Enhancing Evapotranspiration Estimation: A Bibliometric and Systematic Review of Hybrid Neural Networks in Water Resource Management

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration(ET)is crucial for efficient water resource management,particularly in the face of climate change and increasing water scarcity.This study performs a bibliometric analysis of 352 articles and a systematic review of 35 peer-reviewed papers,selected according to PRISMA guidelines,to evaluate the performance of Hybrid Artificial Neural Networks(HANNs)in ET estimation.The findings demonstrate that HANNs,particularly those combining Multilayer Perceptrons(MLPs),Recurrent Neural Networks(RNNs),and Convolutional Neural Networks(CNNs),are highly effective in capturing the complex nonlinear relationships and tem-poral dependencies characteristic of hydrological processes.These hybrid models,often integrated with optimization algorithms and fuzzy logic frameworks,significantly improve the predictive accuracy and generalization capabilities of ET estimation.The growing adoption of advanced evaluation metrics,such as Kling-Gupta Efficiency(KGE)and Taylor Diagrams,highlights the increasing demand for more robust performance assessments beyond traditional methods.Despite the promising results,challenges remain,particularly regarding model interpretability,computational efficiency,and data scarcity.Future research should prioritize the integration of interpretability techniques,such as attention mechanisms,Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations(LIME),and feature importance analysis,to enhance model transparency and foster stakeholder trust.Additionally,improving HANN models’scalability and computational efficiency is crucial,especially for large-scale,real-world applications.Approaches such as transfer learning,parallel processing,and hyperparameter optimization will be essential in overcoming these challenges.This study underscores the transformative potential of HANN models for precise ET estimation,particularly in water-scarce and climate-vulnerable regions.By integrating CNNs for automatic feature extraction and leveraging hybrid architectures,HANNs offer considerable advantages for optimizing water management,particularly agriculture.Addressing challenges related to interpretability and scalability will be vital to ensuring the widespread deployment and operational success of HANNs in global water resource management.

Assessing the spatiotemporal distributions of evapotranspiration in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of China using remote sensing data

Evapotranspiration(ET) is a critical component of the global hydrological cycle, and it has a large impact on water resource management as it affects the availability of freshwater resources. It is important to understand the hydrological cycle for the water resources planning and management. This study used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) satellite derived ET, and potential evapotranspiration(PET) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) satellite derived precipitation datasets to assess the spatial and temporal distributions of ET, PET, and precipitation during the study period at Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR) region. Based on the topographic variations and land-use/land-cover distributions, the study region which includes five counties of Hubei Province and nineteen counties of Chongqing Municipality was divided into four study zones. The ET and precipitation data were evaluated using in situ observations. The ET, PET, and precipitation data were compared to analyze the spatial and long-term(2001-2016) temporal distributions of average annual ET, PET, and precipitation, and to understand the relationships between them in the study region. The results showed that each selected zone had highest ET at the counties with the Yangtze River passing through whereas lowest at the counties which were located away from the river. Results also showed increasing trends in ET and PET from south-west to north-east in the study region. Analysis showed TGR had a significant impact on spatial and temporal distributions of ET and PET in the study region. Therefore, this study helps to understand the impact of TGR on spatial and temporal distributions of ET and PET during and after the construction.

Estimation of evapotranspiration from artificial forest in mountainous areas of western Loess Plateau based on HYDRUS-1D model

