Jakimavičius, D., Kriaučiūnienė, J., Gailiušis, B., Šarauskienė, D.
Assessment of uncertainty in estimating the evaporation from
the Curonian Lagoon
In this study, three methods of evaporation estimation
(temperature-based ETo [evapotranspiration] equations, radiation-based ETo
equations, and mass-transfer based ETo equations) were applied to calculate the
evaporation from the Curonian Lagoon. Estimation of evaporation by various
methods showed that the annual mean of evaporated water from this shallow water
basin during 1971–2011 ranged between 512–643 mm (average: 586 mm). The study
revealed that Thornthwaite, Schendel, and Vikulina equations gave the most
accurate assessment and the lowest uncertainties of evaporation (R of the
calculated and the measured data ranged between 0.78–0.96). The value of
evaporation depended on differences in estimated water surface area of the
basin. The calculated evaporation using a constant surface area differed more
than 10% from the one estimated according to the relationship between surface
area and water level. However, these differences are minor in the context of
the total water balance of the Curonian Lagoon, comprising only 0.06%–0.31% of
the total water volume.