Potential evaporation (PET) is a core input to hydrological modelling, yet it is rarely measured directly. Practitioners instead rely on meteorological data such as temperature, radiation, wind and humidity to estimate PET using empirical and physically based methods. Understanding these approaches is essential for reliable water resource assessments.
In this hands‑on course, participants learn how to estimate PET using the open‑source Python package PyET. Participants explore temperature‑based methods such as Hamon and Hargreaves, then move into more data‑rich approaches including Penman–Monteith and FAO‑56. Each method is introduced in context so participants can see how data availability and site conditions influence the choice of PET estimator.