Water budgets

• Water budget


  The water budget is the annual balance between precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff.

  • They can be useful at both glacial and local scales
• Water balance equation


  P = Q + E +/- S

  • P is precipitation, E is evapotranspiration, Q is runoff and S represents changes in storage over a period of time, usually one year
• Potential evapotranspiration (PE)


  An estimate of the amount of water lost through evaporation and transpiration in any given period, depending on temperature and air humidity.
• Water balance

  A) Soil moisture recharge

  B) Soil moisture surplus

  C) Soil moisture utilisation

  D) Soil moisture deficit

  E) Soil moisture recharge