evapotranspiration

[ih-vap-oh-tran-spuh-rey-shuhn]

noun

Meteorology.

1. the process of transferring moisture from the earth to the atmosphere by evaporation of water and transpiration from plants.

2. Also called water loss. Also called flyoff. the total volume transferred by this process.

evapotranspiration

/ ɪˌvæpəʊˌtrænspəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the return of water vapour to the atmosphere by evaporation from land and water surfaces and by the transpiration of vegetation

Word History and Origins

Origin of evapotranspiration¹

First recorded in 1945–50; evapo(ration) + transpiration

Example Sentences

Green spaces moderate temperature through shading and by increasing the amount of water that passes into the air through a process called evapotranspiration, but there tends to be fewer shaded spaces in urban areas.

Read more on BBC

The monitor uses a “convergence of evidence” approach that pulls in data from dozens of indicators each week, including measurements of precipitation, soil moisture, snowpack, snow water equivalents, streamflows, evapotranspiration, and groundwater and reservoir levels, he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Vegetation such as trees provide a valuable cooling effect, shading surfaces and deflecting solar radiation while releasing moisture into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration -- the process in which plants absorb water through their roots and release it as water vapor through their leaves.

Read more on Science Daily

An evapotranspiration database called OpenET became publicly available in early 2023.

Read more on Science Daily

It provides satellite-based evapotranspiration estimates for the western United States.

Read more on Science Daily

When To Use

What is evapotranspiration?

Evapotranspiration is the process of moisture moving from the earth to the atmosphere through water evaporation and plant transpiration. Evapotranspiration refers to the moving of water and moisture from the soil and plants to the atmosphere. Evaporation is water in the soil surface becoming vapor as the result of temperature and other factors. The hotter it is, for example, the more water that will evaporate.Transpiration is a plant releasing water as vapor through its leaves. Transpiration helps a plant regulate its internal temperature. Corn, a crop grown in much of the Midwestern United States, is well known for transpiring to regulate its internal temperature, for example.Because water moves to the atmosphere from a wide variety of sources, the term evapotranspiration is sometimes used broadly to describe any evaporation or movement of water from the earth to the atmosphere, even from sources other than plants and soil. Example: Evapotranspiration is a vital part of all major rainforest ecosystems.