Evaporation rate for covered and uncovered condition case study: UiTM Shah Alam

Abstract

High development, urbanization, and industrial activity in urban areas contribute to greenhouse gases emission that increases ambient temperatures. These phenomena influence the hydrological cycle as it speeds up the rate of evaporation in water storage. Sufficient water resource is essential as it helps to grow social and economic activities in a country. The study developed three aluminium evaporation pan models with 225 mm diameter and 80 mm width to measure the evaporation in UiTM Shah Alam. Each pan was covered using ping pong balls as a floating cover with a different percentage of coverage. The percentage of coverage used in the pan models is 0% uncovered, 46.08% covered, and 92.16% covered condition. The observation lasted 12 hours, from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. The 0% uncovered condition had the highest evaporation with 6 mm, followed by the 46.08% covered and 92.16% covered conditions with 3 mm and 2 mm, respectively. Next, the influence of temperature on the evaporation rate in the three conditions was also analysed. The provided floating cover reduces the effect of temperature on the rate of evaporation in urban area.