Introduction: The movement of moisture and the simultaneous transfer of water and solutes in unsaturated porous media are problems of practical interest in ground water hydrology and soil physics. A large fraction of the water falling as rain on the land surfaces of the earth moves through unsaturated zone of soil during the subsequent processes of infiltration, drainage, evaporation, and absorption of soil -water by plant roots. A soil profile is characteristically nonuniform in its properties, nonisothermal, and may be nonrigid. Microorganisms and the roots of higher plants are a part of the system. This region is characterized by cylic fluctuation of water content as water is removed from the soil profile by evaportranspiration and replenished by recharge, irrigation, or rainfall. In unsaturated porous media the problem of movement and retention of water may be approached from (1) the molecular, (2) the microscopic, or (3) the macroscopic standpoint. In the molecular viewpoint theories of the mechanisms of flow and retention in terms of the behavior of water molecules are devised. At microscopic level a theory of flow treating the fluid in pores as a continuum and applying the principles of continuum mechanics to understand the detailed behavior of fluid within the pores is developed. The complicated pore geometry and consequent impossibility of specifying the boundary conditions on flow, preclude any practical progress by this appraoch. Since the behavior of individual molecules and the distributions of fluid velocity and pressure cannot be observed in porous media, a macroscopic theory of flow is needed. In the macroscopic approach, all variables are treated continuous functions of time and space. Velocity, pressure, and other variables are assumed as point functions. Thus, any theory of water transport to be useful must be developed to the point of describing the transfer of water on the macroscopic level. The coefficients of transport such as permeability and diffusivity can be defined microscopically. In many investigations which involve the transport of pesticides and fertilizes along with water , the simultaneous movement of water and solutes is of primary concern. These pollutants when mixed with water move in the unsaturated soil and finally join the region of saturated soil or water table, resulting in the contamination of fresh water existing below the water table. The scope of this report is to review the available literature, that may be categorized into two parts; one, the movement of water in unsaturated soil, and the other, the simultaneous movement of water and solutes in unsaturated soil. The papers, reviewed in this report, pertain to the theoretical study, laboratory study and field study on the two problems. At the end, an appendix appears which lists the references, categorizing the kind of study by various investigators.

The vadose zone is the unsaturated zone between the ground surface and water table. This zone is of much importance as it acts as a link between surface water and ground water. Knowledge of soil moisture in this zone is very much essential to understand the meteorologic, hydrologic and agronomic process. Flow and transport in the unsaturated zone are more complex compared to saturated medium, as the pores in unsaturated zone are partly filled by air and partly by water. Most of vadose zone studies are done on agricultural plots where anthropogenic activities govern the vadose zone flows. Vadose zone studies in natural pristine conditions such as in forested areas where no anthropogenic activities are present are very limited that too in Indian conditions are rare. The present research work deals with understanding of the flow behavior in the vadose zone in a small experimental forested watershed called Mule Hole. Mule Hole watershed is 4.5 km2 and located in Bandipur National Park in Chamrajnagar District of Karnataka state, in the southern part of India. The forest is of deciduous type with 3 to 4 months of leafless dry period. The watershed has mean annual 25 years rainfall of 1120 mm and mean yearly temperature is 27o. The rainfall pattern is bimodal i.e. it receives rainfall during South West Monsoon (June -September) and North East Monsoon (October – December) with dominant rainfall occurring during South West Monsoon. Human activity is minimal as watershed is a part of Bandipur National Park, dedicated to wildlife and biodiversity preservation. The watershed consists of around 80 % of red soils, and black soil and saprolite covering the rest. The first part of the study involves soil moisture measurements by neutron probe and electrical resistivity measurements by geophysical method and their linking, i.e. developing volumetric soil moisture vs electrical resistivity relationship. The second part of the study involves application of neutron probe soil moisture measurement in identifying relationship between soil and erosion in the watershed. The third part involves development of two dimensional (2D) vadose zone model for watershed and validating it with measured data. The last part involves development of three dimensional model of watershed and validating it with observed data. Vadose zone is briefly described in chapter 1 along with its governing equations. Different soil moisture measurement techniques including invasive and non – invasive ones are also discussed. Different vadose zone modeling software which are public domain as well as commercial ones are also discussed. The chapter ends with organization of this thesis. Chapter 2 reviews relevant literature related to this study with focus on soil moisture measurement techniques and vadose zone flow modeling. Different soil moisture measurement techniques, their applications and limitations are reviewed. In the soil moisture measurement techniques, invasive and non – invasive types are reviewed. In the modeling part, different vadose zone models for 2D and 3D flow along with its applications and limitations are reviewed. Also a brief review about application of HYDRUS 2D/3D model is done which is used for the vadose zone modeling in this thesis. Chapter 3 introduces study area Mule Hole watershed, which is a forested watershed located in Bandipur National