Evaluation of evaporation and heat and moisture monitoring during post-irrigation drying

In order to better understand post-irrigation drying phenomena, measurements of evaporation flux and heat and moisture transfer monitoring in soil under bare surface were carried out in the United Arab Emirates. The evaporation flux was directly measured with a new type of evaporation pan and an electric balance. This paper describes a simple model to analyze the evaporation flux resulting from heat, liquid water and water vapor movement that occur in the near-surface soil layer during the post-irrigation drying phase. The validity of the proposed evaporation model is examined by comparing numerical with experimental results. It is concluded that the proposed evaporation model and the present monitoring system are adequate to evaluate the water budget of post-irrigation in arid regions.