EH : 0.5
The effect of humidity and wind velocity are not considered explicitly. Hence the method
cannot provide accurate estimates for locations with extreme weather conditions

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Hargreaves Method
Ra Extra terrestrial radiation in equivalent evaporation units (mm/day)

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Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration - Analytical methods

Hargreaves Method
Annual variation in extraterrestrial radiation (Ra)

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