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Verifiable evaporation modeling on the Laurentian Great Lakes
Author(s) -
Croley Thomas E.
Publication year - 1989
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/wr025i005p00781
Subject(s) - evaporation , environmental science , superposition principle , energy balance , calibration , aerodynamics , hydrology (agriculture) , surface water , meteorology , water balance , residual , sizing , mechanics , mathematics , geology , thermodynamics , statistics , environmental engineering , geotechnical engineering , geography , art , mathematical analysis , physics , algorithm , visual arts
Water or energy balance estimates of Great Lakes evaporation require storage change data, not available in simulations or forecasts, and errors in the components of the balances are summed in the residual, giving large estimation errors. Neither these balance estimates nor evaporation models, which use the aerodynamic equation with mass transfer coefficients developed originally in the Lake Hefner studies, can be verified, since independent estimates of evaporation are not available with sufficient accuracy. However, water surface temperatures can be used to verify energy budgets. The mass transfer coefficient research is combined here with lumped concepts of classical energy conservation and a new superposition heat storage model to provide continuous simulation capability of both water surface temperatures and lake evaporation for use in outlooks and forecasts of lake levels. Calibration matches remotely sensed water surface temperatures for those Great Lakes with observations over the past 20 years. Model sensitivities are analyzed and heat and water budgets are compared.