Net interception losses during sprinkler irrigation

✍ Scribed by K.G. McNaughton

• Book ID: 102981315
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1981
• Weight: 847 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0002-1571
• DOI: 10.1016/0002-1571(81)90030-3

✦ Synopsis

Micrometeorological theory of advection is used to model interception losses contingent on sprinkler irrigation. Using power-law descriptions of the wind speed and effective diffusivities appropriate for neutral conditions, equations are developed to calculate the evaporation enhancement from the area wetted by the spray droplets, and also to calculate the evaporation depression in the area downwind of the sprinkler setting. Within the accuracy of the calculations, the fraction of applied water lost by net interception processes from the whole field can be expressed by N = (52 --T) x 10-s rcu,Ei/A where E I is the upwind evaporation rate, A is the water application rate, r c is the crop canopy resistance, u, is the friction velocity, and T is surface temperature in degrees Celsius. Substitution of reasonable values into this equation shows that net interception losses comprise a small fraction of applied water, usually much less than 10%.