Park, Karnataka. India. The watershed has mean annual 25 years rainfall of 1120 mm and mean yearly temperature is 27o. The watershed has average regolith thickness or vadose zone of 17 m with roots of the trees able to penetrate up to groundwater. A toposequence T1 is identified in the watershed which has red soil – black soil confluence where soil moisture measurements and electrical resistivity measurements are carried out. The toposequence consists of 8 layers with organic layer forming the top layer followed by 3 red soil layer with 2 black soil layers intruding from stream into red soil layers and sandy weathered horizon at base of red and black soil. Also a sandy horizon at the top of black soil. Soil moisture measurements with neutron probe and electrical resistivity measurements with electrical logging tool which are done on toposequence periodically for two years are explained and the data are presented in this chapter. These data are used for validation of vadose zone models. Chapter 4 discusses in detail about comparison of electrical resistivity by geophysical method and neutron probe logging for soil moisture monitoring in a forested watershed. The electrical resistivity data and soil moisture data are compared for different soils and existence of relationship between them are studied and discussed in this chapter. For the red soil, existence of relationship between volumetric soil moisture content and electrical resistivity is found. Chapter 5 discusses soil moisture measurements as a tool to study erosion processes in forested watershed. Hydrodynamic behavior of the red soil – black soil system at toposequence T1 is studied using neutron probe soil moisture measurements. Two distinctive types of erosional landforms have been identified at T1 viz, rotational slips (Type 1); seepage erosion (Type 2),which are highlighted by neutron probe soil moisture measurements. Based on the observations relative chronology of formulation of different soil horizons are studied, which guided in developing four-stage model showing the relative chronology in the recent formation of the soil cover at downslope. Chapter 6 discusses application of 2D vadose zone modeling using HYDRUS – 2D model at two experimental sites in forested watershed where soil moisture monitoring and groundwater monitoring have been conducted. At the first site, which is toposequence T1 in the forested watershed, where soil moisture measurements are done, three case studies for comparison of daily scale data with hourly scale data and effects of internal layering by clubbing red soil layers and black soil layers to equivalent red soil and black soil layers respectively are performed. The model is run for two years. In that, first year results are used for calibrating the model where measured soil moisture content data are used to get soil hydraulic parameters for all the three cases by inverse modeling using Marquardt – Levenberg algorithm which is a part of HYDRUS 2D. The parameters thus obtained fall under particular soil range and performed efficiently in predicting soil moisture content. The second year results of model run is used for validation of the model in all the three cases where simulated soil moisture content is compared with measured soil moisture content. It is found that model is performing well and match between measured and simulated soil moisture contents is good in all the three cases. It can be said that having hourly scale data with detailed layering information is always advantageous in modeling soil moisture content. But, in absence of hourly scale data or finer scale data and absence of detailed layering information, the soil moisture model can also perform well. The scale of data and detailed layering information has minimal effect on soil moisture modeling. At the second site ERT profile near the watershed outlet has five monitoring wells are available and all layering information regarding regolith and hard rock layer distribution profiles. The soil hydraulic parameters obtained at toposequence T1 for soil and sandy weathered horizon are used and tested at this site to simulate the groundwater levels. The parameter for rock layer is estimated by testing different hydraulic parameters from HYDRUS database. The results are validated using observed groundwater levels at the site. The results show significant match between observed and simulated groundwater levels. Chapter 7 discusses 3D modeling of Mule Hole forested watershed using HYDRUS – 3D model. A three layer model of Mule Hole along with its topographic details is modeled. The layering information is derived from geophysical study done at 12 Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) profiles distributed in the watershed. The three layers considered are top soil layer followed by sandy weathered layer and bottom rock layer. Anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity, root water uptake and sloping water table are introduced to make the model more realistic. Soil hydraulic parameters obtained during 2D vadose zone modeling of toposequence T1 are used initially for soil and sandy weathered layers and are subsequently tuned to make model more efficient. Different scenarios are considered to test flux as well as constant head boundary conditions and effect of different porosities for rock layer. The model is run for 7 years and model simulations are validated with observed groundwater levels from monitoring wells across the watershed. The result shows good fit between simulated and observed groundwater levels especially for monitoring well which has shallow groundwater level. It is found that porosity in the rock layer is not uniform and there exist different porosities for the rock layer across the watershed. Also the distribution of sandy weathered zone requires improvement. The model is also able to predict ET closer to ET predicted by COMFORT model which was developed earlier. Also the model shows rise in groundwater fluxes as groundwater starts replenishing. Over all, the 3D model of Mule Hole watershed in HYDRUS – 3D worked well with satisfactory results and HYDRUS – 3D can be used for modeling small forested watersheds. Chapter 8 concludes the study and discusses the further scope of the work.

