Articles | Volume 30, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4509-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4509-2026
Research article
 | 
17 Jul 2026
Research article |  | 17 Jul 2026

A systematic evaluation of 15 actual evapotranspiration formulations within conceptual hydrological models

Gabrielle Burns, Keirnan Fowler, Murray Peel, and Clare Stephens

Related authors

Assessing deficiencies in remotely sensed actual evapotranspiration (AET): introducing AET signatures
Hansini Gardiya Weligamage, Keirnan Fowler, Margarita Saft, Tim Peterson, Dongryeol Ryu, and Murray C. Peel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 4057–4074, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4057-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4057-2026, 2026
Short summary
Cause-effect discovery in hydrometeorological systems: evaluation of causal discovery methods
Vivek Kumar Yadav, Murray C. Peel, Keirnan Fowler, Dongryeol Ryu, and Bramha Dutt Vishwakarma
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 3455–3496, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-3455-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-3455-2026, 2026
Short summary
Multivariate calibration can increase simulated discharge uncertainty and model equifinality
Sandra Pool, Keirnan Fowler, Hansini Gardiya Weligamage, and Murray Peel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 2797–2815, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2797-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2797-2026, 2026
Short summary
Comparing drivers of hydrological shifts across regions: the case of southern Australia
Nyree Campion, Keirnan Fowler, Margot Turner, and Joel Hall
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-378,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-378, 2026
Short summary
Historical trends of seasonal droughts in Australia
Matthew O. Grant, Anna M. Ukkola, Elisabeth Vogel, Sanaa Hobeichi, Andy J. Pitman, Alex Raymond Borowiak, and Keirnan Fowler
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 5555–5573, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-5555-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-5555-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Arciniega-Esparza, S., Birkel, C., Chavarría-Palma, A., Arheimer, B., and Breña-Naranjo, J. A.: Remote sensing-aided rainfall–runoff modeling in the tropics of Costa Rica, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 975–999, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-975-2022, 2022. 
Arsenault, R., Poulin, A., Côté, P., and Brissette, F.: A Comparison of Stochastic Optimization Algorithms in Hydrological Model Calibration, J. Hydrol. Eng., 19, 1374–1384, https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000938, 2014. 
Bai, P., Liu, X., Yang, T., Li, F., Liang, K., Hu, S., and Liu, C.: Assessment of the Influences of Different Potential Evapotranspiration Inputs on the Performance of Monthly Hydrological Models under Different Climatic Conditions, J. Hydrometeorol., 17, 2259–2274, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-15-0202.1, 2016. 
Bai, P., Liu, X., and Liu, C.: Improving hydrological simulations by incorporating GRACE data for model calibration, J. Hydrol., 557, 291–304, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.12.025, 2018. 
Download
Short summary
Improving how rainfall-runoff models estimate evapotranspiration is key to better reproducing water partitioning under current conditions, and will increase model realism under future changing conditions. We tested how well different conceptual rainfall-runoff model equations simulate evapotranspiration using Australian catchment and flux tower data. We found one equation consistently worked better than the others. However, even this equation had flaws, pointing to missing vegetation processes.
Share