Abstract
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to compare methods for estimating reference evapotranspiration using an experimental basin in the Brazilian Cerrado, for water management purposes. For that, we estimated daily reference evapotranspiration over a certain period (time series between 1982 and 2012) through different empirical methods. These methods consisted of Blaney-Criddle (BC), Hargreaves & Samani (HS), ASCE Penman-Monteith (ASCE- PM), Penman (1948/1963) (PO), Priestley-Taylor (PT), which were all compared to the standard Penman-Monteith FAO-56 (PM-FAO56). Based on statistics, ASCE- PM, P and BC methods should be recommended for cerrado areas, either in rainy or dry seasons. After these, the PT also stood out. Among the less complex methods, based on temperature and energy data, PT method is recommended whether climatological data are scarce either in rainy or dry seasons. Yet, HS reached the greatest errors, a broad data spread and low estimate accuracy, but showing better performance in dry periods, thus remaining under restricted use.
Highlights
IntroductionThis process uses nearly three-fifths of annual solar radiation, available globally towards the Earth's surface (WANG & DICKINSON, 2012)
Evapotranspiration (ET) is an essential factor in weather and water cycles
This process uses nearly three-fifths of annual solar radiation, available globally towards the Earth's surface (WANG & DICKINSON, 2012). It is a key element in water balance, so its estimate is of vital importance for water resources and for forecasting drought periods (LINGLING et al, 2013)
Summary
This process uses nearly three-fifths of annual solar radiation, available globally towards the Earth's surface (WANG & DICKINSON, 2012). It is a key element in water balance, so its estimate is of vital importance for water resources and for forecasting drought periods (LINGLING et al, 2013). Characterizing the climate-related water demand is highly important for expansion of irrigated farmland over the Brazilian cerrado regions. Such knowledge enables enhancing land use by rational use of available water resources. They found three components influencing differently this process: i) energy supply - global incident radiation and net radiation (40%); ii) local atmospheric circulation - humidity, wind speed and atmospheric pressure (24%) and iii) vegetation cover (10%)
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