Potential (Reference) and Actual Evapotranspiration Trends across U.S. High Plains in Relation to Irrigation Development and Climate Change

In agro-ecosystem-dominated regions, such as the U.S. High Plains, augmented atmospheric water vapor is, in some cases, attributed to increased actual evapotranspiration (ETc) from irrigated surfaces as a result of increased soil evaporation and transpirative losses from the vegetation canopies through photosynthesis process. This Extension Circular presents the trends and magnitudes in evapotranspiration in the High Plains region during the period from 1982 to 2008.