Evaporation Research: Review and Interpretation

Charles M. Burt, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Andrew J. Mutziger, San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District
Robert G. Allen, University of Idaho
Terry A. Howell, USDA

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© 2005 American Society of Civil Engineers. The definitive version can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9437(2005)131:1(37).

Abstract

Literature regarding evaporation from soil, wet plant surfaces, and sprinkler droplets was examined, normalized, and interpreted. Much of the evaporation literature is difficult to compare and interpret; this paper offers comparisons and discussions of various findings by others as well as by the writers. Techniques of measuring and estimating evaporation from irrigation and rainfall are discussed. The partitioning between increased evaporation and decreased transpiration from a variety of research is quantified. Factors that impact the various forms of evaporation are listed and quantified. This review and summary will provide practitioners and researchers with theoretical and practical guidance on measurement techniques and estimates of evaporation under a wide range of conditions.