Evapotranspiration is the most important expenditure item in the water balance of terrestrial ecosystems,and accurate evapotranspiration modeling is of great significance for hydrological,ecological,agricultural,and water resource management.Artificial forests are an important means of vegetation restoration in the western Loess Plateau,and accurate estimates of their evapotranspiration are essential to the management and development of water use strategies for artificial forests.This study estimated the soil moisture and evapotranspiration based on the HYDRUS-1D model for the artificial Platycladus orientalis(L.)Franco forest in western mountains of Loess Plateau,China from 20 April to 31 October,2023.Moreover,the influence factors were identified by combining the correlation coefficient method and the principal component analysis(PCA)method.The results showed that HYDRUS-1D model had strong applicability in portraying hydrological processes in this area and revealed soil water surplus from 20 April to 31 October,2023.The soil water accumulation was 49.64 mm;the potential evapotranspiration(ET_(p))was 809.67 mm,which was divided into potential evaporation(E_(p);95.07 mm)and potential transpiration(T_(p);714.60 mm);and the actual evapotranspiration(ET_(a))was 580.27 mm,which was divided into actual evaporation(E_(a);68.27 mm)and actual transpiration(T_(a);512.00 mm).From April to October 2023,the ET_(p),E_(p),T_(p),ET_(a),E_(a),and T_(a) first increased and then decreased on both monthly and daily scales,exhibiting a single-peak type trend.The average ratio of T_(a)/ET_(a) was 0.88,signifying that evapotranspiration mainly stemmed from transpiration in this area.The ratio of ET_(a)/ET_(p) was 0.72,indicating that this artificial forest suffered from obvious drought stress.The ET_(p) was significantly positively correlated with ET_(a),and the R^(2) values on the monthly and daily scales were 0.9696 and 0.9635(P<0.05),respectively.Furthermore,ET_(a) was significantly positively correlated with temperature,solar radiation,and wind speed,and negatively correlated with relative humidity and precipitation(P<0.05);and temperature exhibited the highest correlation with ET_(a).Thus,ET_(p) and temperature were the decisive contributors to ET_(a) in this area.The findings provide an effective method for simulating regional evapotranspiration and theoretical reference for water management of artificial forests,and deepen understanding of effects of each influence factors on ET_(a) in arid areas.

Evapotranspiration Characteristics of a Lowland Dry Evergreen Forest in Central Cambodia Examined Using a Multilayer Model

Development pressure has led to serious deforestation on the Indochina Peninsula. Particularly rapid defor-estation has occurred in easily accessible lowland areas, and it is thus important to accumulate knowledge about these forests immediately. We measured evapotranspiration rates for a lowland dry evergreen forest in Kampong Thom Province, central Cambodia, using the energy balance Bowen ratio (EBBR) method based on meteorological data collected from a 60-m-high observation tower. Daily evapotranspiration was higher during the dry season than during the rainy season of the Asian monsoon climate. The seasonal variation in evapotranspiration generally corresponded to the seasonal difference in the vapor pressure deficit. A multi-layer model was used to simulate the seasonal variation in evapotranspiration. The multilayer model also reproduced the larger evapotranspiration rate in the dry season than in the rainy season. However, observed values substantially exceeded model-calculated results during certain periods at the beginning of the dry season and in the late dry season. Moreover, during the rainy season, the model tended to overestimate evapotranspiration. The differences between these observed and simulated values may have been caused by seasonal characteristics of photosynthesis and transpiration in the lowland dry evergreen forest that were not considered in the model simulation.

The Spatial Sensitivity Analysis of Evapotranspiration using Penman-Monteith Method at Grid Scale

