PRECIPITATION TRIVIA

The greatest 24-hour rainfall amount in the

world is nearly 72 inches
11,873mm (467 in) of rain per annum
The official highest recorded temperature is
now 56.7 C (134 F)
The lowest natural temperature ever
directly recorded at ground level on
Earth is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F; 184.0 K)
The lowest temperature ever recorded in
a habitat centre is −71.2 °C (−96 °F)
 LECTURE 7-
EVAPORATION,
TRASPIRATION AND
EVAPOTRASPIRATION
 INTRODUCTION
• EVAPOTRASPIRATION (ET) – is the sum of
evaporation and plan transpiration from the
earth’s land and ocean surface to the atmosphere.
• Evaporation is a process of turning liquid into
vapor and the transpiration is the exhalation of
water vapor to stomata.
• Evaporation is defined as net of vapor transfer in
hydraulic practice.
• The opportunity of evaporation is 100% in open
bodies water.
 ESTIMATING EVAPORATION
• METHODS APLLICABLE FOR ESTIMATING
EVAPORATION
- Water budget
- Energy budget
- Mass transfer technique
- Pan
• Instrument for energy budget is expensive.
 WATER BUDGET METHOD

• Es = P + R1 – R2 + Rg – Ts – I – ∆Ss

• WHEREIN
• Es = EVAPORATION
• R = RUNOFF
• T = TRANSPIRATION
• I = INFILTRATION
• S = STORAGE
ENERGY BUDGET METHOD
• Qo=
  Qs + Qr + Qa – Qar + Qv + Qbs – Qe – Qh –Qw
• WHEREIN

• Calories per square centimeter per day (cal/)

 MASS TRANSFER
TECHNIQUES
• Based primarily on concept of turbulent transfer
of water vapor from an evaporating surface to the
atmosphere.
• Eddy motion
• Four equations
• Dalton’s
• Sutton’s equation
• Meyer’s equation
• Dunne’s equation
 Four equations in mass
transfer techniques
• Dalton’s equation
 Four equations in mass
transfer techniques
• Sutton’s equation
 Four equations in mass
transfer techniques
• Meyer’s equation

• Ordinary lake C= 0.36

• Wet soils, small puddles and shallow pans
C=0.5
 Four equations in mass
transfer techniques
• Dunne’s equation
 Use of Evaporation Pan

• An evaporation pan is  used  to  hold  water  during 

observations  for  the  determination  of  the  quantity 
of evaporation at  a  given  location.  Such pans are  of 
varying  sizes  and  shapes,  the  most  commonly  used 
being circular or square. The best known of the pans are 
the  "Class  A" evaporation pan and  the  "Sunken 
Colorado Pan".
Use of Evaporation Pan
● Most widely used method of finding reservoir
evaporation.
● The Standard Class A Pan is unpainted and built with
galvanized iron.
– It is 4 ft in diameter, 10 in deep and mounted 12in
above the ground in wooden frame.
● Pan Coefficient (0.7-0.75)
● Ratios of annual reservoir evaporation to pan evaporation
are consistent from year to year and region to region.
Evaporating Pan
Use of Evaporation Pan

Where:
● Daily pan evaporation is given in millimeters
per day.
● up is the wind movement 150mm above the
rim of the pan in kilometers per day
● (eo-ea) is the vapor pressure difference
measured in millibars
Use of Evaporation Pan

Penman derived the above

equation for daily
evaporation.
 EVAPORATION CONTROL
• Evaporation losses can be greatly
significant at any location.

• Evaporation losses from soils can be

controlled by employing various
types of mulch or by chemical
reaction.
Evaporation Losses can be
controlled in open waters by:
(1) storing water in covered
reservoirs
(2) making increased use of
underground storage
(3) controlling aquatic growths
(4) building storage reservoirs with
minimal surface areas
(5) use of chemicals
(6) conveying in closed conduits
rather than open channels
Transpiration

The flow of water through the soil–

plant– atmosphere system is
analogous to the flow of electrical
current in an electrical circuit.
Transpiration
Stomatal transpiration - when root systems
absorb water and transmitted through the plant
and escapes through the pores in the leaf
system.

Transpiration is also affected by the

character of the plant and the plant
density.

As long as soil moisture lies between the limits

of wilting point and field capacity,
transpiration is not materially affected.
Transpiration

● The weighing type

measures the weight
change in a volume of
earth.

● The zero–tension type

collects soil water that is
naturally percolating
downward through soils, in
other words, water that is
influenced by gravity.

● The tension type has a

Transpiration

● Tent Method
● a plant is enclosed with plastic sheeting,
and the rate and the moisture content of air
entering and leaving the tent are monitored

● Triple-inlet evaporation tent (from Mace

and Thompson,1969).1,inlet; 2, squirrel-cage
blower; 3, inlet humidity thermometer; 4,
perforated polyvinyl curtain; 5, outlet; and 6,
outlet humidity thermometer
Transpiration
● Other Methods
● Quick Weighing – leaf or small branch is cut
off, weighed immediately, then reweighed after
a short period.

● Porometry – temporarily encloses

transpiring leaves or shoots in a small chamber
within which changes in humidity are measured
(Shuttleworth, 2008).
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
THREE MAJOR APPROACHES
• Theoretical
• Analytical
• Empirical

POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
-Thorntwaite
ESTIMATING
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Transpiration
Precipitation
Penman Method
INTERCEPTION
INTERCEPTION
Amount of water intercepted is a function
of
-storm character
-species, age and density of prevailing
plants and trees
-season of the year

Factors that serve to determine Interception

Losses
-Precipitation type
-Rainfall Intensity and Duration
-wind
DEPRESSION STORAGE
Depression’s nature and size are functions of;
-Original Landform
-Local land use practice

In general, depressions may be looked upon

as miniature reservoirs.