Assessing the performance of a large-scale irrigation system by estimations of actual evapotranspiration obtained by Landsat satellite images resampled with cubic convolution

Remote sensing techniques allow monitoring the Earth surface and acquiring worthwhile information that can be used efficiently in agro-hydrological systems. Satellite images associated to computational models represent reliable resources to estimate actual evapotranspiration fluxes, ET_a, based on surface energy balance. The knowledge of ET_a and its spatial distribution is crucial for a broad range of applications at different scales, from fields to large irrigation districts. In single plots and/or in irrigation districts, linking water volumes delivered to the plots with the estimations of remote sensed ET_a can have a great potential to develop new cost-effective indicators of irrigation performance, as well as to increase water use efficiency. With the aim to assess the irrigation system performance and the opportunities to save irrigation water resources at the “SAT Llano Verde” district in Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) was applied on cloud-free Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images, processed by cubic convolution resampling method, for three irrigation seasons (May to September 2006, 2007 and 2008). The model allowed quantifying instantaneous, daily, monthly and seasonal ET_a over the irrigation district. The comparison between monthly irrigation volumes distributed by each hydrant and the corresponding spatially averaged ET_a, obtained by assuming an overall efficiency of irrigation network equal to 85%, allowed the assessment of the irrigation system performance for the area served by each hydrant, as well as for the whole irrigation district. It was observed that in all the investigated years, irrigation volumes applied monthly by farmers resulted generally higher than the corresponding evapotranspiration fluxes retrieved by SEBAL, with the exception of May, in which abundant rainfall occurred. When considering the entire irrigation seasons, it was demonstrated that a considerable amount of water could have been saved in the district, respectively equal to 26.2, 28.0 and 16.4% of the total water consumption evaluated in the three years.     

Assessing reference evapotranspiration at regional scale based on remote sensing,weather forecast and GIS tools

Reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) is a key component in efficient water management, especially in arid and semi-arid environments. However, accurate ET_o assessment at the regional scale is complicated by the limited number of weather stations and the strict requirements in terms of their location and surrounding physical conditions for the collection of valid weather data. In an attempt to overcome this limitation, new approaches based on the use of remote sensing techniques and weather forecast tools have been proposed.Use of the Land Surface Analysis Satellite Application Facility (LSA SAF) tool and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have allowed the design and development of innovative approaches for ET_o assessment, which are especially useful for areas lacking available weather data from weather stations. Thus, by identifying the best-performing interpolation approaches (such as the Thin Plate Splines, TPS) and by developing new approaches (such as the use of data from the most similar weather station, TS, or spatially distributed correction factors, CITS), errors as low as 1.1% were achieved for ET_o assessment. Spatial and temporal analyses reveal that the generated errors were smaller during spring and summer as well as in homogenous topographic areas.The proposed approaches not only enabled accurate calculations of seasonal and daily ET_o values, but also contributed to the development of a useful methodology for evaluating the optimum number of weather stations to be integrated into a weather station network and the appropriateness of their locations. In addition to ET_o, other variables included in weather forecast datasets (such as temperature or rainfall) could be evaluated using the same innovative methodology proposed in this study.     

Assessment and validation of evapotranspiration using SEBAL algorithm and Lysimeter data of IARI agricultural farm,India

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a vital process in land surface atmosphere research. In this study, Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) for the assessment of ET (for 23 December 2010, 8 January 2011, 24 January 2011, 9 February 2011, 25 February 2011, 29 March 2011 and 14 April 2011) from LANDSAT7-ETM+ and validation with Lysimeter data set is illustrated. It is based on the evaporative fraction concept, and it has been applied to LANDSAT7-ETM + (30 m resolution) data acquired over the Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s agricultural farm land. The ET from SEBAL was compared with Lysimeter ET using four statistical tests (root-mean-square error (RMSE), relative root-mean-square error (R-RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and normalized root-mean square error (NRMSE)), and each test showed a good correlation between the predicted and observed ET values. Results from this study revealed that the RMSE of crop-growing period was 0.51 mm d^?1 for ET_SEBAL, i.e. ET_SEBAL having good accuracy with respect to observed ET_Lysimeter. Results were also validated using R-RMSE test, which also proved that ET_SEBAL data are having good accuracy with respect to observed ET_Lysimeter as R-RMSE of crop-growing period is 0.19 mm d^?1. MAE (0.19), NRMSE (0.21) and r² (0.91) tests indicated that model prediction is significant, and model can be effectively used for the estimation of ET from SEBAL as input of remote sensing data sets. Finally, the SEBAL has been useful for remote agricultural land where ground-based data (Lysimeter data) are not available for daily ET (ET_24 h) estimation. The temporal study of the ET_24 h values analysed has revealed that the highest ET_24 h values are owing to the higher development (high greenness) of crops, whereas the lower values are related to the lower development (low greenness) or null crop.     

