Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
6410131 Journal of Hydrology 2016 6 Pages PDF
Abstract

•We review the legacy of Evald Oldekop, who first used the aridity index in hydrology.•Oldekop was the first to propose the concept of maximum evaporation.•Oldekop rewrote Schreiber's equation to make it a function of the aridity ratio.•Oldekop proposed his own formula to compute catchment actual evaporation.

SummaryIn the hydrological jargon, the Budyko hypothesis refers to the hypothesis according to which the long-term water and energy balances of the Earth's surface are largely dependent upon a single aridity ratio φ = Ex/P (where P represents long-term precipitation [mm/yr] and Ex long-term maximum evaporation [mm/yr]). In this historical note, we analyze the contribution of Evald Oldekop (1885-1952), who not only inspired Budyko's work, but also proposed the concept of maximum catchment evaporation more than three decades before Thornthwaite introduced the concept of potential evapotranspiration.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Earth and Planetary Sciences Earth-Surface Processes
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