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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413269
Research Project: Dryland and Irrigated Crop Management Under Limited Water Availability and Drought

Location: Soil and Water Management Research

Title: Three decades of evapotranspiration (ET) measurement - the Bushland large weighing lysimeters

Author
item Marek, Gary

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2024
Publication Date: 3/7/2024
Citation: Marek, G.W. 2024. Three decades of evapotranspiration (ET) measurement - the Bushland large weighing lysimeters [abstract]. Department of Plant and Soil Science Spring Seminar Series, Texas Tech University, March 7, 2024, Lubbock, Texas.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The large weighing lysimeter facilities at USDA-ARS Bushland have been used for direct measurement of evapotranspiration (ET) for over three decades. Several alternative methods are used for estimating ET, including eddy covariance, the Bowen ratio, surface renewal, and scintillometry. However, direct measurement of ET using properly designed and managed weighing lysimeters is considered the most accurate method. We present a summary overview of ET and energy and water balance studies conducted on dryland, sprinkler-irrigated and subsurface drip-irrigated lysimeter fields at Bushland, Texas. Also presented are quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) techniques for processing both lysimeter ET data and weather data and their usefulness for crop and hydrologic modeling.