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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Tucson, Arizona » SWRC » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #216756
Title: Quantifying Riparian Evapotranspiration 1918

Author
item Scott, Russell - Russ
item HUXMAN, T. - UNIVERISTY OF ARIZONA
item WILLIAMS, D. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item HULTINE, K. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item Goodrich, David - Dave

Submitted to: Southwest Hydrology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/2007
Publication Date: 1/2/2008
Citation: Scott, R.L., Huxman, T.E., Williams, D.G., Hultine, K.R., Goodrich, D.C. 2008. Quantifying Riparian Evapotranspiration. Southwest Hydrology. 7(1): 26-27.

Interpretive Summary: A multi-disciplinary group of government scientists and university researchers has been working to better understand the hydrological functioning of riparian systems in the Southwest. Perhaps the most socially-relevant facet of this research has been the quantification of riparian evapotranspiration (ET). It has long been known from groundwater modeling studies that water use by riparian vegetation is an important component of the water balance in the basin. Yet because the quantification of ET was based on indirect techniques like stream flow data or by untested empirical approaches, its magnitude was highly uncertain. This article reviews our work conducted over the last 10 years on making direct measurements of ET on the San Pedro River of southern Arizona using micrometeorological and plant physiological techniques. We review our approaches and some of the important results that this effort has generated.

Technical Abstract: A multi-disciplinary group of government scientists and university researchers has been working to better understand the hydrological functioning of riparian systems in the Southwest. Perhaps the most socially-relevant facet of this research has been the quantification of riparian evapotranspiration (ET). It has long been known from groundwater modeling studies that water use by riparian vegetation is an important component of the water balance in the basin. Yet because the quantification of ET was based on indirect techniques like stream flow data or by untested empirical approaches, its magnitude was highly uncertain. This article reviews our work conducted over the last 10 years on making direct measurements of ET on the San Pedro River of southern Arizona using micrometeorological and plant physiological techniques. We review our approaches and some of the important results that this effort has generated.