Ref-ET
Soil Water Management
Evapotranspiration and Irrigation Water Requirments
Mid Snake Water Quality




Kimberly

 

 
 

Generation of
Evapotranspiration Maps
using Landsat Satellite Images

The generation of evapotranspiration maps using Landsat Satellite images is based on METRIC, Mapping EvapoTranspiration at High Resolution and Internalized Calibration, and SEBAL, Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land. The SEBAL process has been applied in Asia, Africa, and Europe (SEBAL North America and WaterWatch). This project represents a follow up to one of the first applications in North America. METRIC is an extension to SEBAL for applications in Idaho. More information on the project can be found at the Idaho Department of Water Resources web site, Generation of Evapotranspiration Maps using Landsat satellite images.

Current overview of METRIC and applications a PDF presentation by Dr. Allen.

The future of Landsat. The ongoing need for an operational Landsat observation program is crucial to water management. As of April 2012, federal budgeting for future Landsat platforms is at a crossroads: The Western States Water Council has developed Landsat specifications needed for water management fact sheet. Please feel free to distribute widely.

Our activites with the first phase and the second phase of the project have been highlighted by ERDAS Inc in their quarterly news letter, ERDAS News, Vol. 2, No. 4. The first phase was application of the procedure to the Bear River Basin. The second phase involves appling the proceedure to the Eastern and Western Snake River plains in southern Idaho. For more information on the project, please contact Dr. Richard G. Allen.

In 2009, the Idaho Department of Water Resources -- University of Idaho partnership that applies METRIC-based ET in IDWR hydrology and water rights and operations was awarded the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award by the Ash Institue of the Kennedy School of American Governance of Harvard University. The award announcement is at:: "Mapping Evapotranspiration from Satellites"

An article in the Washington Post is: "Water Measured From the Sky"

A NASA news release is: "Landsat Based Water-Use Mapping Method Hailed as an Important American Government Innovation"

A NASA video featuring metric entitled: "Landsat-A Space Age Water Gauge"

A Youtube Video of the IDWR-UI application by Harvard University is: "Mapping Evapotranspiration"

Animations of ET in Idaho are available at:: "Evapotranspiration from Landsat"

An article on METRIC in the NASA Earthobservatory web journal is available at:: "Features Water Watchers"

Additional work on METRIC and other remote sensing techniques for ET over large regions were presented at the 2003 International Workshop on Use of Remote Sensing of Crop Evapotranspiration for Large Regions, in Montpellier, France. For more information on SEBAL and its application in North America, please visit SEBAL North America.

Presentations during the one day workshop on METRIC/SEBAL held on February 7, 2005 in Ft. Collins, Colorado

METRICTM Level 1 processing support spreadsheets  

The current 16-day overpass return time of a single Landsat satellite is often insufficient to produce annual ET products due to impacts of clouds.  This link describes a summary of impacts of clouds on one vs. two Landsat systems in operation over southern Idaho that shows the likelihood of producing annual ET products for any given year to increase by a factor of NINE times (from 5% probability to 45% probability).

Critical Need to Continue the Landsat System and High Resolution Thermal Coverage in Western Water Resources Management (pdf)

Other information concerning the need for high resolution thermal coverage from satellite platforms. (Idaho Department of Water Resources)

 

 
 


Kimberly