The richness of Northwestern Ontario lies in its natural resources including a variety of vast expanses of forests. In fact, forests are the prime vehicle of all economic development and the backbone of a variety of ecosystems. Forest harvesting, acid rain, and perceived effects of long range climatic changes have caused concerns about the forest survival in this region. Evaporation plays a central role in the growth and survival of forests, it is necessary to develop suitable techniques for obtaining a reliable estimate of evaporation. At present, no known techniques exist for the estimation of evaporation in the Northwestern Ontario region. This paper attempts to provide a suitable technique for the estimation of evaporation in this region. Three methods capable of estimating mean monthly evaporation are evaluated at four locations in the region. An analysis of results of these methods indicates that the potential evaporation formula given by Morton, with an average percentage of error of 6.66, is the best to estimate class A pan evaporation in Northwestern Ontario. On the other hand, the Hargreaves method provides a reasonable alternative for the estimation of annual regional evaporation.
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