Estimation of catchment-scale evapotranspiration from baseflow recession data: Numerical model and practical application results

SummaryBy applying a nonlinear reservoir approach for groundwater drainage, catchment-scale evapotranspiration (ET) during flow recessions can be expressed with the help of the lumped version of the water balance equation for the catchment. The attractiveness of the approach is that ET, in theory, can be obtained by the sole use of observed flow values for which relatively abundant and long records are available. A 2D finite element numerical model of subsurface flow in the unsaturated and saturated zones, capable of simulating moisture removal by vegetation, was first successfully employed to verify the water balance approach under ideal conditions. Subsequent practical applications over four catchments with widely varying climatic conditions however showed large disparities in comparison with monthly ET estimates of Morton’s WREVAP model.