Comparison of Bowen-ratio, eddy-correlation, and weighing-lysimeter evapotranspiration for two sparse-canopy sites in eastern Washington
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This report compares evapotranspiration estimated with the Bowen-ratio and eddy-correlation methods with evapotranspiration measured by weighing lysimeters for two sparse-canopy sites in eastern Washington. The sites are located in a grassland area (grass lysimeter site) and a sagbrush- covered area (sage lysimeter site) on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve in Benton County, Washington. Lysimeter data were collected at the sites from August 1990 to November 1994. Bowen-ratio data were collected for varying periods from May 1993 to November 1994. Additional Bowen-ratio data without interchanging air- temperature and vapor-pressure sensors to remove sensor bias (fixed-sensor system) were collected from October 1993 to June 1994. Eddy-correlation data were collected at the grass lysimeter site from March to April 1994, and at the sage lysimeter site from April to May 1994. The comparisons of evapotranspiration determined by the various methods differed considerably, depending on the periods of record being compared and the sites being analyzed. The year 1993 was very wet, with about 50 percent more precipitation than average; 1994 was a very dry year, with only about half the average precipitation. The study showed that on an annual basis, at least in 1994, Bowen-ratio evapotranspiration closely matched lysimeter evapotranspiration. In 1993, Bowen-ratio and lysimeter evapotranspiration comparisons were variable. Evapotranspiration estimated with the Bowen-ratio method averaged 5 percent more than evapotranspiration measured by lysimeters at the grass lysimeter site from October 1993 to November 1994, and 3 percent less than lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site from November 1993 to October 1994. From March 24 to April 5, 1994, at the grass lysimeter site, the Bowen-ratio method estimated 11 percent less, the Bowen-ratio method utilizing the fixed sensor system about 7 percent more, and the eddy-correlation method about 28 percent less evapotranspiration than the lysimeters measured. From May 7 to June 18, 1993, however, the Bowen-ratio method estimated only 54 percent of the evapotranspiration measured by lysimeters at the grass lysimeter site. This large difference possibly may be attributed to Bowen-ratio instrument variability or error, to the density of grasses in the lysimeters being greater than in the surrounding area, or to heating effects on the lysimeters. From September 1 to October 31, 1993, the Bowen-ratio method estimated more than 450 percent more evapotranspiration than was measured by lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site. This difference may have been due to conditions in the lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site that were unrepresentative of natural conditions. The Bowen-ratio instruments measured evapotrans- piration over sagebrush plants outside the lysimeters, which were blooming very heavily, possibly using supplemental ground water or spring water from nearby upslope areas. The sagebrush plants contained by the lysimeters showed very little evapotranspiration, possibly because they were root-bound and had already used all available water. Also, plants in the lysimeters would not have been able to access any supplemental water available to plants outside the confines of the lysimeters. Earlier in 1993, from June 17 to July 12, the Bowen-ratio method estimated only 1 percent less evapotranspiration than determined for the lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site. On the basis of lysimeter measurements from August 1990 to November 1994, cumulative evapotrans- piration ranged from about 97 to 103 percent of the annual precipitation each year. The evapotranspiration measurements made at the grass and sage lysimeter sites, which were based on weight changes in the lysimeters, showed that storage changes became nearly zero each year some time between August and November as average surface soil moisture decreased to about 2 percent and evapotranspiration rates decreased to less than 0.1 millimeter per day.Keywords:
Lysimeter
Bowen ratio
This paper reports the results of our comparison of evapotranspiration using a paddy lysimeter (30 x 70 m2 plot) by means of the water balance method and the eddy correlation heat balance method to permit a fundamental examination of the overall hydrologic processes. The following results were obtained: (1) In the paddy lysimeter, surface-water levels conformed to underground water levels until ponding water was released, so that changes in the surface-water level could be used to represent changes in the lysimeter’s water storage. On this basis, the water balance method indicated that daily evapotranspiration in July 2003 was about 60% of the level calculated for July 2002, largely because the summer of 2003 was cooler. (2) With hourly calculations in the eddy correlation heat balance method, the estimated daily evapotranspiration in June 2003 was larger than that estimated using the water balance method. Based on 10-day estimation periods, the trends in the two methods were similar (i.e., lower in 2003), but the peaks in both June and August occurred in different 10-day periods. (3) Comparison of daily evapotranspiration levels between the two methods requires improvement in the heat-balance observations.
