On the evaporation problem over the Adriatic Sea
Abstract
Measurements of evaporation in open sea conditions are relatively rare, so instead, evaporation is calculated using different parametrisations of bulk formulas. Although the bulk method was widely used to compute air-sea fluxes, the use of different bulk parametrisations can result with different rate of evaporation. This paper discusses the various uses of bulk-method-determined evaporation. Since direct measurements of evaporation was not yet performed above the Adriatic Sea, the evaporation measured at the coastal station (Trieste, northern Adriatic) was compared to the results obtained using three different bulk equations (by JACOBS, LAEVASTU and SMITH). Sensitivity error analysis was estimated including errors of each of the measured variables. The equation according to LAEVASTU resulted in the smallest relative error. The important source of errors in all equations was the wind measurement and LAEVASTU equation was the least sensitive to this factor.