The need to allocate the existing water in a sustainable manner, even with the projected population growth, has made to assess the consumptive use or evapotranspiration (ET), which determines the irrigation demand. As underscored in the literature, Penman-Monteith method which is a combination of aerodynamic and energy balance method is widely used and accepted as the method of estimation of ET. However, the application of Penman-Monteith relies on many climate parameters such as relative humidity, solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed. Therefore, there exists a need to determine the parameters that are most sensitive and correlated with dependent variable (i.e., ET), to strengthen the knowledge base. However, the sensitivity of ET using Penman-Monteith is oftentimes estimated using meteorological data from climate stations. Such estimation of sensitivity may vary spatially and thus there exists a need to estimate sensitivity of ET spatially. Thus, in this paper, based on One-AT-A-Time (OAT) method, a spatial sensitivity tool that can geographically encompass all the best available climate datasets to produce ET and its sensitivity at different spatial scales is developed. The spatial tool is developed as a Python toolbox in ArcGIS using Python, an open source programming language, and the ArcPy site-package of ArcGIS. The developed spatial tool is demonstrated using the meteorological data from Automated Weather Data Network in Nebraska in 2010. To summarize the outcome of the sensitivity analysis using OAT method, sensitivity indices are developed for each raster cell. The demonstration of the tool shows that, among the considered parameters, the computed ET using Penman-Monteith is highly sensitive to solar radiation followed by temperature for the state of Nebraska, as depicted by the sensitivity index. The computed sensitivity index of wind speed and the relative humidity are not that significant compared to the sensitivity index of solar radiation and temperature.

A Modelling Stndy of Potential Evapotranspiration and the Estimation of Chinese Soil Moistnre Regimes

Based on the conception of fluid mechanics, the paper propounds a model for monthly potential evapo-transpiration ETi （mm）: where i is the number of a month, Pi the mean monthly atmospheric pressure （hpa）, ti the mean monthlyair temperature （° C）, di the number of days in the month, Ui the mean monthly wind velocity measured atheight 10-12 m （m/s）, woi the saturated water vapour pressure at ti（mmHg, 1 mmHg=133.322 Pa）, and hithe mean monthly relative humidity. The annual aridity K is:where ra is the mean annual precipitation （mm）. Based upon the data of 669 sites in China during 1951-1980, the relations among the soil moisture regime, the vegetation and the value of K may be illustrated asfollows:K Soil moisture regime VegetationK 【 1 Udic Forest Semi-udic Forest, forest-steppe and steppeSemi-aridic Arid steppe Aridic Desert-steppe Very aridic Desert

Correlation Analysis between the Evapotranspiration Quantity and Climatic Factors of Artificial Grassland in Three River Sources Areas

Based on observation data from the mini-type automatic weather station,the evapotranspiration quantity of reference crops from artificial grassland in three river sources areas was estimated by the method of FAO Penman-Monteith.The actual evapotranspiration quantity of grassland was calculated according to the synthetic crop coefficients referenced by FAQ-56,and the change of the actual evapotranspiration quantity of artificial grassland in three river sources areas as well as the relationship between the evapotranspiration quantity and climatic factors were studied.The results suggested that the seasonal change of actual evapotranspiration quantity in grassland was expressed in a single peak curve with the peak in the middle August,and daily transpiration quantity in summer was significantly larger than that in winter.The evapotranspiration was significantly correlated with air temperature,solar radiation and relative humidity,but not significantly correlated with wind speed.Effects of climatic factors on the evapotranspiration quantity of artificial grassland were ordered as follow:air temperature(T)>solar radiation(Ra)>relative humidity(RH)>wind speed(u2).

Spatial-temporal heterogeneity and controlling factors of evapotranspiration in Nujiang River Basin based on Variable Infiltration Capacity(VIC)model

Land surface evapotranspiration(ET)is a critical component in the hydrological cycle but has not well been understood in data-scarce areas especially in river basins,like Nujiang River(NRB)which is characterized by large elevation gradient and different vegetation zones with complex processes of water and energy exchange.The quality of ET from optical remote sensing is constrained by cloud cover which is common in the NRB in the monsoon seasons.To understand factors controlling the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of ET in NRB,we employed the Variable Infiltration Capacity(VIC)hydrological model by parameter optimization with support of quality controlled remote sensing ET product and observed river runoff series in the river.The modeled ET has increased during 1984-2018,which might be one of the reasons for the runoff decrease but precipitation increase in the same period.ET increase and runoff decrease tended to be quicker within altitudinal band of 2000-4000 m than in other areas in NRB.We observed that ET variation in different climatic zones were controlled by different factors.ET is generally positively correlated with precipitation,temperature,and shortwave radiation but negatively with relative humidity.In the Tundra Climate(Et)zone in the upper reach of NRB,ET is controlled by precipitation,while it is controlled by shortwave radiation in the snow climate with dry winter(Dw)zone.ET increase is influenced by the increase of temperature,wind speed,and shortwave radiation in the middle and downstream of NRB with warm temperate climate,fully humid(Cf)and warm temperate climate with dry winter(Cw).

