Journal of Hydrology, 146 (1993) 209-220 208 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam BL Comparison of the Bowen ratio-energy balance and the water balance methods for the measurement of evapotranspiration Esmaiel Malek and Gail E. Bingham Department of Plants, Soils and Biomeseorology, Utah State University. Logan, UT 84322-4820, USA (Received 28 September 1992; revision accepted 19 November 1992) ABSTRACT Malek, E. and Bingham, G.E., 1993. Comparison ofthe Bowen ratio-energy balance and the water balance methods for the measurement of evapotranspiration. J. Hydrol, 146: 209-220. ‘Anexperiment was conducted in a 36h alfalfa field in Logan. Utah, USA. during three growth-harvest cycles of alfalfa in Apri-Suly 1992. A Campbell Scientific (CS) Bowen Ratio System was used to measure ‘continuously 20 min means of mictometeorologicalclements suchas air and dew point temperatures at | tnd 2 m, solar and net radiation, wind speed and direction at 2 m, sil heat fluxes at 8 cm (two locations) find soil temperatures at 2 and 6 ) is the density of water. Potential evapotranspiration (ET,) was also calculated, based on the Penman (1948) method modified by Hill et al. (1983). Procedure for computations of ET, has been presented by Malek et al. (1990). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Figure 3 shows the soil moisture content at various times during the second ‘growing cycle of alfalfa from 24 May (4 days after irrigation) to 17 June (the day before harvest); soil moisture variations below 110cm were not very significant and the occasional increase in the upper soil moisture content was, due to precipitation. Figure 4 represents the 24h rain and the soil moisture at various depths vs. time during the three growing cycles (from 9 April (day of year (DOY) = 100)) to 31 July (DOY = 213). Harvests were on 12 May (DOY = 133), 18 June (DOY = 170), and 31 July (DOY = 213). Irrigation water was on station on 20 May (DOY = 141) and 4 July (DOY = 186). No soil moisture measurements were made on.19-22 May (DOY 141-144) and onCOMPARISON OF EVAPOTRANSPIRATION MEASUREMENT METHODS 219 4-8 July (DOY 186-190). As Fig. 4 depicts, although soil moisture (up to about 110m) was extracted at a rapid rate during growing cycles, consump- tion below this depth was fairly slow. The effects of rain on the upper layer soil moisture content are evident. Figure 5 shows the 20 min means of solar radiation (R,), net radiation (R,), surface soil heat flux (Gaye; negative when soil warms up), latent heat (LE), and sensible heat (#7) ona clear day (23 July 1992). On this day, late afternoon LE was greater than R,, and the required extra heat was extracted from the air (negative H). Figure 6 depicts the 20min means of the dew point tem- peratures (74, and Tj.) and air temperatures (T,, and T,,) at | and 2m, and the wind speed at 2m (U;). As this figure shows, lapse conditions (decrease of air temperature with height) took place from about 08:20h until about 12:00 h, and there was inversion (increase of temperature with height) for the rest of the day. Figure 7 indicates the 24h values of rain, Ry, soil heat flux at the surface (Gage), and evapotranspiration (LE) estimated by the BREB method during the three growing cycles of alfalfa in 1992. Occasional higher values of LE in comparison with R, are evident. Figure 8 shows the 24h values of evapotrans- piration ETw.u, and Tyres (measured by the water balance and BREB method, respectively), and potential evapotranspiration (ET,) during the experimental period. Because of high evaporative demand in this semi-arid irrigated valley, ET, was occasionally greater than ET, Regression analysis showed a very close relationship between evapotran- spiration measured by the water balance (ETw ya.) method and that measured by the BREB (ET ars) method. This relationship can be expressed as ET wpa = 0.98 ETones, with P= 0.974 a where r is the correlation coefficient. Figure 9 represents this relationship. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Variations in soil moisture content beyond about 110cm were not very significant in this well-watered alfalfa field, and most of the alfalfa water use ‘was supplied by the first 100 cm of the soil. Comparison of evapotranspiration measured by the water balance (ETy.,) and that measured by the Bowen ratio-energy balance (ET arp) over this extensive homogeneous field showed a very close relationship between the two measurements (correlation coef- ficient of 0.987). This implies that the new version of the Bowen ratio system applied in this experiment can be used for long-term measurement of micrometeorological elements and provide an accurate estimation of evapo- transpiration in any agricultural and non agricultural ecosystems.20 MALEK AND GEE. BINGHAM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ‘The research was funded by Utah State University under Project AP-1195 and Utah Agricultural Experiment Station under Project 409. The authors ‘express their thanks to both. REFERENCES Allen, R.G., Jensen, M-E., Wright, J.L. and Burman, R.D., 1989. Operational estimates of evapotranspiration. Argon. J., 81: 650-662. Bingham, G.E., Tanner, B.D., Greene, J.and Tanner. M., 1987. A Bowen ratio system for long term remote measurement of evapotranspiration. Preprint, 18th Conf. Agric. For. Meteorol., W. Lafayette, IN, 15-18 September 1987, Amer, Meteorol. Soc., Boston, MA. PP. 63-66. Bowen, LS., 1926. The ratio of heat losses by conduction and by evaporation from any water surface. 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