Evaporation Reduction with Reflective Covers
Keith R. Cooley, Lloyd E. Myers · Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division (ASCE) (1973)
Key finding (our summary)
Tested eight light-coloured floating materials in buried and exposed tanks, reporting 23–87% evaporation reduction. Styrofoam and lower-melting-point continuous wax covers were the most efficient, at roughly $0.12–0.28 per 1,000 L saved — cheaper, at the time, than developing new water supply. An early cost-grounded case for reflective floating covers.
One of the first studies to pair reduction performance with a cost-per-litre figure, framing floating covers as a water-supply investment.
This is a neutral paraphrase for indexing and discovery. For the full abstract, figures and methodology, read the original at the source link.