A note on the paper by P. J. Sellers and J. G. Lockwood, ‘A computer simulation of the effects of differing crop types on the water balance of small catchments over long time periods’

Arguments are presented suggesting that the difference between predicted interception loss given by the multi‐layer MANTA model and the single source Rutter model, reported by Sellers and Lockwood (1981), are primarily related to differences in the treatment of aerodynamic transfer in saturated conditions. The reinterpretation is important in that, assuming the treatment used in the MANTA model is correct, changes in effective source position generate an unexpectedly large change in effective aerodynamic resistance. Attention is also drawn to features present in results given by the MANTA model operating in dry conditions which require further investigation.