ABSTRACT
Accurate studies on reservoir evaporations are important for proper management of water resources. Therefore, this study aimed to compare evaporation estimates for Três Marias and Sobradinho reservoirs made by Linacre, Kohler et al., Thornthwaite, Complementary Relationship Lake Evaporation (CRLE) and A class pan method, which was calculated by the Penman method. We also compared evaporation values from weather stations located within areas of the reservoirs against data from stations located near the reservoir areas. Our results showed that the Linacre model overestimated evaporation for both reservoirs compared to the Penman method. However, Kohler et al. and Thornthwaite underestimated the evaporation for both areas. Evaporation estimates near those obtained by the Penman model were found for the class A pan model in Sobradinho reservoir, using a kp of 0.6. Moreover, in Três Marias, the Penman and CRLE models had statistically equal evaporation estimates. The estimates calculated from data of meteorological stations within reservoir areas were statically different from those obtained using data of stations near them.
evaporimetric models; meteorological parameters; São Francisco river
