Hydrologic cycle explains the evaporation paradox
Abstract
The evaporation of water, measured using evaporation pans, has been decreasing in the past few decades over large areas with different climates. The common interpretation is that the trend is related to increasing cloudiness, and that it provides an indication of decreasing potential evaporation and a decreasing terrestrial evaporation component in the hydrologic cycle. Here we show that, although these studies are valuable, pan evaporation has not been used correctly as an indicator of climate change.
- Publication:
-
Nature
- Pub Date:
- November 1998
- DOI:
- 10.1038/23845
- Bibcode:
- 1998Natur.396...30B