Abstract
Considering the importance of reference evapotranspiration (RET) in agriculture, hydrology and meteorology, the research problem was taken to assess the RET during winter season under projected climatic situation of West Bengal, India. The Penman-Monteith method was used in the study as it is the most accurate method of estimating RET. However, validation of the output of the equation was done with the help of observed data set. The data analysis was carried out using NCAR Command Language (NCL). The result clearly shows that the reference ET of the study area will be increased in the tune of 13% to 32% in the year 2050 compared to present RET level. Analysis of actual rainfall data shows a decreasing trend of winter rainfall in the study region. The projected rainfall data also follows the same pattern. Thus, the combination of low rainfall and higher ET value will demand more irrigation requirement for winter crops in West Bengal. The temporal changes of RET on decadal basis and spatial variation of RET for each decade have been observed and discussed in the paper.
Highlights
The most precious input for agricultural operations is water and scarcity of freshwater poses a threat to agriculture
The result clearly shows that the reference ET of the study area will be increased in the tune of 13% to 32% in the year 2050 compared to present reference evapotranspiration (RET) level
The present research work clearly shows the reference ET of the study area will be increased in the tune of 13% to 32% in the year 2050 compared to present RET level
Summary
The most precious input for agricultural operations is water and scarcity of freshwater poses a threat to agriculture. The ever-increasing population is the main cause of decreasing fresh water availability per capita. A research study shows Mediterranean regions may experience 2% - 15% decrease of freshwater resources for 2 ̊C of warming [1]. Farmers of Asian countries generally use 80% - 90% of their fresh water resources for agricultural operations. Assessment of water availability is the main pre-requisite for proper management of water for crop production and in this regard, the assessment of future evapotranspiration pattern is a prime challenge [3] [4] [5]
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