Abstract
Abstract. The Pannonian Basin Experiment (PannEx) is a Regional Hydroclimate Project (RHP) of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Project. A gridded meteorological dataset is available for the PannEx region as part of the CarpatClim database, which consists of homogenized and harmonized daily meteorological observations for several climate parameters with 0.1∘ spatial resolution in the period of 1961–2010. The estimation of the Penman–Monteith reference evapotranspiration (ET0) on the daily scale was performed for the CarpatClim grid as one of the first results in the PannEx initiative. This study compares the already accessible Thornthwaite estimates of potential evapotranspiration (PET_Th) on the monthly scale to the newly derived Penman–Monteith estimates. The comparison is made on an annual and seasonal basis for the 50-year period. The distribution of both estimates is influenced by geographical location and orographic features. The annual time series are similar but the regional-average annual values of ET0 are ∼80 mm greater than the Thornthwaite estimate in the whole CarpatClim region. The relative bias and root mean square error was computed as well. The classical Thornthwaite method underestimates the ET0 by more than 20 % over extensive regions for selected grid points at elevations lower than 200 m in the Pannonian Basin. The slope of the fitted linear trend indicate increasing reference evapotranspiration in the Pannonian/Carpathian Basin due to climate change.
Highlights
The Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Hydroclimatology Panel (GHP) provides a framework to assist with the understanding and prediction of hydroclimatic conditions from continental to local scale by improving our knowledge of environmental water and energy exchanges at the regional scale. (GEWEX, 2020 – https://www.gewex.org/, last access: 5 February 2020).The Pannonian Basin Experiment (PannEx) is a Regional Hydroclimate Project (RHP) of the GEWEX GHP
One of our main results is that ET0 values are available on a daily time step in the CarpatClim database for the applications in the region of the Pannonian Basin Experiment (PannEx)
The classical Thornthwaite estimates (PET_Th) were compared on annual and seasonal bases for the 50-year period (1961–2010) to the Penman– Monteith estimates. Both estimates are influenced by geographical location and orographic features
Summary
The Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Hydroclimatology Panel (GHP) provides a framework to assist with the understanding and prediction of hydroclimatic conditions from continental to local scale by improving our knowledge of environmental water and energy exchanges at the regional scale. (GEWEX, 2020 – https://www.gewex.org/, last access: 5 February 2020). The PannEx is a Regional Hydroclimate Project (RHP) of the GEWEX GHP It is a GEWEX- initiated, community driven research network in the Pannonian/Carpathian Basin (both names are used). This is often limited by the currently available energy and evaporable water, as well as by characteristics of the plant cover and the soil Based on these factors, we can distinguish (i) the climatic potential evaporation (C_PET), (ii) the potential evapotranspiration (PET) and (iii) different types of calculation of PET for example the Penman–Montieth reference evapotranspiration (ET0) or Thornthwaite type potential evapotranspiration (PET_Th) in order to clarify the definitions for general application (McMahon et al, 2013; Lang et al, 2017). The structure of the applied dataset and methodologies and the first results of the comparisons together with the linear trend values of ET0 in the period 1961–2010 are presented
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