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Alex M. Sturrock

Publications and source records attributed to Alex M. Sturrock.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1989

Evapotranspiration and microclimate at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site in northwestern Illinois

From July 1982 through June 1984, a study was made of the evapotranspiration and microclimate at a low-level radioactive-waste disposal site near Sheffield, Bureau County, Illinois. Vegetation at the site consists of mixed pasture grasses, primarily awnless brome (Bromus inermis) and red clover (Trifoleum pratense). Three methods were used to estimate evapotranspiration: (1) an energy budget with the Bowen ratio, (2) an aerodynamic profile, and (3) a soil-based water budget. For the aerodynamic-profile method, sensible-heat flux was estimated by a profile equation and evapotranspiration was then calculated as the residual in the energy-balance equation. Estimates by the energy-budget and aerodynamic-profile methods were computed from hourly data and then summed by days and months. Yearly estimates (for March through November) by these methods were in close agreement: 648 and 626 millimeters, respectively. Daily estimates reach a maximum of about 6 millimeters. The water-budget method produced only monthly estimates based on weekly or biweekly soil-moisture content measurements. The yearly evapotranspiration estimated by this method (which actually included only the months of April through October) was 655 millimeters. The March-through-November average for the three methods of 657 millimeters was equivalent to 70 percent of total precipitation. Continuous measurements were made of incoming and reflected shortwave radiation, incoming and emitted longwave radiation, net radiation, soil-heat flux, soil temperature, horizontal windspeed, and wet- and dry-bulb air temperature. Windspeed and air temperature were measured at heights of 0.5 and 2.0 meters (and also at 1.0 meter after September 1983). Soilmoisture content of the soil zone was measured with a gamma-attenuation gage. Annual precipitation (938 millimeters) and average temperature (10.8 degrees Celsius) at the Sheffield site were virtually identical to long-term averages from nearby National Weather Service stations. Solar radiation averaged 65 percent of that normally expected under clear skies. Net radiation averaged 70.1 watts per square meter and was highest in July and negative during some winter months. Wind direction varied but was predominately south-southeasterly. Wind speed at the 2-meter height averaged 3.5 meters per second and was slightly higher in winter months than the rest of the year. The amount of water stored within the soil zone was greatest in early spring and least in late summer. Seasonal and diurnal trends of evapotranspiration rates mirrored those of net radiation; July was usually the month with the highest evapotranspiration rate. The ratio of sensible- to latentheat fluxes (commonly called the Bowen ratio) for the 2-year study period was 0.38, as averaged from the three methods. Monthly Bowen ratios fluctuated somewhat but averaged about 0.35 for late spring through summer. In fall, the ratio declined to zero or to slightly negative values. When the ratio was negative, the latent-heat flux was slightly greater than the net radiation because of additional energy supplied by' the cooling soil and air. Evapotranspiration calculated by the three methods averaged 75 percent of potential evapotranspiration, as estimated by the Penman equation. There was no apparent seasonal trend in the relation between actual and potential evapotranspiration rates.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1979

Comprehensive monitoring of meteorology, hydraulics, and thermal regime of the San Diego Aqueduct, California

Water temperature, as well as meteorologic and hydraulic variables which influence the energy budget of the San Diego Aqueduct in southern California, were continuously monitored for a 1-year period beginning July 24, 1973. Incoming solar and atmospheric radiation, windspeed and direction, water temperature, and wet- and dry-bulb air temperatures were recorded at 10-minute intervals at each end of the 26-kilometer concrete-lined canal, while flow-rates and stages were determined at hourly intervals for five locations. Although only daily averaged values are presented in this report, all information necessary for the use and interpretation of these data are presented. Windspeeds were minimum during the early morning hours and maximum during the late afternoon; however, they were variable spatially. On the other hand, incoming radiation and absolute vapor pressure varied little from point to point. (Kosco-USGS)

Professional Paper↗
USGS1978

Evaporation and radiation measurements at Salton Sea, California

Evaporation from Salton Sea, Calif. was computed for a 539-day period between duly 14, 1967, and January 2, 1969, by use of energy-budget, mass-transfer, and water-budget methods. The total evaporation computed by the three methods agreed within 5 percent. For computing evaporation by the mass-transfer method, vapor pressure measured at raft stations on the sea was considered to be more representative of the conditions over the sea than vapor pressure measured at land stations. The values of heat transfer to and from the bed were used in energy-budget computations. The inclusion of these heat transfer values improved the correlation of evaporation computed by the energy-budget and water-budget methods. Monthly evaporation computed by the energy budget method for 1968 showed that the Salton Sea exhibited a double-wave evaporation similar to that of oceans in the same latitude. Weekly and monthly comparisons were made to determine if radiation measured by the flat-plate radiometer is seasonally biased. Weekly totals of radiation from three flat-plate radiometers were compared to values of a Cummings Radiation Integrator. Monthly totals of radiation for each of the two types of instruments were compared to an empirical method for determining radiation. These comparisons indicate that the measurements of radiation by the flat-plate radiometer are not seasonally biased, and that the Cummings Radiation Integrator gives reliable measurements of radiation for periods as short as 1 week. The net incoming radiation was measured at three stations around the Salton Sea. The areal variation was less than 1 percent on an annual basis and the largest weekly variation was less than 6 percent. An empirical mass-transfer coefficient, N, was determined from energy-budget measurements. The value of this coefficient to give evaporation in inches per day is 0.00245 when the windspeed is expressed in miles per hour and vapor pressure is expressed in millibars. The coefficient is valid only when data are obtained at the raft stations.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1977

Evaporation and radiation measurements at Salton Sea, California

Evaporation from the Salton Sea, Calif., was computed for a 539-day period between July 14, 1967, and January 2, 1969, by use of energy-budget, mass-transfer, and water budget methods. The total evaporation computed by the three methods agreed within 5 percent. The values of heat transfer to and from the bed were used in the energy-budget computations. Monthly evaporation computed by the energy-budget method for 1968 showed that the Salton Sea exhibited a double wave evaporation similar to that of oceans in the same latitude. Weekly and montly comparisons were made to determine if radiation measured by the flat-plate radiometer is seasonally biased. These comparisons indicate that the measurements of radiation by the flat-plate radiometer are not seasonally biased, and that the Cummings Radiation Integrator gives reliable measurements of radiation for periods as short as 1 week. An empirical mass-transfer coefficient, N, as determined from energy-budget measurements. The value of this coefficient to give evaporation in inches per day is 0.00245 when the windspeed is expressed in miles per hour and the vapor pressure expressed in millibars. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