COAGMET Crop and Water Use Data

The Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) and Crop ET Reports
by A.A. Andales, T. A. Bauder and N. J. Doesken1 (10/09)

Quick Facts....

• CoAgMet is a network of automatic weather stations that provides Internet access to weather and crop water use data.
• CoAgMet provides weather data in different formats, including daily or monthly summaries, hourly data, and graphs.
• Crop water use information from CoAgMet can be used in irrigation scheduling.

The Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) is a network of automatic weather stations distributed across the state. Data collected by the> network are available on the Internet at www.coagmet.com. Weather records date back to 1992 for the oldest stations, while the newer stations added to the network only have a few years of record. The home page of CoAgMet provides links to weather information and descriptions of various aspects of the network.

CoAgMet Website

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a term used to describe the water consumed by plants over a period of time. Evapotranspiration is the water loss occurring from the processes of evaporation and transpiration. Evaporation occurs when water changes to vapor on either soil or plant surfaces. Transpiration refers to the water lost through the leaves of plants.

More than 99.9% of the water used by an irrigated crop or turf is drawn through the roots and transpires through the leaves. Only small amount (0.1%) of the water taken up by plants is actually used to produce plant tissue.

The overall amount of ET for a crop or landscape over an entire growing season is about the same as the seasonal water requirement.

Keeping track of ET in your local area can help you more efficiently irrigate your crops and landscapes.

CoAgMet ET Calculations