Measurements of evaporation from fallow Sahelian savannah at the start of the dry season

Micrometeorological measurements of evaporation were made for the first six weeks of the dry season at a fallow savannah site in the Sahel. The evaporation fell from typically 4.5 mm per day at the start of the dry season to 1.5 mm per day six weeks later. The surface conductance was modelled in terms of empirical functions of time of day, and the number of days since the final rain of the season. It was found that there was little variation in surface conductance within each day, with no significant correlation with solar radiation and only a weak correlation with humidity deficit. Daily values of the surface conductance necessary to estimate the actual evaporation, from the data provided by a standard climate station, were also derived. Copyright © 1991 Royal Meteorological Society