Stochastic Modelling of Actual Black Gram Evapotranspiration

The study was undertaken to develop and evaluate evapotranspiration model for black gram (Vigna Mungo L.) crop under climatic conditions of Udaipur, India. Pan evaporation data for the duration of twenty three years (1978-2001) and measured black gram evapotranspiration data by electronic lysimeter for duration of kharif season of 2001 were used for analysis. Black gram is an important crop of Udaipur region. No sys-tematic study on modelling of black gram evapotranspiration was conducted in past under above said cli-matic conditions. Therefore, stochastic model was developed for the estimation of daily black gram evapotranspiration using 24 years data. Validation of the developed models was done by the comparison of the estimated values with the measured values. The developed stochastic model for black gram evapotran-spiration was found to predict the daily black gram evapotranspiration very accurately.

Evapotranspiration―Soil Structure Relationship in West Marshes of France

The soil potentials, facing to the crop fields, are commonly estimated through the calculation of their available water capacity based on the ETP or ETM estimation. The present work introduces the comparison between theoretical and real available water capacity profiles calculated down to 1.00 m depth. The evapotranspiration data are used to the calculation of ETP in an undrained grassland and ETM in two drained corn fields located in the French Atlantic marshlands. The studied soils have acquired specific properties in response to the reclaiming of the clay;dominant primary sediments began since the Middle Age and late drainage works. The theoretical and real available water capacity profiles are calculated from the ETP and ETM data and from the soil moisture profiles respectively, from June to October 2013. The theoretical and real profiles are confronted to the tensiometric pressure recording at 30, 60 and 90 cm. The tensiometric pressure behavior and associated premature disconnections of the tensiometric plugs are explained thanks to the soil structure-hydromechanical property relationships: i.e. from ductile state in depth to brittle state in surface. The vertical evolutions of the real profiles are explained facing to the plant growing, pluviometry and water nape levels. Their behavior and their shifts from the linear “theoretical” ETP or ETM profiles clearly show the advance of the desiccation front and consequently the kinetics of water consumption by plants. This simple method of calculation and comparison between the real and theoretical ETM or ETP profiles allows the quantitative discussion: 1) on the role of the soil microstructure behavior on the root growing and, 2) on the realism of the crop coefficient taken into account in the ETP or ETM estimation. In these coastal marsh fields, it also argues on the difficulty of management facing to the water and/or salt stresses.

Evaluation of alternative methods for estimating reference evapotranspiration

Evapotranspiration is an important component in water-balance and irrigation scheduling models. While the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method has become the de facto standard for estimating reference evapotranspiration (ETo), it is a complex method requiring several weather parameters. Required weather data are oftentimes unavailable, and alternative methods must be used. Three alternative ETo methods, the FAO-56 Reduced Set, Hargreaves, and Turc methods, were evaluated for use in Mississippi, a humid region of the USA, using only measurements of air temperature. The Turc equation, developed for use with measured temperature and solar radiation, was tested with estimated radiation and found to provide better estimates of FAO-56 ETo than the other methods. Mean bias errors of 0.75, 0.28, and -0.19 mm, mean absolute errors of 0.92, 0.68, and 0.62 mm, and percent errors of 22.5%, 8.5%, and -5.7% were found for daily estimates for the FAO-56 Reduced Set, Hargreaves, and Turc methods, respectively.