Water Balance Study for a Basin Integrating Remote Sensing Data and GIS

Water balance of a basin involves estimation of input precipitation, runoff, infiltration and evapotranspiration (ET). Although ET may have large variations over a big basin, it is commonly estimated using a few point measurements and this makes the estimation error prone. Satellite based remote sensing data provides few parameters for estimation of energy fluxes, at the land surface and atmosphere interaction in a distributed manner using the meteorological parameters. These parameters through surface energy balance equation have been used for the estimation of ET in this study. Various spatially distributed variables required for ET estimation; viz. NDVI, surface albedo, surface temperature etc. have been derived using remote sensing and ancillary data for Tapi basin located in western India. Beside this field data such as rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity, sunshine hours etc. have been used. For computation of runoff, Soil Conservation Services (SCS) approach has been considered. Tapi basin up to Ukai dam has been selected as the study area. Satellite data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite, which carries the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), have been used for preparation of various maps required for runoff and ET analysis. The results of runoff and ET have been compared with observed data for 2 years, 2002–2003 and the results have been found in good agreement with observed data.     

Monitoring global land surface drought based on a hybrid evapotranspiration model

The latent heat of evapotranspiration (ET) plays an important role in the assessment of drought severity as one sensitive indicator of land drought status. A simple and accurate method of estimating global ET for the monitoring of global land surface droughts from remote sensing data is essential. The objective of this research is to develop a hybrid ET model by introducing empirical coefficients based on a simple linear two-source land ET model, and to then use this model to calculate the Evaporative Drought Index (EDI) based on the actual estimated ET and the potential ET in order to characterize global surface drought conditions. This is done using the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) products, AVHRR-NDVI products from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) group, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis-2 (NCEP-2) datasets. We randomly divided 22 flux towers into two groups and performed a series of cross-validations using ground measurements collected from the corresponding flux towers. The validation results from the second group of flux towers using the data from the first group for calibration show that the daily bias varies from −6.72 W/m² to 12.95 W/m² and the average monthly bias is −1.73 W/m². Similarly, the validation results of the first group of flux towers using data from second group for calibration show that the daily bias varies from −12.91 W/m² to 10.26 W/m² and the average monthly bias is −3.59 W/m². To evaluate the reliability of the hybrid ET model on a global scale, we compared the estimated ET from the GEWEX, AVHRR-GIMMS-NDVI, and NECP-2 datasets with the latent heat flux from the Global Soil Wetness Project-2 (GSWP-2) datasets. We found both of them to be in good agreement, which further supports the validity of our model's global ET estimation. Significantly, the patterns of monthly EDI anomalies have a good spatial and temporal correlation with the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) anomalies from January 1984 to December 2002, which indicates that the method can be used to accurately monitor long-term global land surface drought.     

区域蒸散发量的遥感模型方法研究

蒸散是水资源管理的一个重要参数。与传统的蒸散计算方法相比,利用遥感进行蒸散研究具有快速、准确、大区域尺度及地图可视化显示等特点。本文通过研究,提出了基于能量平衡方法遥感反演蒸散发的计算模型,指出了模型参数的求解方法,建立了基于MOD IS遥感数据的大区域蒸散发遥感反演技术方法。通过对石羊河流域进行试验,反演误差基本小于10%,并且具有进一步推广的技术前景。     

Comparison of three remotely sensed drought indices for assessing the impact of drought on winter wheat yield