Woody biomass transportation costs and market values/costs are strongly correlated with the woody biomass moisture content. Properly managing moisture content can potentially lead to economic and environmental advantages in biomass energy markets. Good management requires accurate moisture content measurements. Therefore, availability of accurate, precise, reliable, and efficient tools to assess woody biomass moisture content is essential. In this study, six different tools (Fibre-Gen HM200, IML Hammer, Humimeter BLW, Timbermaster, Humimeter HM1 and Wile Bio Meter) were evaluated. The six tools employed three different measurement technologies; acoustic, conductance, and capacitance. Woody biomass samples were collected over one season (summer 2011) at three different locations in western Oregon (Corvallis, Dallas, and Clatskanie) for three softwood species and three hardwood species: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa L.), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), hybrid poplar (Populus spp.), Madrone (Arbutus spp.), and Garryana Oak (Quercus garryana Dougl. ex Hook). Twenty 3-meter long log (20 to 400mm diameter) specimens were collected per species; 18 specimens were divided into two different treatments (open vs. covered), and the two remaining specimens were chipped. In addition, approximately 100 kilograms per species of hogfuel (limbs and tops) were collected and chipped. Moisture content measurements of logs, chips, and hogfuel were made regularly over a four month period. These data was used to develop multiple linear regression models for assessing the moisture content of the six species using the six tools. The major factors considered in the regression models were species (6), treatment (2), and tools (6). The data were also used to estimate the sample size needed for each tool. The best tool from each technology type was identified. The results generated from this study show that (1) none of the tools are accurate without calibration for different species, (2) the best model/tool combination could only explain about 80% of the variability in measurements, (3) further product development is required in some cases to ensure that the tools are robust for industrial application, and (4) there is a wide range in efficiency of the tools (i.e., 50 minute tool efficiency range). The Fibre-Gen HM200 and Wile Bio Meter were the most accurate, precise and efficient tools tested. The cost of transporting woody biomass from the forest to woody biomass plants is "optimized" when the moisture content drops to approximately 30% (wet basis). Validation of the models developed for three of the tools tested (Fibre-Gen HM200, Humimeter BLW and the Wile Bio Meter) indicates that the tools are accurate below 35% MC (wet basis). This suggests they could be used for making threshold transportation decisions, i.e., determining when to haul. / Graduation date: 2013

A medida do teor de umidade de materiais resulta em ganhos econômicos e ambientais ao possibilitar o controle preciso da secagem de produtos agrícolas, de processos de cura e armazenagem, e reduzir perdas de material e consumo de energia. Tal medida pode ser feita através da interação de ondas eletromagnéticas nas frequências de micro-ondas. Apresenta-se o desenvolvimento histórico e o estado da arte dessa área da metrologia que é conhecida por aquametria por micro-ondas. Detalha-se o comportamento das ondas eletromagnéticas em dielétricos, o modelo de espalhamento nas interfaces das amostras, a relação entre a permissividade complexa e a umidade, métodos para a determinação da permissividade, instrumentos, sistemas e aspectos metrológicos da cadeia de medição para espectroscopia dielétrica. Dois novos métodos, com equações explícitas originais para a determinação da permissividade são obtidos. As novas equações resultam em incerteza menor que os métodos clássicos. Uma nova metodologia, através do método de Monte Carlo, é empregada para a avaliação das mesmas. Conclui-se que o desenvolvimento da aquametria passa, necessariamente, pelo aperfeiçoamento dos instrumentos e métodos para determinação da permissividade dos materiais. / The measurement of moisture content of materials results in economic and environmental gains. Monitoring drying and curing of materials prevents loss of products and waste of energy. This can be done through the interaction of electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies. This dissertation presents the historical development and the state-of-the-art in aquametry, the behavior of electromagnetic waves in dielectrics, sample interface scattering model, the relationship between the complex permittivity and moisture, methods for determining permittivity, instruments and metrological aspects of the measurement chain, and some instruments for dielectric spectroscopy. Two new methods, capable of providing explicit equation for the permittivity, are obtained and the Monte Carlo method is applied to determine their uncertainty. The new equations have lower uncertainty than the classic methods. The general conclusion is that the development of instrumentation and techniques in aquametry must be based in improvements in permittivity measurement.

