One of the most important components of the Everglades water budget is evapotranspiration (ET). ET is water removed from the surface and soils by direct evaporation and plant transpiration. In South Florida, ET rates may exceed 40 in/yr (inches per year) on the average; during dry years, the ET could exceed rainfall (about 50 in/yr). Thus, most of the water that falls on the land surface as rainfall is returned to the atmosphere by ET. Despite the importance of ET in the Everglades water budget, our knowledge of ET is, at present, only semi-quantitative. Recent advances in instrumentation and measurement techniques have made it possible to continuously measure ET, so that an accurate evaluation of ET in the Everglades can be made.

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