Evapotranspiration is the largest outgoing water flux from the Earth's surface; its accurate quantification is critical for the crop development in conditions of the climate changes from recent decades, and it can contribute to a greater understanding of a range of agricultural ecosystem processes. To evaluate the hydric requirements of the crops, it was agreed that they should be reported to a maximum global evapotranspiration called potential evapotranspiration. To estimate this variable, a variety of methods were developed, each with its benefits as well as trade-offs. Their use, however, is laborious due to their complexity and of the large number of parameters required. In this book, specialists' concerns worldwide to develop simple but reliable methodologies - with less data requirement - which will give accurate and appropriate results - are presented. In addition, a study of the physics of the moisture evaporation process from porous media to elucidate what are the mechanisms of moisture migration from granular biopesticides is presented in the last chapter.

Since the beginning of its formation approximately three billion years ago, the hydrosphere - as an envelope of the terrestrial ellipsoid - has remained constant from a quantitative point of view. The hydrosphere modifies only the ratio of the stretches of the planetary ocean and land, including the proportion of the states of water aggregation: gaseous, liquid, and solid.The hydrological cycle transports only a portion of the hydrosphere, repeats itself annually, and presents itself as a huge planetary plant that for billions of years has operated uninterruptedly on the basis of solar energy and gravity, providing freshwater resources for the maintenance and perpetuation of life beyond the planetary ocean.Water resources are highly influenced by the hydrologic cycle and play a role in agricultural economic development. However, as is shown by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, the phenomena of changing climate and land use are set to exacerbate an already serious situation of water supply for various users. In this context, scientific investigations into the issue of the sustainable use of water are timely and important. Improvement of water management involves the accurate estimation of consumptive uses. The purpose of this book is to show the achievements of scientists and academicians all over the world in promoting and sharing new issues on various topics related to evapotranspiration.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a critical component of the water and energy balances, and the number of remote sensing-based ET products and estimation methods has increased in recent years. Various aspects of remote sensing of ET are reported in the 11 papers published in this book. The major research areas covered by this book include inter-comparison and performance evaluation of widely used one- and two-source energy balance models, a new dual-source model (Soil Plant Atmosphere and Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration, SPARSE), and a process-based model (ETMonitor); assessment of multi-source (e.g., remote sensing, reanalysis, and land surface model) ET products; development or improvement of data fusion frameworks to predict continuous daily ET at a high spatial resolution (field-scale or 30 m) by fusing the advanced spaceborne thermal emission reflectance radiometer (ASTER), the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Landsat data; and investigating uncertainties in ET estimates using an ET ensemble composed of several land surface models and diagnostic datasets. The effects of the differences between ET products on water resources and ecosystem management were also investigated. More accurate ET estimates and improved understanding of remotely sensed ET products are crucial for maximizing crop productivity while minimizing water losses and management costs.

This book was designed to be a comprehensive review of selected topics related to irrigation and drainage. Readers will find themes such as salinity control, decision support systems, subsurface drainage, irrigation scheduling in nurseries, irrigation with municipal wastewater, and sustainable drainage systems. These topics and pursuant discussions are expected to be very fruitful in the continuing debate on global food security.

Modeling of the rainfall-runoff process is of both scientific and practical significance. Many of the currently used mathematical models of hydrologic systems were developed a genera tion ago. Much of the effort since then has focused on refining these models rather than on developing new models based on improved scientific understanding. In the past few years, however, a renewed effort has been made to improve both our fundamental understanding of hydrologic processes and to exploit technological advances in computing and remote sensing. It is against this background that the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Recent Advances in the Modeling of Hydrologic Systems was organized. The idea for holding a NATO ASI on this topic grew out of an informal discussion between one of the co-directors and Professor Francisco Nunes-Correia at a previous NATO ASI held at Tucson, Arizona in 1985. The Special Program Panel on Global Transport Mechanisms in the Geo-Sciences of the NATO Scientific Affairs Division agreed to sponsor the ASI and an organizing committee was formed. The committee comprised the co directors, Professor David S. Bowles (U.S.A.) and Professor P. Enda O'Connell (U.K.), and Professor Francisco Nunes-Correia (Portugal), Dr. Donn G. DeCoursey (U.S.A.), and Professor Ezio Todini (Italy).

