Ryan McGloin

Quantification of surface energy fluxes from a small water body using scintillometry and eddy covariance

Accurate quantification of evaporation from small water storages is essential for water management and planning, particularly in water-scarce regions. In order to ascertain suitable methods for direct measurement of evaporation from small water bodies, this study presents a comparison of eddy covariance and scintillometry measurements from a reservoir in southeast Queensland, Australia. The work presented expands on a short study presented by McJannet et al. (2011) to include comparisons of eddy covariance measurements and scintillometer-derived predictions of surface energy fluxes under a wide range of seasonal weather conditions. In this study, analysis was undertaken to ascertain whether important theoretical assumptions required for both techniques are valid in the complex environment of a small reservoir. Statistical comparison, energy balance closure, and the relationship between evaporation measurements and key environmental controls were used to compare the results of the two techniques. Reasonable agreement was shown between the sensible heat flux measurements from eddy covariance and scintillometry, while scintillometer-derived estimates of latent heat flux were approximately 21% greater than eddy covariance measurements. We suggest possible reasons for this difference and provide recommendations for further research for improving measurements of surface energy fluxes over small water bodies using eddy covariance and scintillometry. Key Points Source areas for Eddy covariance and scintillometry were on the water surface Reasonable agreement was shown between the sensible heat flux measurements Scintillometer estimates of latent heat flux were greater than eddy covariance

The potential effects of anthropogenic climate change on evaporation from water storage reservoirs within the Lockyer Catchment, south-east Queensland, Australia

In order to effectively manage water storage reservoirs, it is essential to be able to anticipate how components of the water balance will react to predicted long-term trends in climate. This study examines the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change on evaporation from small reservoirs in the Lockyer catchment, a productive agricultural region in south-east Queensland, Australia. Future projections of evaporation, made using the most likely future emissions scenario, suggested that evaporation is expected to increase by ~6% by the year 2050. In addition, rainfall is expected to decrease by ~8%. These projected increases in evaporation and reductions in rainfall, combined with the knowledge that changes in annual rainfall are known to be amplified in annual runoff, mean that the availability of water resources in the Lockyer catchment region may be greatly diminished in the future. In addition, increases in water scarcity, combined with higher future air temperatures and population growth, are likely to result in a greater demand for irrigation in the future.