Evapotranspiration Estimation and Influence on Water Change in the Weihe River Basin,China

As the largest sub-basin of the middle reaches of the Yellow River with an obvious decreasing trend in annual runoff in recent years,the Weihe River basin is a significant region with regard to the protection and improvement of the environment in West China.Evapotranspiration(ET)is the loss of water from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and plays an important role in the regional water cycle,especially when considering water resource shortages.In this study,through analyzing the grid precipitation data after interpolation from 39 meteorological stations in and around the Weihe River basin from 1981 to 2011,certain periods during 1987,1993,1999,2001,2002 and 2009 with similar precipitation characteristics had been chosen for estimating the ET in the Weihe River basin.To illustrate ET’s influence on the water budget,these estimations are calculated based on an improved Penman-Monteith equation as well as remote sensing data and meteorological data.The results show that:(1)the annual ET in the Weihe River basin ranged from 350mm to 400mm in 1987,1993,1999,2001,2002 and 2009,accounting for more than 70%of the corresponding annual precipitation.There is a definite increasing trend in different decades that is primarily distributed during the summer.(2)The spatial distribution patterns of the ET in the six years mentioned area unique set,and the years are roughly identical with more than 500mm in the middle and lower reaches of the Weihe River in the southeastern region and less than 400mm in upper reaches of the Jinghe River in the northwestern area.(3)At the single-point scale,the coefficient of determination(R2)is 0.618 compared to the eddy correlation measurements in 2009 at the Changwu site,showing good agreement between the estimated ET and the observed ET.At the basin scale,the model-estimated ET is slightly lower than the actual ET with regard to the surface water budget.Additionally,the estimated ET in 2001,2002 and 2009 is close to the MODIS ET product.(4)For similar precipitation conditions,the regional amount of water shows a decreasing tendency with increasing ET,which may result from the rise in NDVI and improvements in vegetation coverage caused by human activities.This research suggests the influence of ET on water change at the basin level,which can also explain the decreasing runoff and can provide necessary information for improved water resource management.

A Spatial Evapotranspiration Tool at Grid Scale

The drastic decline in groundwater table and many other detrimental effects in meeting irrigation demand, and the projected population growth have force to evaluate consumptive use or evapo-transpiration (ET), the rate of liquid water transformation to vapor from open water, bare soil, and vegetation, which determines the irrigation demand. As underscored in the literature, Pen-man-Monteith method which is based on aerodynamic and energy balance method is widely used and accepted as the method of estimation of ET. However, the estimation of ET is oftentimes carried out using meteorological data from climate stations. Therefore, such estimation of ET may vary spatially and thus there exists a need to estimate ET spatially at different spatial or grid scales/resolutions. Thus, in this paper, a spatial tool that can geographically encompass all the best available climate datasets to produce ET at different spatial scales is developed. The spatial tool is developed as a Python toolbox in ArcGIS using Python, an open source programming language, and the ArcPy site-package of ArcGIS. The developed spatial tool is demonstrated using the meteorological data from Automated Weather Data Network in Nebraska in 2010.

Estimation of Rice Evapotranspiration Using Reflective Images of Landsat Satellite in Sefidrood Irrigation and Drainage Network

More accurate estimation of crop evapotranspiration(ET_c)in a regional scale has always been one of the most important challenges.Temporal and spatial monitoring of ET_(c )using satellite images can help to enhance accuracy of estimations.In this study,the(ET_c)_(rice) maps were produced by using statistical/experimental methods based on crop coefficient(K_c)maps derived from vegetation index(Ⅵ).K_c was estimated using four methods,including linear relationship between K_c and Ⅵ(K_c-Ⅵ),calibrated model of K_c-Ⅵ,linear relationship between K_(cb)(the basal crop coefficient)and Ⅵ(K_(cb)-Ⅵ),and calibrated model of K_(cb)-Ⅵ.The results showed that calibrated model of K_c-Ⅵ had a better performance compared to the other methods,with normalized root mean square errors(NRMSE),mean absolute error and root mean square error being 5.7%,0.05 mm/d and 0.06mm/d,respectively.(ET_c)_(rice) maps were produced by using calibrated model of K_c-Ⅵ and reference evapotranspiration(ET_0)from FAO Penman-Monteith method.The NRMSE was 21.3%for using FAO Penman-Monteith method.Therefore,calibrated K_c-Ⅵ model in combining with ET_0 based on the Landsat 7 ETM+images could be provided a good estimation of(ET_c)_(rice) in regional scale,and can be applied to estimate water requirement due to the free and facilitate access.

