Outline of Presentation

Introduction
Key terms
Measurement
Reference Evapotranspiration
Methods of calculating
Evapotranspiration Equation
Penman-Monteith Method
Modelling using HEC-HMS
Conclusion
Reference
Introduction
 Key Terms
Potential Evapotranspiration [PET]- Assumes that
sufficient moisture is always available to completely meet
the needs of the vegetation covering the area.
Actual Evapotranspiration [AET] the real
evapotranspiration.
According to Subramanya (2008), with the exception of a
few specialised cases, all applied studies in hydrology use
PET (not AET) as a basic parameter in various estimations
related to water utilizations connected with the ET
process.
 Measurement of ET
Lysimeters- this is a special watertight tank containing a block of soil
and set in a field of growing plants. ET is estimated in terms of the
amount of water required to maintain constant moisture conditions. These
are, however, very expensive and time consuming.

Field Plots- in special plots all the elements of the water budget in a
known interval of time are measured and the ET is estimated by:
ET = [Precipitation + irrigation input] [runoff + loss due to soil storage]
Loss due to percolation is difficult to measure and can be minimised by
keeping the moisture condition of the plot at the field capacity (maximum
amount of water that the soil can retain due to gravity).
 Reference Evapotranspiration ETo
For purposes of standardization, FAO recommends a reference crop
evapotranspiration denoted as ETo
The evapotranspiration rate from a reference surface, not short of water, is
called the reference crop evapotranspiration or reference evapotranspiration
and is denoted as ETo
The reference surface is a hypothetical grass reference crop with specific
characteristics.
ETo is a climatic parameter and can be computed from weather data. It
expresses the evaporating power of the atmosphere at a specific location
and time of the year and does not consider the crop characteristics and soil
factors.
Reference Evapotranspiration

Source: http://www.fao.org
 Methods of Calculating Evapotranspiration

energy balances methods

mass transfer or aerodynamic methods

combination of energy and mass transfer

 Evapotranspiration Equations.
The lack of reliable field data and the difficulties of obtaining reliable
evapotranspiration data have given rise to a number of methods to predict
PET by using climatological data. They are either purely empirical or
backed by theatrical concepts.
In 1948, Penman combined the energy balance with the mass transfer
method and derived an equation to compute the evaporation from an
open water surface from standard climatological records of sunshine,
temperature, humidity and wind speed. This so-called combination
method was further developed by many researchers and extended to
cropped surfaces by introducing resistance factors.
In 1956, Monteith modified the given formula to include a bulk surface
resistance term called the Penman-Monteith Equation.
 Penman-Monteith method

The analysis of the performance of the various calculation methods reveals

the need for formulating a standard method for the computation of ETo.

The FAO recommends the Penman-Monteith method as the sole standard

method.

It is a method with strong likelihood of correctly predicting ETo in a wide

range of locations and climates and has provision for application in data-
short situations.
 Penman Monteith
What is Penman Monteith?
Penman Monteith is a method implemented to calculate the
average evapotranspiration at less than a daily time interval
where the parameters are entirely dependent on the
atmospheric conditions.
 Penman-Monteith
What is required?
It assumes an unlimited water supply, depends on temperature,
relative humidity, the wind, and generally provides a better
representation of crop water losses and requirements
 Penman-Monteith Equation

Source: Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations

a = air density (kg m-3)

Cp = specific heat of dry air
eso = mean saturated vapour pressure (kPa) computed as the mean eo at the daily
minimum and maximum air temperature (C)
rav = bulk surface aerodynamic resistance for water vapour (s m-1)
ea = mean daily ambient vapour pressure (kPa)
rs = the canopy surface resistance (s m-1).
Modelling using HEC-HMS
 Conclusion

The FAO recommends the Penman-Monteith method as the sole standard

method for calculating Evapotranspiration.

It is a method with a strong likelihood of correctly predicting ETo in a wide

range of locations and climates and has provision for application in data-
short situations.
 References

Subramanya, K. Engineering Hydrology. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill

Publishing Company Limited, 2013.
"Penman-Monteith equation." Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations. Accessed October 16, 2017.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0490E/x0490e06.htm.
Questions

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