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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #177074
Title: EVAPORATION RESEARCH: REVIEW AND INTERPRETATION

Author
item BURT, C - CALIF POLYTECHNIC
item MUTZIUGER, A - SAN LUIS OBISPO AIR POLLU
item ALLEN, R - UNIV OF IDAHO
item Howell, Terry

Submitted to: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/27/2004
Publication Date: 2/1/2005
Citation: Burt, C.M., Mutziuger, A.J., Allen, R.G., Howell, T.A. 2005. Evaporation research: review and interpretation. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 131(1):37-58.

Interpretive Summary: Evaporation of water from soils, wet plant surfaces, sprinkler droplets and the water used by plants, themselves, through the leaves is the largest consumption of water in most circumstances. This paper is a review and synthesis of past scientific literature on this topic to improve the knowledge of evaporative processes in agriculture that consume large amounts of irrigation water. Much of the scientific literature on this topic is difficult to understand, and this paper attempts to present that information in a logical organization for engineers and other scientists to properly evaluate water conservation. The review provided the engineering and scientific community both theoretical and practical guidance on measurement techniques and estimates of evaporation under a wide range of conditions.

Technical Abstract: Literature regarding evaporation from the soil, wet plant surfaces, and sprinkler droplets was examined, normalized, and interpreted. Much of the evaporation literature is difficult to compare and interpret; this paper offers comparisons and discussions of various findings by others as well as by the authors. Techniques of measuring and estimating evaporation from irrigation and rainfall are discussed. The partitioning between increased evaporation and decreased transpiration from a variety of research is quantified. Factors that impact the various forms of evaporation are listed and quantified. This review and summary will provide practitioners and researchers with theoretical and practical guidance on measurement techniques and estimates of evaporation under a wide range of conditions.