Articles | Volume 27, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3205-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3205-2023
Research article
 | 
08 Sep 2023
Research article |  | 08 Sep 2023

What is the Priestley–Taylor wet-surface evaporation parameter? Testing four hypotheses

Richard D. Crago, Jozsef Szilagyi, and Russell J. Qualls

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Cited articles

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Short summary
The Priestley–Taylor equation is widely used in hydrologic, climate, and meteorological models to estimate evaporation. α represents the impact of dry air that is carried into the region; this occurs even in extensive saturated regions. Four hypotheses regarding the nature of α are evaluated. Data from 171 FLUXNET stations were used to test the hypotheses. The best-supported hypothesis sees α as a constant fraction of the distance between theoretical minimum and maximum values.