Comment on “Comparison of the Efficiencies of the Prognostic Generalized Complementary Functions on Evaporation Estimation” by Wang, L., et al., Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

Abstract

AbstractSurprising significant underperformance of the polynomial complementary relationship (PCR) of evaporation (Szilagyi et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016jd025611) by Wang et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023jd038683) is caused by the (a) station‐by‐station application of a grid‐based estimation procedure of the Priestley‐Taylor parameter (α) value, and (b) choice of the wind function. Application of the Rome wind function in the Penman equation together with either a well‐chosen single (constant) α or α as a function of the wet‐environment air temperature, should result in much improved evaporation estimates by the PCR in line with previous studies.