Loss of storage water due to evaporation - a literature review

Abstract

[Introduction]: With increasing environmental concern and concentration upon irrigation water use efficiency, there is now considerable pressure upon us all to optimize as far as possible the use of our most precious resource - water. The rate of evaporation is in excess of 2m per year over most of Australia’s landmass and mean rainfall in Australia is less than 500mm per year and falling. On such a hot dry continent, it has been estimated that up to 95% of the rain which falls in Australia is re-evaporated and does not contribute to runoff. Water when harvested is commonly stored in small storages and dams, but it is estimated that up to half of this may be lost due to evaporation. This represents a huge waste of our resource. The price and value of water increasing dramatically and the scarcity of water is the main limiting factor working against agricultural production in Australia.