Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6410131 | Journal of Hydrology | 2016 | 6 Pages |
â¢We review the legacy of Evald Oldekop, who first used the aridity index in hydrology.â¢Oldekop was the first to propose the concept of maximum evaporation.â¢Oldekop rewrote Schreiber's equation to make it a function of the aridity ratio.â¢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 ÏÂ =Â 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.