Variation and Uncertainty in Evaporation from a Subtropical Estuary: Florida Bay

Authors

René M. Price, Southeast Environmental Research Center and Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International UniversityFollow
William K. Nuttle, Eco-HydrologyFollow
Bernard J. Cosby, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
Peter K. Swart, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and Marine Geology and Geophysics, University of MiamiFollow

Abstract

Variation and uncertainty in estimated evaporation was determined over time and between two locations in Florida Bay, a subtropical estuary. Meteorological data were collected from September 2001 to August 2002 at Rabbit Key and Butternut Key within the Bay. Evaporation was estimated using both vapor flux and energy budget methods. The results were placed into a long-term context using 33 years of temperature and rainfall data collected in south Florida. Evaporation also was estimated from this long-term data using an empirical formula relating evaporation to clear sky solar radiation and air temperature. Evaporation estimates for the 12-mo period ranged from 144 to 175 cm yr21, depending on location and method, with an average of 163 cm yr21 (6 9%). Monthly values ranged from 9.2 to 18.5 cm, with the highest value observed in May, corresponding with the maximum in measured net radiation. Uncertainty estimates derived from measurement errors in the data were as much as 10%, and were large enough to obscure differences in evaporation between the two sites. Differences among all estimates for any month indicate the overall uncertainty in monthly evaporation, and ranged from 9% to 26%. Over a 33-yr period (1970–2002), estimated annual evaporation from Florida Bay ranged from 148 to 181 cm yr21, with an average of 166 cm yr21. Rainfall was consistently lower in Florida Bay than evaporation, with a long-term average of 106 cm yr21. Rainfall considered alone was uncorrelated with evaporation at both monthly and annual time scales; when the seasonal variation in clear sky radiation was also taken into account both net radiation and evaporation were significantly suppressed in months with high rainfall.

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Copyright © 2007 Springer.

The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02819396

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DBI-0620409 and #DEB-9910514. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Recommended Citation

Price, R.M., W.K. Nuttle, B.J. Cosby, P.K. Swart. 2007. Variation and Uncertainty in Evaporation from a Subtropical Estuary: Florida Bay. Estuaries and Coasts 30(3): 497-506.