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| Station Number: |
WA-SJ-28 |
| Station Name: |
Lopez Island 3.9 NNE |
Previous ET Report
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Date: Feb 28, 2021 7:00 AM
Gauge Reading: 3.44"
Refill Level: 0.22" |
| Observation Date: |
3/3/2021
5:45 AM
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| Submitted: |
3/03/2021 6:23 AM
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Gauge Reading:
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0.23" |
Evaporation Amount:
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0.01" |
Notes:
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Boy, am I outta practice! I checked the ET gauge on March 1st and 2nd, recorded the measurements (or really, the lack of measurements) on a wall calendar, then forgot to enter the data electronically on the CoCoRaHS website. Silly me. So to be clear, if anyone is reading this, my ET gauge did not show any measurable differences in readings (from the Feb. 28th start date) on March 1st or 2nd, but did show a very small difference (measurement) by morning of March 3rd. Some of you might wonder why I start my ET readings by March 1st (so early in the season), and I'm extremely far north in the continental USA. I'm a soil scientist and wetland scientist, and I do lots of fieldwork. Part of my work is defined on seasonality, and the feds criteria that hydrology observations be made or documented "during the growing season". In western Washington State (low elevation), signs of early spring can begin to show in January, but certainly by February. But those signs are very small and subtle. Normally by March 1st, certain deciduous understory shrubs, like Indian plum, have broken bud and are either beginning to bloom and unfurl leaves, or very close to doing so. Lawn and pasture grasses are beginning to grow. Trees such as cottonwood and alders have swelling buds and alders have elongating catkins. Hazelnut catkins have already been releasing their pollen for weeks (by March 1st). So there are a variety of deciduous plants that have or are becoming active by March 1st, hence ET is starting to come into play in our yards and countryside. As an ecologist and soil scientist who studies surface or near-surface hydrology, it makes senses to me to start data collection of ET by March 1st, and to keep the measurements going at a minimum to November 1st. |
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