ABSTRACT

Agricultural drought threatens food security. Numerous remote-sensing drought indices have been developed, but their different principles, assumptions and physical quantities make it necessary to compare their suitability for drought monitoring over large areas. Here, we analyzed the performance of three typical remote sensing-based drought indices for monitoring agricultural drought in two major agricultural production regions in Shaanxi and Henan provinces, northern China (predominantly rain-fed and irrigated agriculture, respectively): vegetation health index (VHI), temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) and drought severity index (DSI). We compared the agreement between these indices and the standardized precipitation index (SPI), soil moisture, winter wheat yield and National Meteorological Drought Monitoring (NMDM) maps. On average, DSI outperformed the other indices, with stronger correlations with SPI and soil moisture. DSI also corresponded better with soil moisture and NMDM maps. The jointing and grain-filling stages of winter wheat are more sensitive to water stress, indicating that winter wheat required more water during these stages. Moreover, the correlations between the drought indices and SPI, soil moisture, and winter wheat yield were generally stronger in Shaanxi province than in Henan province, suggesting that remote-sensing drought indices provide more accurate predictions of the impacts of drought in predominantly rain-fed agricultural areas.     

基于遥感技术的区域地表蒸散研究进展

遥感技术的发展为大面积的区域地表蒸散(evapotranspiration,ET)反演和估算提供了一种新的手段,国内外学者围绕该领域在理论和技术方法上开展了大量研究。能量平衡原理是遥感估算地表ET的理论基础,由此发展出多种遥感ET模型与算法。在分析几种常见ET模型算法的基本原理及优缺点的基础上,阐述了不同方法的适应性及相关研究进展情况,提出了目前遥感ET研究所存在的问题,展望了遥感ET的发展趋势。     

ETWatch中不同尺度蒸散融合方法

高分辨率遥感蒸散数据集的构建受到数据源的限制和云的影响,单一传感器无法达到高时空分辨率覆盖。本文分 析了ETWatch不同尺度遥感蒸散结果的空间特征,通过几种融合方法的比较,分析数据融合前后的数据特征和信息量,将 时空适应性反射率融合模型（STARFM）集成到ETWatch,用于不同尺度遥感蒸散数据的融合,该方法可以很好的结合高 低分辨率数据的空间分布和时间分布信息,在时间上保留了高时间分辨率数据的时间变化趋势,空间上又反映了高空间分 辨率数据的空间细节差异,STARFM融合后的日ET数据与融合前1 km 日ET数据的平均相对误差为1.75%,融合后的月ET 数据与融合前1 km 月ET数据的平均相对误差为0.2%,STARFM适合于不同尺度下遥感ET数据的融合。     

Application of S-SEBI model for crop evapotranspiration using Landsat-8 data over parts of North India

Estimation and monitoring of crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) or consumptive water use over large-area holds the key to irrigation management plans and regional drought preparedness. The objective of this study was to estimate ET_c by applying the simplified-surface energy balance index (S-SEBI) model to Landsat-8 data for the 2014–2015 period in parts of North India. An average ET_c was estimated 2.72 and 2.47 in mm day^?1 with 0.22, 0.18 standard deviation and 0.11, 0.07 standard error for Kharif and Rabi crops, respectively. On validation part, a close relationship was observed between S-SEBI derived and scintillometer observed evaporative fraction with 0.85 correlation coefficient and 0.86 agreement index. The statistical analysis also endorses the results accuracy and reliability with 0.026 and 0.602, relative root-mean square errors and model efficiency for wheat crop, respectively. The study showed that normalized difference vegetation index and LST are closely related and serve as a proxy for qualitative representation of ET_c.     

三温模型与MODIS影像反演蒸散发

提出三温模型结合MODIS数据反演区域蒸散发的方法,在内蒙古草原开展案例研究,以2008年植被生长季(7—10月)的波文比系统观测数据为标准,对该方法进行检验。结果表明:三温模型反演的蒸散发量,平均值、最大、最小值分别为4.58mm/d、9.03mm/d、1.28mm/d;蒸散发反演结果在空间上分布较均匀,与草原的均一性相吻合,在时间上蒸散发的数值先逐渐增大,8月后逐渐减小,与观测结果相一致;三温模型反演的蒸散发量与观测值之间的最小、最大绝对误差分别为0.11mm/d、1.64mm/d,平均绝对误差为0.58mm/d、平均相对误差为17.10%。三温模型在1km空间尺度的反演精度较理想。     

