Estimation of evaporation from Ned Wilson Lake, Flat Tops Wilderness Area, Colorado

As part of an effort to define the hydrology and water quality of Ned Wilson Lake, evaporation rates were estimated for the summer periods of 1983 and 1984. Mass-transfer and energy-budget techniques and the Morton model were used to estimate evaporation using data collected at the lake and data collected at a meteorological station 0.1 mile from the lake. The estimate of evaporation for July 29 through September 27, 1983, using the mass-transfer technique, was 9.50 inches; the estimate using the energy-budget technique was 8.10 inches; the estimate using the Morton model was 9.90 inches. The evaporation estimate for July 18 through September 25, 1984, using the mass-transfer technique was 8.71 inches; the estimate using the energy-budget technique was 7.88 inches; the estimate using the Moron model was 10.49 inches. These estimates will provide values to be used in future analyses of the interaction of lake and groundwater; however, refinement of data collection will be necessary to determine specifically the rate of evaporation. (USGS)