Assessment of an Evapotranspiration Deficit Drought Index in Relation to Impacts on Ecosystems

Ecosystems have increasingly been subject to the challenge of heavy drought under global warming. To quantitatively evaluate the impacts of drought on ecosystems, it is necessary to develop a drought index that can sensitively depict the response of vegetation to drought evolution at a biological time scale. For the ability of direct connection between climate and ecosystem by deficit of evapotranspiration, in the present study, a drought index was defined based on standardized evapotranspiration deficit (SEDI), according to the difference between actual and potential evapotranspiration, to meet the need for highlighting drought impacts on ecological processes. Comparisons with traditional indices show that SEDI can reasonably detect droughts and climatic dry and wet transitions, especially at a monthly time scale, and can also regenerate long-term trends. Moreover, SEDI can more sensitively capture the biological changes of ecosystems in response to the dynamics of drought intensity, compared with the indices of precipitation and temperature. SEDI is more practical than the precipitation and temperature indices to highlight signals of biological effects in climate droughts. Hence, it has potential for use in assessments of climate change and its impact on ecosystems.

Calculation of Forest Potential Evapotranspiration of Okinawa in Japan Using the Penman Equation

The northern area of Okinawa Island is a unique forest area in Japan, with a distinctive ecosystem and subtropical climate. The area is a central region of forestry in Okinawa Prefecture. However, quantitative evaluation of the effects of the forest environment is inadequate. The authors began meteorological observation of this forested area to address this situation by setting up a weather station in 2009. In this study, we performed research on one of the major factors of the water cycle in forest ecosystems, evapotranspiration. We calculate seasonal changes in potential evapotranspiration through analysis of data from our weather station in 2013, because all measurement elements were assembled. To calculate potential evapotranspiration, we used the Penman equation. We found that the potential evapotranspiration in this forest area was 1170.5 mm in 2013. The mean temperature in 2013 was 20.7°C, yearly average relative humidity was 84.7%, and average wind speed was 1.40 m/s. Regarding the amount of evapotranspiration in the forests of northern Okinawa Island, which has not been previously obtained, it has become possible to calculate the amount of potential evapotranspiration using the Penman equation.

Unveiling evapotranspiration patterns and energy balance in a subalpine forest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:observations and analysis from an eddy covariance system

Evapotranspiration is an important parameter used to characterize the water cycle of ecosystems.To under-stand the properties of the evapotranspiration and energy balance of a subalpine forest in the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,an open-path eddy covariance system was set up to monitor the forest from November 2020 to October 2021 in a core area of the Three Parallel Rivers in the Qing-hai-Tibet Plateau.The results show that the evapotranspira-tion peaked daily,the maximum occurring between 11:00 and 15:00.Environmental factors had significant effects on evapotranspiration,among them,net radiation the greatest(R^(2)=0.487),and relative humidity the least(R^(2)=0.001).The energy flux varied considerably in different seasons and sensible heat flux accounted for the main part of turbulent energy.The energy balance ratio in the dormant season was less than that in the growing season,and there is an energy imbalance at the site on an annual time scale.