Thesis. 1976. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Engineering. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references. / Ph.D.

<p>Timber drying is one of the most important processes whenmanufacturing sawn timber products. The drying processinfluences deformations, surface checking, discoloration andhence, the product quality and the manufacturing costs.Research in this field is of great importance for the woodindustry since the industrial drying process always needs to beimproved as market demands increases and new wood products aredeveloped.</p><p>The aim of the present thesis was to investigate themoisture transport behaviour in wood based on measurementsduring drying from fresh condition down to end use moisturecontent. The behaviour near the surface interface has beenspecifically investigated since it is of great importance forthe theoretical description of the drying process. Furthermore,studies based on measurements in the wood surface layer duringdrying are not easy to find in the literature. The reason forthat is probably that it is very difficult to make accuratemoisture measurements with high spatial or temporal resolutionwithout disturbing the drying process.</p><p>Measurements of moisture content profiles in Scots pineheartwood and sapwood during drying have been performed byusing three different methods. The first was a destructivemethod where the wood samples are sliced with a knife intoseveral smaller pieces. The moisture content in each piece wasdetermined with the dry weight method. The second method usedis non-destructive and it utilises a medical CT-scanner thathas been adapted for drying experiments. The samples are driedin-situ the scanner through the whole experiment. TheCT-scanner measures density and the moisture content arecalculated according to existing methods developed by otherscientists. The third method was also non-destructive and itutilises a Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI, technique. Withthis technique the amount of water in the wood sample ismeasured directly even though it has to be calibrated tomoisture content.</p><p>The surface emission factor, S, or surface resistance, 1/S,has been studied by performing sorption experiments with MDF ina narrow moisture content range. The experiment was evaluatedusing a simple diffusion model that includes a surface emissionfactor S. The experimental result was compared with resultscalculated using well established boundary layer theories.</p><p>Measurements of moisture content profiles in the wood bulkshowed an expected Fickian behaviour at moisture contents belowthe fibre saturation point. Above the fibre saturation pointalmost flat moisture profiles were observed. This behaviour wasnot expected and it is not possible to simulate this behaviourwith the existing drying models since they usually assume thatthere is a gradient in the moisture profile over the wholemoisture content range. From the moisture profiles thediffusion coefficients were determined over a moisture contentranging from 8 to 30%. The values for heartwood and sapwood areapproximately equal in radial and tangential direction tograin. Furthermore, the diffusion values in longitudinaldirection are much higher as expected.</p><p>The sorption experiments with MDF gave a greater surfaceresistance compared with the calculation that was based onboundary layer theory. The ratio was three or higher. Thisimplied that there was a greater resistance in the surfacelayer. In addition, this was not well described in theliterature even though a few recent published studiesexist.</p><p>High resolution measurements in the surface layer of woodshowed behaviour similar to that observed in the bulk wood. Theresults showed the very early development of a dry zone closeto the surface interface. In that zone or shell the moisturecontent was below the FSP even though the bulk moisture contentwas far above the FSP. At the end of the experiments themoisture content in the surface layer (0–300 µm)nearly reached the equilibrium moisture content even though thebulk moisture content still was much higher.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Computer tomography, Diffusion, Magneticresonance, Moisture measurements, Moisture profiles, Surfaceemission, Wood drying</p>

