Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Estimating Potential Evaporation over a Hill

  • Published:
Boundary-Layer Meteorology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A simple analytical model of the effect of a hill on potential evaporation (i.e., evaporation from well-watered vegetation) is presented. It is shown to reproduce the results from a two-dimensional non-linear numerical model. The analytical model is used to demonstrate the sensitivity of the changes in evaporation to surface resistance, aerodynamic resistance, temperature, slope and sun angle. Methods used by MORECS (Meteorological Office Regional Evaporation Calculation System) to estimate the potential evaporation at high elevations, and by Numerical Weather Prediction models to represent sub-grid scale hills, take account of the change in altitude but neglect the slope effects. A slope of 20 degrees, which is typical of upland terrain in the U.K., increases the potential evaporation by about 5%.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Hewer, F. E. and Wood, N.: 1998, 'The Effective Roughness Length for Scalar Transfer in Neutral Conditions over Hilly Terrain', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 124, 659–685.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huntingford, C., Blyth, E.M., Wood, N., Hewer, F. E., and Grant, A.: 1998, 'The Effect of Orography on Evaporation', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 86, 487–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver., H. R.: 1992, 'Studies of Surface Energy Balance of Sloping Terrain', Int. J. Clim. 12, 55–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Priestley C. H. B. and Taylor, R. J.: 1972, 'On the Assessment of Surface Heat Flux and Evaporation', Mon. Wea. Rev. 61, 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raupach, M. R., Weng, W. S., Carruthers, D. J., and Hunt, J. C. R.: 1992, 'Temperature and Humidity Fields and Fluxes over Low Hills', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 118, 191–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raupach, M. R. and Finnigan, J. J.: 1997, 'The Influence of Topography on Meteorological Variables and Surface-Atmosphere Interactions', J. Hydrol. 190, 182–213.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxon, U.K.

    E. M. Blyth

Authors
  1. E. M. Blyth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Blyth, E.M. Estimating Potential Evaporation over a Hill. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 92, 185–193 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1001820114384

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1001820114384

Search

Navigation