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Catchment‐scale evaporation and the atmospheric boundary layer
Author(s) -
Brutsaert Wilfried
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr022i09sp0039s
Subject(s) - environmental science , water cycle , evaporation , scale (ratio) , precipitation , boundary layer , watershed , planetary boundary layer , atmosphere (unit) , drainage basin , meteorology , atmospheric sciences , climatology , hydrology (agriculture) , turbulence , geology , geography , computer science , ecology , physics , cartography , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , biology , thermodynamics
Evaporation is an important component of the hydrological cycle; for example, over land surfaces it amounts on average to about 60% of precipitation. This means that for hydrological purposes such as water budget calculations, the prediction or forecasting of floods and droughts, and for dynamic weather forecasting and climate modeling, it is indispensable to have reliable information on land surface evaporation. In mapping a strategy for this, decisions must be made regarding the scales at which this phenomenon is best parameterized. The atmosphere has the capacity of integrating and smoothing the effects of small‐scale irregularities over larger areas. Therefore a more thorough understanding of turbulent transport mechanisms in the atmospheric boundary layer should lead to improved parameterization methods of evaporation at the regional and watershed scale.