ESTIMATION OF ACTUAL

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION FROM ACTUAL

CONTROLLING EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
1. Lysimeter experiment
2. By using US-open pan evaporimeter
3. Water balance/budget method
4. Energy balance
5. Thornwaite equation
6. Hargreaves equation
7. Net radiation (Rn) based method
DIRECT METHOD- LYSIMETER
Lysimeter is a device in which a
volume of soil planted with
vegetation is located in a container to
isolate it hydrologically from the
surronding soil.

Having a weighing device and a

drainage system, which permit
continuous measurement of excess
water and draining below the root
zone and plant water use, and hence
evapotranspiration.
The amount of water lost by
evapotranspiration can be worked out
by calculating the difference between
the weight before and after the
precipitation input.
CALCULATION BY USING
LYSIMETER-
ET = P + (I D) + S

WHERE,
ET = EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

P = PRECIPITATION

I = IRRIGATION WATER

D = EXCESS WATER DRAINED FROM

BOTTOM
S = INCREASE OR DECREASE IN
STORAGE OF SOIL MOISTURE
USING US-OPEN PAN
EVAPORIMETER
ETo = KC E pan
where,
ETo : reference
crop
evapotranspiration
KC : crop
coefficient
E pan : pan
evaporation
 USING CATCHMENT WATER BALANCE OR
WATER BUGDET METHOD

Formula
ET = P Q S - D
where,
S= watershed storage variation (mm): SendSbeginning
P = Precipitation (mm)
Q = Stream flow (mm)
D = Seepage out seepage in (mm)
ET = evaporation and transpiration (mm)
 ENERGY BALANCE METHODS
FORMULA-
Rn - G - H = ET
Where,
Rn : Net surface radiation flux

density (Wm-2)
G : Ground heat flux density (Wm-2)

H : Sensible heat flux density (Wm-2)

ET : Latent heat flux density (Wm-2)

: Latent heat of vaporization of

water (Jkg-1)
 THORNTHWAITE EQUATION

e = 1.6(10t/I)a

WHERE:
e = un adjusted potential ET (cm/month)
t = mean air temperature (celcius)
I = annual or seasonal heat index
a = an emperical exponent computed
 HARGREAVES EQUATION

ET = 0.0023 (Tm + 17.8)(T max Tmin )1/2.Ra

where,
Tm daily mean temperature
Ra extraterrestrial radiation [MJ m-2 day-1].
NET RADIATION (RN) BASED METHOD

ET = 0.489 + 0.289 Rn + 0.023 T mean

where
Rn [MJ m-2 day-1] is net radiation.
 EVAPOTRANSPIRATION FROM
SATELLITE DATA
When a surface evaporates, it looses
energy and cools itself.

It is that cooling that can be observed

from space.

Satellites can map the infrared heat

radiated from Earth, thus enabling to
distinguish the cool surfaces from the
warm surfaces.
 winter summer

Satellite map of evapotranspiration of whole

world in the season of winter and summer
FACTORS AFFECTING
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Energy availability - The more energy available,
the greater the rate of Evapotranspiration. It
takes about 600 calories of heat energy to change
1 gram of liquid water into a gas.
Humidity gradient - The rate and quantity of
water vapour entering into the atmosphere both
become higher in drier air.
Water availability - Evapotranspiration cannot
occur if water is not available.
FACTORS -
Wind speed higher the wind speed, greater will
the rate of evapotranspiration.
Physical attributes of the vegetation - factors as
vegetative cover, plant height, leaf area index and
leaf shape and the reflectivity of plant surfaces
can affect rates of evapotranspiration.
Soil characteristics - Soil characteristics that can
affect evapotranspiration include its heat
capacity, and soil chemistry and albedo.