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RELATIVE RATES OF EVAPORATIVE WATER LOSSES FROM OPEN AND VEGETATION COVERED WATER BODIES 1
Author(s) -
Idso Sherwood B.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1981.tb02587.x
Subject(s) - vegetation (pathology) , evaporation , swamp , environmental science , context (archaeology) , hydrology (agriculture) , ecology , geology , geography , meteorology , biology , geotechnical engineering , medicine , paleontology , pathology
A review of literature pertaining to the relative rates of evaporation from vegetation covered and open water bodies is presented. The review indicates that the only reliable experiments capable of correctly addressing this question are those conducted in situ . Experiments of this nature show the ratio of vegetation covered (swamp) evaporation to open water evaporation to generally be less than unity over extensive surfaces and to only approach unity for vegetation that is young and vigorous. Recent experimental evidence presented within a theoretical context, however, indicates that even in the latter situation the ratio may never reach unity. Consequently, over large lakes and reservoirs, the presence of vegetation may actually be a water conservation mechanism, with the eradication of the vegetation leading to significantly increased evaporative water losses.