The applicability of various potential evapotranspiration estimation methods in the middle and upper reaches of Hanjiang River Basin
Article
Figures
Metrics
Preview PDF
Reference
Related
Cited by
Materials
Abstract:
As the potential evapotranspiration (PET) is one of the important factors in the energy cycle and hydrological cycle, the accurate estimation of PET has important practical significance. The FAO56-PM method can give efficient estimation of PET; however, its applicability is constrained as it requires a large amount of data. Different PET estimation methods have been proposed and the applicability of these methods should be tested before they are applied in a typical region. In this study, we attempted to examine the efficiency of 7 PET estimation methods in spatial and temporal dimensions in the upper and middle reaches of Hanjiang River Basin using the daily meteorological data during 1961-2013. The results showed that the radiation-based methods were the optimal choice, followed by the combination method, and the temperature-based methods were the least suitable choice for the PET estimation in the study area. Among these estimation methods, the Makkink method and the Priestley-Taylor method showed the best applicability and highest precision in the study area, while the McCloud method showed the worst applicability and largest error.