An historical record of evaporation losses since 1815 calculated using long-term observations from the Radcliffe Meteorological Station, Oxford, England

• Published in: Journal of hydrology (Amsterdam) Vol. 205; no. 1; pp. 101 - 111
• Main Authors: Burt, T.P., Shahgedanova, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 26.02.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Climatology; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Evaporation; Exact sciences and technology; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; Long-term observations; meteorological data; Moisture deficit; Radcliffe Meteorological Station, Oxford; Soils; Surficial geology; water deficit; England; United Kingdom; Great Britain; Western Europe; Climatology; Radcliffe Meteorological Station, Oxford; Evaporation; Moisture deficit; Long-term observations; rainfall; time variations; soil moisture; atmospheric precipitation; Europe; runoff; temperature; rain water; history; recovery; evaporation
• ISSN: 0022-1694; 1879-2707
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(97)00143-1

The paper presents and discusses an historical series of evaporation losses, both potential and actual, and differences between precipitation and evaporation. The series were calculated using temperature and rainfall records for the Radcliffe Meteorological Station (Oxford) where an unbroken series of daily observations began in 1815. It is demonstrated that during the last decade potential evaporative losses have been above the long-term average; differences between precipitation and potential evaporation, an index which shows availability of water for runoff, have noticeably declined. These trends have been particularly marked in summer months. The summer soil moisture deficits observed during the last 20 years have been the largest on record; moisture deficits have persisted into the late autumn delaying seasonal recovery in river flow.