Abstraction from Precipitation
Transpiration
Transpiration is the process by which water leaves the
body of a living plant and reaches the atmosphere as water
vapor. The water is taken up by the plant-root system and
escapes through the leaves.
The important factors affecting transpiration are:
atmospheric vapor pressure, temperature, wind, light
intensity and characteristics of the plant, such as root and
leaf systems.
Evapotranspiration
The total amount of water loss in the form of
water vapors into the atmosphere from
surface of the soil, canopy interception,
water bodies as well as from the aerial parts
of the plants in a process known as
evapotranspiration.
The term consumptive use is also used to
denote this loss by evapotranspiration.
If sufficient moisture is always available to completely meet the needs of vegetation
full covering the area, the resulting evapotranspiration is called potential
evapotranspiration (PET).
The real evapotranspiration occurring in a specific situation is called actual
evapotranspiration (AET).
Field capacity is the maximum quantity of water that the soil can retain against the
force of gravity.
Permanent wilting point is the moisture content of a soil at which the moisture is
no longer available in sufficient quantity to sustain the plants.
The field capacity and permanent wilting point depend upon the soil
characteristics. The difference between this two-moisture content is called
available water, the moisture available for plant growth.
For a catchment in a given period of time, the hydrologic budget can be written as
𝑷 − 𝑹𝒔 − 𝑮𝒐 − 𝑬 𝒂𝒄𝒕 = ∆𝑺
Where: P = Precipitation
Rs = surface runoff
Go = subsurface outflow
Eact = actual evapotranspiration (AET)
∆𝑺 = change in the moisture storage
Measurement of Evapotranspiration
Lysimeters
A lysimeters is a special watertight tank
containing a block of soil and set in a field of
growing plants
Evaporation is estimated in terms of the amount
of water required to maintain constant moisture
conditions within the tank measured either
volumetrically or gravimetrically through an
arrangement made in the lysimeters.
Field Plots
In special plots as the elements of the water budget in a known interval of time are
measured and the evapotranspiration determined as
Evapotranspiration = [precipitation + irrigation input – runoff – increase in
soil storage groundwater loss]
Measurements are usually confined to precipitation, irrigation input, surface runoff
and soil moisture.
Evapotranspiration Equations
Penman’s Equation
𝐴𝐻𝑛 + 𝐸𝑎 𝛾
𝑃𝐸𝑇 =
𝐴+ 𝛾
Where: PET = daily potential evapotranspiration in mm/d
A = slope of the saturation vapor pressure vs temperature curve
at the mean temerature, in mmHg
Hn = net radiation in mm of evaporable water per day
Ea = parameter including wind velocity and saturation deficit
𝛾 = psychometric constant = 0.49 mmHg / oC
The net radiation is the same as used in the energy budget and is estimated by the
following equation:
𝑛 𝑛
𝐻𝑛 = 𝐻𝑎 (1 − 𝑟) (𝑎 + 𝑏 ) − 𝜎𝑇𝑎4 (0.56 − 0.092 √𝑒𝑎 )(0.10 + 0.90 )
𝑁 𝑁
Where:Ha = incident solar radiation outside the atmosphere on a horizontal
surface, expressed in mm of evaporable water per day
a = a constant depending upon the latitude ∅ and is given by a = cos∅
b = a constant with an average value of 0.25
n = actual duration of bright sunshine in hours
N = max. possible hours of bright sunshine
r = reflection coefficient (albedo). Usual ranges of values of r are given
below
𝜎 = Stefan-Boltzman constant = 2.01x10-9 mm/day
Ta = mean air temperature in oK = 273 + oC
ea = actual mean vapor pressure in the air in mmHg
the parameter E a is estimated as
𝑢2
𝐸𝑎 = 0.35 (1 + ) (𝑒𝑤 − 𝑒𝑎 )
160
Where: u2 = mean wind speed at 2m above ground km/day
ew = saturation vapor pressure at mean air temperature in mmHg
ea = actual vapor pressure
Reference Crop Evapotranspiration (ETo)
The potential evapotranspiration of any other crop (ET) is calculated by multiplying
the reference crop evapotranspiration by coefficient K, the value which changes
with stage of the crop. Thus
𝐸𝑇 = 𝐾(𝐸𝑇𝑜 )
Blaney – Criddle Formula
𝐸𝑇 = 2.54𝐾𝐹 and 𝐹 = ∑ 𝑃ℎ 𝑇̅𝑓 /100
Where: ET = PET in a crop season in cm
K = an empirical coeffiecient, depends on the type of the crop
and stage of growth
F = sum of monthly consumptive use factors for the period
Ph = monthly percent of annual day-time hours, depends on the
latitude of the place
𝑇̅𝑓 = monthly mean temperature in oF
Actual Evapotranspiration
1. Using available meteorological data the reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0)
is calculated
2. The crop coefficient K for the given crop (and stage of growth) is obtained from
published tables such as table 3.7. the potential crop evapotranspiration ETc is
calculated using this equation ETc = K(ET0)
3. The actual evapotranspiration (ETa) at any time t at the farm having the given
crop is calculated as below
If AASW ≥ (1 – p) MASW
ETa = ETo known as potential condition
IF AASW < (1 – p) MASW
AASW
ETa = [ ] ETc
(1 − p)MASW
Where: MASW= total available soil water over the root depth
AASW= actual available soil-water at time t over the root depth
P = soil water depletion factor
Example:
Estimate the PET of an area for the season November to February in which
wheat is grown. The area is in Northern part of the country at a latitude of 30o N with
mean monthly temperature as below: Using Blaney-Criddle Formula
Month November December January February
Temp oC 16.5 13.0 11.0 14.5
Formula:
𝐸𝑇 = 2.54𝐾𝐹 and 𝐹 = ∑ 𝑃ℎ 𝑇̅𝑓 /100
Solution:
From table 3.7 the value of K = 0.65
from table 3.6 read the P h for 30o N
Month 𝑇̅𝑓 (oF) 𝑃ℎ 𝑃ℎ 𝑇̅𝑓/100
November 61.7 7.19 4.44
December 55.4 7.15 3.96
January 51.8 7.30 3.78
February 58.1 7.03 4.08
∑ 𝑃ℎ 𝑇̅𝑓 /100 16.26
𝐸𝑇 = 2.54 𝑥 0.65 𝑥 16.26
𝑬𝑻 = 𝟐𝟔. 𝟖𝟓 𝒄𝒎
