Wetland and Lake Evaporation in the Low Arctic

Abstract

Evaporation from wetland and lake surfaces in the continuous permafrost region of the Low Arctic was studied using an energy balance Bowen ratio approach and lysimeter measurements respectively. Daily evaporation was also estimated using the Priestley-Taylor model. Over the summer, mean evaporation from the wetland and lake were similar, but day-to-day variation was large at times. Differences of available energy and surface roughness between the lake and wetland surface produce a larger Priestly-Taylor .alpha. value for wetland evaporation. The approach presented in this paper can be used to estimate evaporation for wetland and lake surfaces in the low arctic region.