The objective of this research is to search for a generic principle behind evaporation processes and test the proposed theory using field experimental measurements. Based on the argument of thermodynamic equilibrium and some observational evidence, a theoretical framework has been developed to support the hypothesis that evaporation at the earth-atmosphere interface is always maximized for given radiative input in a particular environment. Note that initially the hypothesis is considered valid over bare or sparsely vegetated ground for any soil moisture condition. The proposed research will focus on further theoretical development and testing the hypothesis using new observation. The outcome of this project will advance our knowledge of the dynamics of land-atmosphere interaction, and offer new tools to improve the estimation and simulation on energy balance over land surface. |
