Objective This study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of potential and actual evapotranspiration in the Xihan River Basin and to reveal their evolution patterns and main driving factors, thereby providing scientific references for the rational allocation of regional water resources and ecological environment protection. Methods The Xihan River Basin was selected as the study area. Based on data from four hydrological stations (Lixian, Daqiao, Pingluo, and Tanjiaba), the potential and actual evapotranspiration of the river basin were estimated using the Penman-Monteith formula and the Budyko hypothesis. Subsequently, the Mann-Kendall abrupt change test was used to identify the abrupt change points and significant trends. Then, the water balance method and the trial-and-error method were used for calibration and validation. Finally, Spearman′s rank correlation coefficient method was utilized to explore the influencing factors of evapotranspiration. Results (1) The multi-year average values of potential evapotranspiration at the Lixian, Kangxian, Xihe, and Chengxian stations were 621.18 mm, 603.32 mm, 572.45 mm, and 637.18 mm, respectively. (2) The multi-year average values of actual evapotranspiration at Lixian station calculated by the water balance method and the Choudhury-Yang equation were 409.31 mm and 400.37 mm, respectively. The corresponding values were 499.09 mm and 481.70 mm at Pingluo station, 419.82 mm and 409.57 mm at Daqiao station, and 545.70 mm and 525.91 mm at Tanjiaba station. (3) From 1976 to 2022, the multi-year average value of actual evapotranspiration in the river basin was 451.02 mm, showing a generally insignificant upward trend. The spatial distribution showed an increasing trend from northwest to southeast, with considerable distribution differences in the middle reaches. (4) The main influencing factor of actual evapotranspiration in the river basin was precipitation, with a correlation coefficient reaching 0.823. Conclusion The actual evapotranspiration in the Xihan River Basin exhibits an insignificant upward trend during the study period, and its variation is mainly controlled by water conditions in this region.
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