Reservoir Evaporation Estimation in a Mediterranean Climate. Comparing Direct and Indirect Methods

Abstract

Reservoir evaporation in semi arid region facing scarcity namely Southern Portugal, is one of the most important contribution to the losses of water in collective irrigation systems and water resources management Irrigation crops depend on total water availability and its year variability Evaporation is the component of the reservoir water balance less known by technical and scientific community So it is a major research subject. The objective of this research is to compare the results of the indirect methods (Standard class A pan measurements mass transfer energy balance, combination approach with the direct methods measures Eddy Covariance Atmospheric water water temperature was measured at several depths and EC variables were continuous measured on a floating platform over water at Alqueva reservoir from Jun to Oct 2014 The results of this case study could be applied to other reservoirs in Mediterranean climate region