In deserts, which type of ET is typically the highest?

In desert ecosystems, potential evapotranspiration (PET) is typically the highest due to the specific climatic conditions characterized by high temperatures and low moisture availability. Potential ET represents the maximum amount of water that could be evaporated and transpired if there were sufficient water available in the environment. In deserts, the high temperatures can lead to high rates of evaporation from soil and plant surfaces, creating a significant gap between potential and actual evapotranspiration.

The concept of potential ET is based on factors like temperature, solar radiation, and wind, which are generally abundant in deserts. This means that while the conditions allow for high rates of evapotranspiration, the actual ET is limited by the lack of available water sources in these arid environments. Therefore, even though actual ET may be quite low due to water scarcity, the potential ET stands out as being significantly high under the warm and sunny conditions that define desert climates.

Other types of ET, such as relative or seasonal ET, do not reflect the maximum capacity of the ecosystem to transpire and evaporate under optimal conditions like potential ET does, making potential ET the appropriate choice for this question in the context of desert environments.