Mapping Evapotranspiration in Hawai';i
Abstract
The hydrological cycle in Hawai';i determines the timing and amount of water flows that affect aquatic and near-shore marine ecosystems, and provides water for domestic and industrial uses. Rainfall and fog interception are the principal water sources, while evaporation and transpiration reduce the amount available for streamflow and groundwater recharge. Evapotranspiration (ET) is controlled by climate, vegetation, soil, and water availability, and hence is highly variable in space and time. Understanding of the magnitude and variability of ET is essential for protecting Hawai';i's ecosystems and planning for water resource development and utilization. In this study, ET was estimated at high spatial resolution (250 m), for each hour of the mean diurnal cycle of each month, using the Penman-Monteith approach. Soil evaporation, wet canopy evaporation, and transpiration were estimated separately and summed to get ET. Solar and net radiation were estimated using cloudiness and surface characteristics from satellite remote sensing, clear-sky radiation simulations, and ground-based observations. Other spatial data sets developed or acquired for use in estimating ET included air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, soil moisture, fractional canopy wetness, fractional vegetation cover, vegetation height, leaf area index, land cover type, and maximum stomatal conductance. More than 12,000 digital maps were produced of climate and hydrological variables in including evapotranspiration and its components. Results show that across the State of Hawai';i mean annual solar radiation varies from 130 to 296 W m-2. Low solar radiation is found along cloudy windward slopes below the trade-wind inversion level and in terrain-shaded valleys, while the highest values occur at the high mountain summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. ET has a complex spatial pattern reflecting variations in net radiation, moisture availability, and vegetation characteristics. With a few exceptions, annual ET ranged from less than 50 mm at the dry high mountain summits to around 1,700 mm in sunny, irrigated areas.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFM.H43G1561G
- Keywords:
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- 1818 HYDROLOGY Evapotranspiration;
- 1878 HYDROLOGY Water/energy interactions;
- 0426 BIOGEOSCIENCES Biosphere/atmosphere interactions;
- 0321 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE Cloud/radiation interaction