Project Number:
WR10R001
Funding Year:
2010
Contract Period:
3/1/2010 - 2/28/2011
Funding Source:
UWS
Investigator(s):
PIs:- Steven Loheide, UW-Madison, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Doug Joachim, UW-Madison, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Abstract:
Background/Need:
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the second largest component of Wisconsin’s (WI) hydrologic budget after precipitation, yet the expected changes to this process due to climate change are not well understood. Changes to ET will impact agriculture, tourism, recreation, and ecosystems.
Objectives:
The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop and calibrate a Penman-Monteith model of ET that predicts daily ET in nine WI regions and for five broad vegetation communities for a range of soil types using downscaled global climate model (GCM) data through 2100, and (2) to package the model into a publically-accessible graphical user interface (GUI) to allow interested parties to evaluate the likely changes to ET in their specific location.