Evaluating Reference Crop Evapotranspiration (<i>ETo</i>) in the Centre of Guanzhong Basin—Case of Xingping &Wugong, Shaanxi, China

In this paper, the Penman-Monteith method was applied to evaluate the reference crop evapotranspiration. A reliable estimation of the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is of critical importance and required accurate estimates to close the water balance. The aim of this paper is estimating the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) as preliminary to use for groundwater modeling in the area. Based on FAO-Penman-Monteith method, ETo calculator software was applied. Meteorological data within this study were obtained from two gauges stations (Xing ping and Wu gong) and available literatures. The results indicated that the values of ETo for a period (1981-2009)—29 years—in two stations approximately the same. Specifically, is ranged between 0.4 - 6.9 mm /day, 0.4 - 6.7 mm/day and the average value is 2.6 mm/ day, 2.6 mm/day in Xing ping and Wu gong respectively. In addition, the maximum values were occurred in summer season (May, June and July). The result also found that the correlation coefficient ≈ 1. Moreover, “ETo” was increasing by recent years. The reference crop evapotranspiration for some crops were calculated.

Evaluation of SEBS Algorithm for Estimation of Daily Evapotranspiration Using Landsat-8 Dataset in a Semi-Arid Region of Central Iran

Evapotranspiration is one the most important parameters in the hydrological cycle and plays a significant role in energy balance of the earth’s surface. Traditional field-based measurements approaches for calculation of daily evapotranspiration are valid only for local scales. Using advanced remote sensing technology, the spatial distribution of evapotranspiration may now be quantified more accurately. At the present study, daily evapotranspiration is estimated using Landsat 8 datasets based on the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) algorithm over the Zayanderud Dam area in central Iran. For this purpose, three Landsat 8 datasets in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 covering the study area were atmospherically corrected using the FLAASH approach. The biophysical parameters of the earth’s surface for SEBS algorithm, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (FC) were extracted from the visible and near infrared bands and land surface temperature was computed from thermal bands the Landsat 8 datasets. The spatial distribution of daily ET was provided separately for each year. In addition to the SEBS algorithm, the Penman-Monteith method was applied to estimate the daily ET from meteorological datasets which was obtained from two synoptic stations within the study area. Finally, the simulated daily ET values from both SEBS and Penman-Monteith method were compared to observed values obtained from a lysimeter within the study area. Although the estimated results from both SEBS and Penman-Monteith show a strong correlation with the observed values, the derived ET maps and following analysis demonstrated SEBS has higher accuracy and strength in estimation of daily ET in Zayanderud Dam region.

Field Measurement of Cotton Seedling Evapotranspiration

Information on cotton evapotranspiration (ET) during the seedling growth stage and under field conditions is scarce because ET is a difficult parameter to measure. Our objective was to use weighable lysimeters to measure daily values of cotton seedling ET. We designed and built plastic weighable micro-lysimeters (ML) that were 0.35 m deep with a soil volume of 6300 cm3. The soil core was obtained in-situ by pushing the ML well casing into the soil using a commercial soil sampler. The soil core was weighed with tension and compression type load-cells, where a change in mass of 18 g·d-1 was equivalent to a water evaporation of 1 mm·d-1. We compared load-cell measurements of changes in mass to values measured with a portable field scale by linear regression analysis, and the slope was equal to 1, indicating no statistical difference (P = 0.05) between the two measurements. We measured and compared seedling height, root length and leaf area of cotton plants in the ML with cotton plants in the surrounding area and this comparison showed that the ML used was suitable to measure cotton seedling ET for the first 30 days after seed emergence. The root mean squared error for crop height was 0.09 cm, for leaf area index (LAI) was 0.03 m2·m-2 and 6.5 cm for root length. Also, soil temperature at a 0.1 m depth was statistically (P = 0.05) the same in and outside the ML’s. For two planting dates, we measured daily values of soil water evaporation (E) and cotton seedling ET. The day following an irrigation event, E was ~ 9 mm d-1 and quickly declined the following days. Results showed that ML’s provide an accurate tool to measure water losses from the soil and cotton plants with a LAI of ≤0.2.