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Water balance
Bowen ratio
Ponding
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This report compares evapotranspiration estimated with the Bowen-ratio and eddy-correlation methods with evapotranspiration measured by weighing lysimeters for two sparse-canopy sites in eastern Washington. The sites are located in a grassland area (grass lysimeter site) and a sagbrush- covered area (sage lysimeter site) on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve in Benton County, Washington. Lysimeter data were collected at the sites from August 1990 to November 1994. Bowen-ratio data were collected for varying periods from May 1993 to November 1994. Additional Bowen-ratio data without interchanging air- temperature and vapor-pressure sensors to remove sensor bias (fixed-sensor system) were collected from October 1993 to June 1994. Eddy-correlation data were collected at the grass lysimeter site from March to April 1994, and at the sage lysimeter site from April to May 1994. The comparisons of evapotranspiration determined by the various methods differed considerably, depending on the periods of record being compared and the sites being analyzed. The year 1993 was very wet, with about 50 percent more precipitation than average; 1994 was a very dry year, with only about half the average precipitation. The study showed that on an annual basis, at least in 1994, Bowen-ratio evapotranspiration closely matched lysimeter evapotranspiration. In 1993, Bowen-ratio and lysimeter evapotranspiration comparisons were variable. Evapotranspiration estimated with the Bowen-ratio method averaged 5 percent more than evapotranspiration measured by lysimeters at the grass lysimeter site from October 1993 to November 1994, and 3 percent less than lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site from November 1993 to October 1994. From March 24 to April 5, 1994, at the grass lysimeter site, the Bowen-ratio method estimated 11 percent less, the Bowen-ratio method utilizing the fixed sensor system about 7 percent more, and the eddy-correlation method about 28 percent less evapotranspiration than the lysimeters measured. From May 7 to June 18, 1993, however, the Bowen-ratio method estimated only 54 percent of the evapotranspiration measured by lysimeters at the grass lysimeter site. This large difference possibly may be attributed to Bowen-ratio instrument variability or error, to the density of grasses in the lysimeters being greater than in the surrounding area, or to heating effects on the lysimeters. From September 1 to October 31, 1993, the Bowen-ratio method estimated more than 450 percent more evapotranspiration than was measured by lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site. This difference may have been due to conditions in the lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site that were unrepresentative of natural conditions. The Bowen-ratio instruments measured evapotrans- piration over sagebrush plants outside the lysimeters, which were blooming very heavily, possibly using supplemental ground water or spring water from nearby upslope areas. The sagebrush plants contained by the lysimeters showed very little evapotranspiration, possibly because they were root-bound and had already used all available water. Also, plants in the lysimeters would not have been able to access any supplemental water available to plants outside the confines of the lysimeters. Earlier in 1993, from June 17 to July 12, the Bowen-ratio method estimated only 1 percent less evapotranspiration than determined for the lysimeters at the sage lysimeter site. On the basis of lysimeter measurements from August 1990 to November 1994, cumulative evapotrans- piration ranged from about 97 to 103 percent of the annual precipitation each year. The evapotranspiration measurements made at the grass and sage lysimeter sites, which were based on weight changes in the lysimeters, showed that storage changes became nearly zero each year some time between August and November as average surface soil moisture decreased to about 2 percent and evapotranspiration rates decreased to less than 0.1 millimeter per day.
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Abstract. Evapotranspiration plays a key role in the terrestrial water cycle, climate extremes and vegetation functioning. However, the understanding of spatio-temporal variability of evapotranspiration is limited by a lack of measurement techniques that are low-cost, and that can be applied anywhere at any time. Here we show that evapotranspiration can be estimated accurately using only observations made by smartphone sensors. Individual variables known to effect evapotranspiration generally showed a high correlation with routine observations during a multi-day field test. In combination with a simple ML-algorithm trained on observed evapotranspiration, the smartphone-observations had a mean RMSE of 0.10 and 0.05 mm/h when compared to lysimeter and eddy covariance observations, respectively. This is comparable to an error of 0.08 mm/h when estimating the eddy covariance ET from the lysimeter or vice versa. The results suggests that smartphone-based ET monitoring could provide a realistic and low-cost alternative for real-time ET estimation in the field.
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Abstract. Accurate measurements of evapotranspiration are required for many meteorological, climatological, ecological, and hydrological research applications and developments. Here we examine and compare two well-established methods to determine evapotranspiration at the site level: lysimeter-based measurements (EL) and eddy covariance (EC) flux measurements (EEC). The analyses are based on parallel measurements carried out with these two methods at the research catchment Rietholzbach in northeastern Switzerland, and cover the time period of June 2009 to December 2015. The measurements are compared on various timescales, and with respect to a 40-year lysimeter-based evapotranspiration time series. Overall, the lysimeter and EC measurements agree well, especially on the annual timescale. On that timescale, the long-term lysimeter measurements also correspond well with catchment water-balance estimates of evapotranspiration. This highlights the representativeness of the site-level lysimeter and EC measurements for the entire catchment despite their comparatively small source areas and the heterogeneous land use and topography within the catchment. Furthermore, we identify that lack of reliable EC measurements using open-path gas analyzers during and following precipitation events (due to limitations of the measurement technique under these conditions) significantly contributes to an underestimation of EEC and to the overall energy balance gap at the site.
