Evapotranspiration (ET) is a parameter of major importance participating in both hydrological cycle and surface energy balance. Trends of ET are discussed along with the dependence of evaporation to key environmental variables. The evaporation paradox can be approached via natural phenomena aggravated by anthropogenic impact. ET appears as one of the most affected parameters by human activities. Complex hydrological processes are governed by local environmental conditions thus generalizations are difficult. However, in some settings, common hydrological interactions could be detected. Mediterranean climate regions (MCRs) appear vulnerability to the foreseen increase in ET, aggravated by precipitation shifting and air temperature warming, whereas in tropical forests its role is rather beneficial. ET determines groundwater level and quality. Groundwater level appeared to be a robust predictor of annual ET for peatlands in Southeast Asia. In semi-arid to arid areas, increases in ET have implications on water availability and soil salinization. ET-changes after a wildfire can be substantial for groundwater recharge if a canopy-loss threshold is surpassed. Those consequences are site-specific. Post-fire ET rebound seems climate and fire-severity-dependent. Overall, this qualitative structured review sets the foundations for interdisciplinary researchers and water managers to deploy ET as a means to address challenging environmental issues such as water availability.
The present study develops ArcMap models to implement the following three methods: FAO-56 Penman–Monteith (FAO PM), Hargreaves–Samani (HS) and Hansen, with the former used as a reference. Moreover, three models implementing statistical indices (RMSD, MB, NMB) are also created. The purpose is threefold, as follows: to investigate the variability in the daily mean reference evapotranspiration (ETo) for the Decembers and Augusts during 2016–2019, over Peloponnese, Greece. Furthermore, to investigate the agreement between the methods’ ETo estimates, and examine the former along with MODIS ET (daily) averaged products. The study area is a complex Mediterranean area. Meteorological data from sixty-two stations under the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), and MODIS Terra LST products, have been employed. FAO PM is found sensitive to wind speed and depicts interactions among climate parameters (T, evaporative demand and water availability) in the frame of climate change. The years 2016–2019 are four of the warmest since the preindustrial era. Hargreaves–Samani’s estimations for the Decembers of 2016–2019 were almost identical to MODIS ET, despite their different physical meaning. However, for the Augusts there are considerable discrepancies between the methods’ and MODIS’s estimates, attributed to the higher evaporative demand in the summertime. The GIS models are accurate, reliable, time-saving, and adjustable to any study area.
The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of multiple linear regression (MLR) for the estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) of the Peloponnese, Greece, for two representative months of winter and summer during 2016–2019. Another objective was to test the number of inputs needed for satisfactorily accurate estimates via MLR. Datasets from sixty-two meteorological stations were exploited. The available independent variables were sunshine hours (N), mean temperature (Tmean), solar radiation (Rs), net radiation (Rn), wind speed (u2), vapour pressure deficit (es − ea), and altitude (Z). Sixteen MLR models were tested and compared to the corresponding ETo estimates computed by FAO-56 Penman–Monteith (FAO PM) in a previous study, via statistical indices of error and agreement. The MLR5 model with five input variables outperformed the other models (RMSE = 0.28 mm d−1, adj. R2 = 98.1%). Half of the tested models (two to six inputs) exhibited very satisfactory predictions. Models of one input (e.g., N, Rn) were also promising. However, the MLR with u2 as the sole input variable presented the worst performance, probably because its relationship with ETo cannot be linearly described. The results indicate that MLR has the potential to produce very good predictive models of ETo for the Peloponnese, based on the literature standards.
Abstract:The present study examines the factors that define groundwater quality of a site subjected to the wildfire of 2007 in Ilia Prefecture, Peloponnese. This wildfire was the most severe in Greece in the last decade. An extensive sampling was carried out three months after the fire. Ninety-nine samples were analyzed in the Hydrogeology Laboratory of University of Patras for major and trace elements. The groundwater samples were classified into three hydrochemical types: Ca-HCO 3 , Ca-HCO 3 -SO 4 and Ca-Na-HCO 3 . The hydrochemical results, processed using R-type factor analysis, resulted in a three-factor model that did not indicate any wildfire impact. The values of pH and electrical conductivity ranged between the expected levels for the area. The most abundant cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K) and trace elements (Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, V) in the ash, occurred in the majority of the groundwater samples at concentrations below the potable limits set by the European Council. The concentrations of NO 3 − , NO 2 − , NH 4 + , phosphates, and sulphates, where present, were attributed to agricultural land uses of the area. No hydrochemical disturbances were found that could indicate a fire-retardant effect. It is likely that the prominent thickness of the unsaturated zone, of the granular aquifers that prevail in the area, limited the infiltration of the elements and trace elements usually found in abundance in fire ash.
The aim of the study was to investigate the utility of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) on the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece for two representative months of wintertime and summertime during 2016–2019 and to test if using fewer inputs could lead to satisfactory predictions. Datasets from sixty-two meteorological stations were employed. The available inputs were mean temperature (Tmean), sunshine (N), solar radiation (Rs), net radiation (Rn), vapour pressure deficit (es-ea), wind speed (u2) and altitude (Z). Nineteen Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) and Radial Basis Function (RBF) models were tested and compared against the corresponding FAO-56 Penman Monteith (FAO PM) estimates of a previous study, via statistical indices. The MLP1 7-2 model with all the variables as inputs outperformed the rest of the models (RMSE = 0.290 mm d−1, R2 = 98%). The results indicate that even ANNs with simple architecture can be very good predictive models of ETo for the Peloponnese, based on the literature standards. The MLP1 model determined Tmean, followed by u2, as the two most influential factors for ETo. Moreover, when one input was used (Tmean, Rn), RBFs slightly outperformed MLPs (RMSE < 0.385 mm d−1, R2 ≥ 96%), which means that even a sole-input ANN resulted in satisfactory predictions of ETo.
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