Comparison of empirical equations to estimate reference evapotranspiration in Jacupiranga River Basin

Abstract

The reference evapotranspiration represents water loss of vegetated soil to the atmosphere due to evaporation and transpiration. The Penman-Monteith model requires several meteorological elements in its solution, which complicates its application in agricultural, meteorological and hydrological studies in areas with few meteorological stations, such as the Jacupiranga River Basin, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The study was carried out with the objective of verifying the precision of ETo estimate methods proposed by Camargo, Blaney-Criddle, Hamon, Hargreaves, Thornthwaite and Kharrufa, by defining coefficients of regional adjustment. Meteorological data from two local climatological stations were used in the estimates. The method of FAO Penman-Monteith was used for comparing the empirical equations. Coefficients of determination, correlation, reliability and experimental errors were used. The results indicate that the Hargreaves and Camargo methods can be applied not only in their original form but also in their modified formulation. The Hargreaves equation with regional coefficients showed reliability indexes greater than 0.995 for the Jacupiranga River Basin and it is recommended due to its applicability and simplicity.