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Based on the measurement of latent evapotranspiration (LE) and sensible heat flux by open-path eddy covariance (OPEC) system, the authors analyzed diurnal and seasonal variations of forest evapotranspiration in the broadleaved_Korean pine forests in Changbai Mountain in 2003. The results showed that the energy balance closure was 86.5%. This suggested that the latent heat flux and sensible heat flux measured by OPEC system at the forest site were reasonable according to the internationally reported energy closure range (60%-90%). The LE gaps were filled by multiple polynomial regressions on the net radiation (R_n) and air temperature (T_a). Forest evapotranspiration was higher in the daytime than that at night, with the highest value occurring at noon. The maximum of monthly forest evapotranspiration appeared in July and August, and the minimum appeared in winter months. The ratio of evapotranspiration to net radiation in the growing season was evidently higher than that in the non-growing season. The annual evapotranspiration amounted to 1 126.99 MJ/m2 (450.8 mm of rainfall), accounting for 83.7% of the annual rainfall (538.4 mm).
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This article compared the evapotranspiration values of summer maize measured by lysimeter and eddy covariance,and also analyzed the correlation between meteorological factors and evapotranspiration values of two spatial scales.The evapotranspirations measured by lysimeter and eddy covariance represent observation results in different farmland scales.Study results show that(1) good correlation can be found between the measurement results of lysimeter and eddy covariance,but the daily values measured by lysimeterate significantly higher than that by eddy covariance due to different spatial scales;(2) good correlation can also be found between the evapotranspiration and the net radiation,but the correlations between evapotranspiration and other meteorological factors are dependent on temporal and spatial scales.
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<p>Evapotranspiration is an important parameter for grassland ecosystems because the (actual) evapotranspiration explains the exchange of water and energy between soil, land surface and atmosphere. Understanding the effects of changing grassland yields on evapotranspiration rates is essential for the assessment of the water- and plant water balance of grassland sites under climate change. However, evapotranspiration is difficult to measure, and the suitability of the various methods strongly depends on the time and spatial scale considered. Thus, the aim of this work is to compare different measurements of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) at a managed alpine grassland site. The study area is located in the northern alps of Austria, at the Agricultural Research and Education Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein (Styria). Here, the ETa data of a high resolution weighable lysimeters, are compared with ETa data measured by a scintillometer system BLS900 (Scintec, Germany). The system measures sensible heat flux integrated along the near-infrared beam of 880 nm, length of 356 m and height of 6.3 m above grassy surface. The ETa is calculated as a residual from the energy balance equation. Another independent source of ETa data is the Bowen ratio energy balance system (BREB), which is placed roughly in the middle of the scintillometer path and adjacently (few meters) to the lysimeter.</p><p>During the observation period (vegetation period 2018; March-November), ETa calculated from the weighable lysimeter was 573 mm in total and showed the highest absolute value compared to the other measurements. The calculated ETa from the BREB system is 505 mm (including condensation) and 526 mm (excluding condensation).</p><p>At the beginning of the vegetation growth, the scintillometer system measured lower values of ETa than the lysimeter, but higher values than the BREB system. Contrary, at the end of May, the lysimeter ETa showed the lowest values compared to the other two systems. This can be related to the fact that the grass on the lysimeter was cut three times per year, whereas the management of other areas on the experimental site was different. The same effects were observed at the second and third cut, always with the fact that the scintillometer system showed higher values than the BREB system. After two weeks of the first and second cut, the vegetation on the lysimeters was established faster than on the surrounding grassland. As a consequence, the lysimeter ETa showed again the highest values. Only after the third cut at the end of September, the vegetation was slowly growing and the scintillometer as well the BREB system showed higher ETa values till the end of the observation month in November. These results suggest that the evapotranspiration rates are strongly dependent on the management of the grassland, which needs to be considered in the selection and design of evapotranspiration measurements.</p>
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The rate of evapotranspiration by irrigated alfalfa at Mead, NE (41°09′N; 96°30′W, elevation 354 m) reached record levels in 1976. Evapotranspiration was measured with precision weighing lysimeters in a field 1.9 ha in size. Evapotranspiration ranged during the growing season from 4.75 to 14.22 mm day−1 and exceeded 10 mm day−1 on one-third of the days studied. On each day of study the ratio of latent heat flux density (LE) to the sum of the net radiation and soil heat flux densities (Rn + S) was such that LE/(Rn + S) > 1, indicating the occurrence of significant sensible heat advection. On clear days during mid-summer the net radiation provides energy sufficient for evaporation of no more than 7 mm day−1. Sensible heat advection provided the remaining energy consumed in evapotranspiration. The unusually strong sensible heat advection likely was due to the generally dry condition of surrounding regions during the drought of 1976.
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Bowen ratio
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Pan evaporation
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