Introduction

If you search for the definition of evapotranspiration, you will find that it varies. In general,
evapotranspiration is the sum of evaporation and transpiration. Some definitions include
evaporation from surface-water bodies, even the oceans. But, since we have a Web page just
about evaporation, our definition of evapotranspiration will not include evaporation from surface
water. Here, evapotranspiration is defined as the water lost to the atmosphere from the ground
surface, evaporation from the capillary fringe of the groundwater table, and the transpiration of
groundwater by plants whose roots tap the capillary fringe of the groundwater table. The banner
at the top of this page offers an even more simple definition.

Evaporation

Evaporation is the process whereby liquid water is converted to water vapour (vaporization) and
removed from the evaporating surface (vapour removal). Water evaporates from a variety of
surfaces, such as lakes, rivers, pavements, soils and wet vegetation.

Energy is required to change the state of the molecules of water from liquid to vapour. Direct
solar radiation and, to a lesser extent, the ambient temperature of the air provide this energy. The
driving force to remove water vapour from the evaporating surface is the difference between the
water vapour pressure at the evaporating surface and that of the surrounding atmosphere. As
evaporation proceeds, the surrounding air becomes gradually saturated and the process will slow
down and might stop if the wet air is not transferred to the atmosphere. The replacement of the
saturated air with drier air depends greatly on wind speed. Hence, solar radiation, air
temperature, air humidity and wind speed are climatological parameters to consider when
assessing the evaporation process.

Where the evaporating surface is the soil surface, the degree of shading of the crop canopy and
the amount of water available at the evaporating surface are other factors that affect the
evaporation process. Frequent rains, irrigation and water transported upwards in a soil from a
shallow water table wet the soil surface. Where the soil is able to supply water fast enough to
satisfy the evaporation demand, the evaporation from the soil is determined only by the
meteorological conditions. However, where the interval between rains and irrigation becomes
large and the ability of the soil to conduct moisture to pear the surface is small, the water content
in the topsoil drops and the soil surface dries out. Under these circumstances the limited
availability of water exerts a controlling influence on soil evaporation. In the absence of any
supply of water to the soil surface, evaporation decreases rapidly and may cease almost
completely within a few days.

The transpiration aspect of evapotranspiration is essentially evaporation of water from plant

leaves. Studies have revealed that transpiration accounts for about 10 percent of the moisture in
the atmosphere, with oceans, seas, and other bodies of water (lakes, rivers, streams) providing
nearly 90 percent, and a tiny amount coming from sublimation (ice changing into water vapor
without first becoming liquid).
What is evapotranspiration?

Evapotranspiration is the sum of evaporation from the land surface plus transpiration from
plants. 

The typical plant, including any found in a landscape, absorbs water from the soil through its
roots. That water is then used for metabolic and physiologic functions. The water eventually is
released to the atmosphere as vapor via the plant's stomata — tiny, closeable, pore-like
structures on the surfaces of leaves. Overall, this uptake of water at the roots, transport of water
through plant tissues, and release of vapor by leaves is known as transpiration.

Water also evaporates directly into the atmosphere from soil in the vicinity of the plant. Any dew
or droplets of water present on stems and leaves of the plant eventually evaporates as well.
Scientists refer to the combination of evaporation and transpiration as evapotranspiration,
abbreviated ET.

Definition

Evapotranspiration can be defined as the sum of all forms of evaporation plus transpiration, but
here at the Water Science School, we'll be defining it as the sum of evaporation from the land
surface plus transpiration from plants.

Potential evapotranspiration (PET) is a representation of the environmental demand for

evapotranspiration and represents the evapotranspiration rate of a short green crop (grass),
completely shading the ground, of uniform height and with adequate water status in the soil
profile. It is a reflection of the energy available to evaporate water, and of the wind available to
transport the water vapor from the ground up into the lower atmosphere. Often a value for the
potential evapotranspiration is calculated at a nearby climatic station on a reference surface,
conventionally short grass. This value is called the reference evapotranspiration (ET 0). Actual
evapotranspiration is said to equal potential evapotranspiration when there is ample water. Some
US states utilize a full cover alfalfa reference crop that is 0.5 m in height, rather than the short
green grass reference, due to the higher value of ET from the alfalfa reference.

Experimental methods for measuring evapotranspiration

One method for measuring evapotranspiration is with a weighing lysimeter. The weight of a soil
column is measured continuously and the change in storage of water in the soil is modeled by the
change in weight. The change in weight is converted to units of length using the surface area of
the weighing lysimeter and the unit weight of water. evapotranspiration is computed as the
change in weight plus rainfall minus percolation.
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