Amid climatic changes linked to global warming, ongoing changes in land-use patterns, and growing international concern with the environment it is increasingly important to understand the potential impact of these changes on the environment. Rainfall-runoff modeling is an important predictor of that impact. This book introduces rainfall-runoff models that have been developed over the past 24-30 years, giving examples of their practical applications. It provides a summary of available techniques for rainfall modeling based upon the most recent research, but in a way that serves as a primer for the subject. Provides an overview of how catchment rainfall-runoff systems work A history of rainfall-runoff models Examples of models can be downloaded over the Internet Looks at uncertainty in model prediction

Evapotranspiration and its components (evaporation and transpiration) as a process is one of the basic terms of Earth's water balance; its importance is accented by the fact that transpiration is the vital element of the biomass production process. The second important property of evapotranspiration is its extreme consumption of solar energy, thus controlling the temperature of the atmosphere and creating favourable conditions for life. Evapotranspiration as an energy consuming process is also the connection between the energy and mass cycles of the Earth. Evapotranspiration is a process performing in the Soil–Plant –Atmosphere System (SPAS); therefore this book is presenting and quantifying it as a catenary process, describing transport of water in the soil, including root extraction patterns and methods of its evaluation. Transport of water through the plant and from the canopy to the atmosphere is also described and quantified. A variety of evapotranspiration (and its components evaporation and transpiration) calculation methods are described, starting from empirical methods up to the most sophisticated ones based on the solution of the transport equations of water and energy in the SPAS. The most important (and widely used) calculation method - modified Penman–Monteith method is described in details, ready to be used with data in the book only. Water balance method of evapotranspiration estimation as well as sap flow method description can be found in the book as well. The book can be used by hydrologists, biologists, meteorologists and other specialists as well as by ecology students. Key themes: soil hydrology – evapotranspiration – hydropedology– plant physiology – water movement in soils – evaporation – transpiration Dr. Viliam Novák is a water resources scientist at the Institute of Hydrology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava (Slovakia).

Flood Forecasting: A Global Perspective describes flood forecast systems and operations as they currently exist at national and regional centers around the globe, focusing on the technical aspects of flood forecast systems. This book includes the details of data flow, what data is used, quality control, the hydrologic and hydraulic models used, and the unique problems of each country or system, such as glacial dam failures, ice jams, sparse data, and ephemeral streams and rivers. Each chapter describes the system, including details about its strengths and weaknesses, and covers lessons learned. This helpful resource facilitates sharing knowledge that will lead to improvements of existing systems and provides a valuable reference to those wishing to develop new forecast systems by drawing on best practices. - Covers global systems allowing readers to see a worldwide perspective with different approaches used by existing flood forecast systems - Provides historical coverage allowing readers to understand why forecast systems have developed as they have and to see how specific systems have dealt with common problems encountered - Presents a vision of what appears to be the future of hydrologic forecasting and difficulties facing hydrologic forecasting - Provides a helpful resource to facilitate improvements to existing systems based on a best practices approach

Animals, plants and soils interact with one another, with the terrestrial spheres, and with the rest of the Cosmos. On land, this rich interaction creates landscape systems or geoecosystems. Geoecology investigates the structure and function of geoecosystems, their components and their environment. The author develops a simple dynamic systems model, the `brash' equation, to form the conceptual framework for the book suggesting an `ecological' and `evolutionary' approach. Exploring internal of `ecological' interactions between geoecosystems and their near-surface environments - the atmosphere, hydrosphere, toposhere, and lithosphere - and external influences, both geological and cosmic, Geoecology presents geoecosystems as dynamic entities constantly responding to changes within themselves and their surroundings. An `evolutionary' view emerges of geoecological systems, and the animals, plants, and soils comprising them, providing a new way of thinking for the whole environmental complex and the rich web of interdependencies contained therein.