Fluid flow rates and pathways in partially-welded, fractured, unsaturated tuff are investigated in a sloping borehole (DSB-1) cored from the surface to a perched aquifer at the Apache Leap near Superior, Arizona. Suspected water-bearing fractures were identified in the borehole using video and geophysical logs. Pore water extracted from cores associated with these fractures proved to have elevated ¹⁴C activity relative to pore waters from intermediate depths. Pore water from the deepest fracture interval contained post-bomb ¹⁴C. Low tritium concentrations in most samples indicates imbibition from each flow is small relative to the volume of water in the pores, but cumulative imbibition over time is significant based on ¹⁴C distribution through the unsaturated zone. The saturated zone beneath DSB-1 is a mixture of fracture flows with older aquifer water. Estimates based on ¹⁴C and ³H data indicate half of the water in the local aquifer originated from fractures near DSB-1. Geochernical models incorporating pore-water, surface-runoff, aquifer-water and mineral chemistry suggest that fracture flow may also be the predominant source of recharge for the older aquifer water. Water and carbon are extracted from core samples using uni-axial compression and a new vacuum distillation technique. Distillation is shown to be an effective method when carbon extraction is not possible by other methods. Mass yields from distillation provide evidence that there may be a substantial reservoir of carbon adsorbed to mineral phases. Carbon-14 activity of formation air samples from intervals with low air permeability reflect the composition of water imbibed from fracture flows at those depths. In zones of higher permeability, atmospheric contamination is suspected even though SF₆ (injected as a tracer during drilling) concentrations had not diminished. An independent investigation on the carbon isotopic composition of soil-zone CO₂ demonstrates the need to correct soil-respired CO₂ samples for CO₂ contamination in base reagents and for fractionation during sample collection. The minimum δ¹³C-shift from soil CO₂ to soil-respired CO₂ is also shown to be a function of the δ¹³C of soil organic material rather than a fixed 4.4%₀ as previously thought.

No description available.

A well-managed irrigation scheduling system needs a rapid, preCIse, simple, costeffective and non-destructive soil water content sensor. The PRl profile probe and Diviner 2000 were used to determine the timing and amount of irrigation of three cover crops (Avena sativa L., Secale cereale L. and Lolium multiflonlm Lam.), which were planted at Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal. The PRl profile probe was first calibrated in the field and also compared with the Diviner 2000. For the calibration of the PRl profile probe the factory-supplied parameters (aJ = 8.4 and ao = 1.6) showed good correlation· compared to the soil-estimated parameters (aJ = 11.04 and ao = 1.02). The factorysupplied parameters gave a linear regression coefficient (r2 ) of 0.822 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.062. The soil-estimated parameter showed a linear regression coefficient of 0.820 with RMSE of 0.085. The comparison between the soil water content measured using the PR1 profile probe and Diviner 2000 showed a linear regression coefficient of 0.947 to 0.964 with a range of RMSE of 0.070 to 0.109 respectively for the first 100 to 300 mm soil depths. The deeper depths (400, 600 and 1000 mm) showed a linear regression coefficient ofO.716to 0.810 with a range of 0.058 to 0.150 RMSE. These differences between the shallow and deeper depths could be due to soil variability or lack of good contact between the access tube and the surrounding soil. To undertake irrigation scheduling using the PRl profile probe and Diviner 2000, the soil water content limits were determined using field, laboratory and regression equations. The field method was done by measuring simultaneously the soil water content using the PR1 profile probe and soil water potential using a Watermark sensor and tensiometers at three depths (100, 300 and 600 mm) from a 1 m2 bare plot, while the soil dries after being completely saturated. The retentivity function was developed from these measurements and the drained upper limit was estimated to be 0.355 m3 m-3 when the drainage from the pre-wetted surface was negligible. The lower limit was calculated at -1500 kPa and it was estimated to be 0.316 m3m,3. The available soil water content, which is the difference between the upper and lower limit, was equal to 0.039 m3 m,3. In the laboratory the soil water content and matric potential were measured from the undisturbed soil samples taken from the edge of the 1 m2 bare plot before the sensors were installed. Undisturbed soil samples were taken using a core sampler from 100 to 1000 mm soil depth in three replications in 100 mm increments. These undisturbed soil samples were saturated and subjected to different matric potentials between -1 to -1500 kPa. In the laboratory, the pressure was increased after the cores attained equilibrium and weighed before being subjecting to the next matric potential. The retentivity function was then developed from these measurements. The laboratory method moved the drained upper limit to be 0.390 m3 m,3 at -33 kPa and the lower limit be 0.312 m3m-3 at -1500 kPa. The regression equation, which uses the bulk density, clay and silt percentage to calculate the soil water content at a given soil water potential, estimated the drained upper limit to be 0.295 m3m-3at -33 kPa and the lower limit 0.210 m3 m,3 at -1500 kPa. Comparison was made between the three methods using the soil water content measured at the same soil water potential. The