CONVERSION OF LATENT EVAPORATION TO POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

Abstract

Potential evapotranspirometers and various evaporation pans are commonly used to estimate potential evapotranspiration. These instruments are expensive, large, difficult to install and use. A black Bellani plate atmometer is suggested as a simple instrument to replace these large tanks. It consists of a black, porous, ceramic plate, mounted on a glazed ceramic cup. The plate surface is kept moist by the water held in the cup. Evaporation from this surface is a measure of the drying ability of the air and is called "latent evaporation". Comparisons of various evaporimeters have shown the Bellani atmometer to be accurate and responsive to meteorological variables.Latent evaporation was compared with open-pan evaporation (from a 4-foot diameter buried tank) at several sites across Canada. Latent evaporation was also compared with evapotranspiration from irrigated field plots and evapotranspirometer tanks. The conversion factor of 0.0034 inches of evapotranspiration from irrigated fields, and 0.0032 inches of open-pan evaporation for each cubic centimetre of latent evaporation has been tentatively established. Latent evaporation and moisture block methods have shown excellent agreement in scheduling irrigation.