Empirical models of calculating phreatic evaporation from bare soil in Tarim river basin, Xinjiang

Based on the experimental data at the Akesu Water Balance Experimental Station (AWBES) from 1990 to 1996, the control conditions of establishing calculation models of phreatic evaporation have been analyzed, the empirical formulae for calculating the phreatic evaporation have been presented. The results show that as for a given phreatic depth, the phreatic evaporation increases nonlinearly with pan evaporation, when pan evaporation reaches the infinity, the phreatic evaporation is close to limiting phreatic evaporation. The new models overcome the disadvantages of phreatic evaporation overestimation when atmospheric evaporation demand is great and the linear relationship between phreatic evaporation and pan evaporation. With a high accuracy, the new models are appropriate to be applied in similar regions without observed data.