fieldmeasured soil water content was not statistically the same with the laboratory and estimated soil water content. This was shown from the paired-t test, where the probability level (P) for the laboratory and estimated methods were 0.011 and 0.0005 respectively at 95 % level of significance. However, it showed a linear regression coefficient of 0.975 with RMSE of 0.064 when the field method was compared with the laboratory method. The field method showed a linear regression coefficient of 0.995 with RMSE of 0.035 when compared with the estimated method. The timing and amount of irrigation was determined using the PR1 profile probe and Diviner 2000. The laboratory measured retentivity function was used to define the fill (0.39 m3 m-3 ) and high refill point (0.34 m3 m-3 ). The soil water content was measured using both sensors two to three times per week starting from May 29 (149 day of year, 2002) 50 days after planting until September 20 (263 day of year) 11 days before harvesting. There were five irrigations and twenty rainfall events. The next date of irrigation was predicted graphically using, the PRl profile probe measurements, to be on 3 September (246 day of year) after the last rainfall event on 29 August (241 day of year) with 8 mm. When the Diviner 2000 was used, it predicted two days after the PRl profile probe predicted date. This difference appeared since the Diviner 2000-measured soil water content at the rooting depth was slightly higher than the PRl profile probe measurements. The amount of irrigation was estimated using two comparable methods (graphic and mathematical method). The amount of irrigation that should have been applied on 20, September (263 day of year) to bring the soil water content to field capacity was estimated to be 4.5 hand 23 mm graphically and 5.23 hand 20 mm mathematically. The difference between these two methods was caused due to the error encountered while plotting the correct line to represent the average variation in soil water content and cumulative irrigation as a function of time. More research is needed to find the cause for the very low soil water content measurements of the PRI profile probe at some depths. The research should be focused on the factors, which could affect the measurement of the PRl profile probe and Diviner 2000 like salinity, temperature, bulk density and electrical conductivity. Further research is also needed to extend the non-linear relationship between the electrical resistance of the sensor and soil water potential up to -200 kPa. This non-linear equation of the Watermark is only applicable within the range of soil water potential between -10 and -100 kPa. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Accurate estimation of reference evaporation is necessary for the estimation of actual evaporation for irrigation and water resource management purposes. Estimation of reference evaporati~n using the Penman-Monteith method using automatic weather station (AWS)measurements requires the available energy to be accurately estimated. The available energy of short grass of 0.12 m was measured using a component net radiometer and soil heat flux plate measurements at the Faculty of Sciences and Agricultural (Agrometeorological station, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, latitude ~29.79 oS, longitude ~ 30.95 °E, altitude ~ 650 m). In an attempt to evaluate the accuracy of commonly used procedures of estimating available energy, estimates of net irradiance (from net long wave irradiance and reflection coefficient estimate) and soil heat flux density were compared to the actual measurements. The linear approximation of atmosphere minus crop surface emittance based on air temperature was compared with measured net long wave irradiance and similar empirical formulations. The underestimation of the measured net long wave irradiance was observed using the linear approach. Furthermore, a plot of measured clear sky net long wave irradiance and air temperature showed a logarithmic relation. The estimated reflected solar irradiance was overestimated for the reference crop. The measured soil heat flux density was observed to vary not only with net irradiance but also with cloudiness, wind speed and soil water content. The soil heat flux density measured with plates was noticed to follow the measured net irradiance. The sensitivity of Penman-Monteith latent heat estimate was investigated for the use of estimated reflection coefficient and soil heat flux density as well as ignored soil heat flux density. Results showed the latent heat estimate to be greater when soil heat flux density was ignored. Reduced set assumptions of Penman-Monteith were assessed usmg the microclimatic measurements. The grass reference evaporation estimate using estimated water vapour pressure from the pervious day minimum air temperature and approximated wind speed were found to be seasonal and procedure dependent. The hourly-reduced set estimate of reference evaporation was in good agreement with the