A Satellite-based Evapotranspiration Retrieval over Local-to-Global Scales in Support of Land Surface, Hydrological, Mesoscale, and Global Climate Models

One of the key surface variables for hydrological applications, monitoring of natural and anthropogenic water consumption, closing energy balance and water budgets and drought identification is evapotranspiration (ET). There is currently a strong need for high temporal and spatial resolution ET products for climate and hydrological modelers. A satellite-based retrieval method that is capable of running at local, continental and global scales has been developed. This model has the ability to generate accurate ET estimates at high temporal and spatial resolutions by taking advantage of key remotely sensed parameters such as vegetation indices (VIs) and land surface temperature (LST) acquired by satellites as well as routinely-measured meteorological variables such as air temperature (Ta) and net radiation. For local-scale applications, the model has been successfully implemented in Python programming language and tested using Landsat satellite products at an eddy covariance flux tower in Florida. It is fully functional and automated such that there is no need of user intervention to run the model. The model development for continental- and global-scale applications using VI and LST products from NASA satellites such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is currently in progress. The results for local-scale application and early results for continental-scale (US) will be presented and discussed.