grass Penman-Monteith estimate. The estimated daily water vapour pressure underestimated the daily grass Penman-Monteith estimate. The sensitivity of the reduced set reference evaporation estimate was compared for the two values of approximated wind speeds. The assumption of 2 m S-1 wind speed gave a relatively better result. The sensitivity of the surface temperature energy balance (STEB) estimate of reference evaporation was investigated using two different atmospheric stability procedures. The evaporation estimate agreement and performance of the technique were found to vary depending on the stability correction procedure. The Monteith (1973) correction procedure was observed to be more sensitive to a higher surface-air temperature difference. The Monteith (1973) procedure was found to underestimate the reference evaporation and this resulted in a lower correlation coefficient. The uncorrected and Campbell and Norman (1998) stability corrected procedure of STEB estimate overestimated the reference evaporation but resulted in good agreement with actual reference evaporation. The use of estimated available energy using the STEB method resulted in a 7 % overestimate of measured available energy. Different designs of atmometers have been used to measure evaporation. The less expensive and simple ET_gageR (Model A and E) atmometer for daily evaporation measures were compared to grass-based and alfalfa-based Penman-Monteith and STEB estimate of reference evaporation. Two different evaporation surface covers used with the device allowed for the comparison to be made. Measurements using the canvas 30 ET-gage cover for grass reference evaporation were compared to grass based Penman-Monteith and STEB reference evaporation estimates. Correlation between the canvas 30 measures and Penman-Monteith estimates were good compared to the STEB estimate. The ET-gage canvas 54 measures were in a good agreement with alfalfa based Penman-Monteith reference evaporation estimate. There was, however, a slight time lag in ET-gage evaporation with ET-gage evaporation continuing accumulation when the reference evaporation was zero. The sensitivity of the ET-gage for microclimate variation was tested using the measurements made for two levels and three different microclimates. A shade measurement of reference evaporation was overestimated. The response of the ET-gage to one and two meter microclimate measures was similar to the short grass measurement. Furthermore, the ET-gage surface evaporation estimate using the STEB method showed equal response to the ET-gage surface for the microclimate measure and explained the possible cause of the lag of the ET-gage response. Accurate microclimate measurements is a requirement for the performance of the PenmanMonteith approach for the estimation of reference evaporation. The investment cost required for an AWS set up is high. Alternative options for gathering information of the microc1imate measurements required for calculating reference evaporation were assessed in terms of cost saving, accuracy and other advantages. A weather station system using a Hobo H8 logger (internal relative humidity and air temperature sensor and two external channels, one which was used for solar irradiance measurements) was found to be a cost-effective method for calculating the necessary microclimatic information for calculating reference evaporation. With this system reference evaporation was estimated with reasonable accuracy, at 16 % of the cost of normal AWS system. The use of an Event Hobo logger and an ET-gage was found to provide a reasonable estimate of reference evaporation. The use of the reduced set evaporation weather station was found to be unreasonable in terms of cost and accuracy. Air temperature and relative humidity were measured from different design of radiation shields and Stevenson screens. The use of home-made seven-plate plastic radiation shields provided a similar shield to radiation and ventilation compared to manufactured shields. At a low solar angle when wind speed was very low, all the radiation shields including the small Stevenson screens showed a higher air temperature difference relative to the standard Stevenson screen. The highest average difference of air temperature measurement was measured within the small Stevenson screen and metal-radiation shield. The home-made plastic radiation shield showed similar averages of air temperature and water vapour pressure difference compared to the six- and twelve-plate Gill radiation shields. The home-made metal radiation shield showed relatively higher deviation from the mean being cold at night time and hot during the day. More research is needed to explore the efficiency of the ET-gage evaporation from variety of microclimates to establish the cause of the overestimate under shade, to develop better relation of clear day net long wave irradiance and air temperature and the use of a wind speed sensor with Hobo H8 weather station system. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.