Detecting Drought-Prone Areas of Rice Agriculture Using a MODIS-Derived Soil Moisture Index

This study examined the use of remote sensing in detecting and assessing drought in Iloilo Province, Philippines. A remote sensing-based soil moisture index (SMI), rainfall anomaly data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), and rice production departure (P_d ) data were used for drought detection and validation. The study was conducted using two drought years (2001, 2005) and one non-drought year (2002). According to SMI data, the drought distribution was classified into four major groups. SMI values > 0.3 were considered not to be drought and SMI values ≤ 0.3 were classified as slight, moderate, and severe drought. Results based on SMI revealed that the study area experienced drought in 2001 and 2005, while 2002 exhibited no drought. On the other hand, TRMM-based rainfall anomaly data revealed negative values in 2001 and 2005 and positive values in 2002. Below-normal P_d values were observed in 2005 and above-normal values in 2002, whereas nearly normal values prevailed in 2001. Yield indicator data were crucial for the assessment of drought impacts on rice production. In most cases, the pattern of rice production and productivity revealed that the decline in the production or productivity of rice for a particular year coincided with lower SMI values and greater rainfall departure or negative anomaly.     

旱情遥感监测研究进展与应用案例分析

在大范围、长时序的旱情监测中,遥感技术以其快速、经济和大空间范围获取的特点,弥补了基于台站气象数据旱情监测的不足,为防旱和抗旱决策提供了实时、动态、宏观的辅助决策数据。本文对已有旱情遥感监测方法进行分析和整理,将其总结为基于土壤热惯量、基于土壤波谱特征、基于蒸散模型和基于植被指数的旱情监测方法,并对各类方法从监测原理、适用范围和应用进展等方面进行了阐述。在此基础之上,详细介绍一种结合了全球植被水分指数和短波角度归一化指数的优势建立的旱情遥感监测模型和方法。以2010年春季西南地区旱情为应用案例,从监测模型方法、数据处理流程和应用分析等方面,介绍一种基于植被水分指数的旱情监测方法,并对其监测结果进行统计分析与评价。     

Satellite detection of increases in global land surface evapotranspiration during 1984–2007

Abstract

As a key component of digital earth, remotely sensed data provides the compelling evidence that the amount of water vapour transferred from the entire global surface to the atmosphere increased from 1984 to 2007. The validation results from the earlier evapotranspiration (ET) estimation algorithm based on net radiation (R _n ), Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), air temperature and diurnal air temperature range (DTaR) showed good agreement between estimated monthly ET and ground-measured ET from 20 flux towers. Our analysis indicates that the estimated actual ET has increased on average over the entire global land surface except for Antarctica during 1984–2007. However, this increasing trend disappears after 2000 and the reason may be that the decline in net radiation and NDVI during this period depleted surface soil moisture. Moreover, the good correspondence between the precipitation trend and the change in ET in arid and semi-arid regions indicated that surface moisture linked to precipitation affects ET. The input parameters R _n , T _air, NDVI and DTaR show substantial spatio-temporal variability that is almost consistent with that of actual ET from 1984 to 2007 and contribute most significantly to the variation in actual ET.     

Estimating dissolved organic carbon concentration in turbid coastal waters using optical remote sensing observations

Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) is an important component in the global carbon cycle. It also plays an important role in influencing the coastal ocean biogeochemical (BGC) cycles and light environment. Studies focussing on DOC dynamics in coastal waters are data constrained due to the high costs associated with in situ water sampling campaigns. Satellite optical remote sensing has the potential to provide continuous, cost-effective DOC estimates. In this study we used a bio-optics dataset collected in turbid coastal waters of Moreton Bay (MB), Australia, during 2011 to develop a remote sensing algorithm to estimate DOC. This dataset includes data from flood and non-flood conditions. In MB, DOC concentration varied over a wide range (20–520 μM C) and had a good correlation (R² = 0.78) with absorption due to coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and remote sensing reflectance. Using this data set we developed an empirical algorithm to derive DOC concentrations from the ratio of R_rs(412)/R_rs(488) and tested it with independent datasets. In this study, we demonstrate the ability to estimate DOC using remotely sensed optical observations in turbid coastal waters.     

土壤水分的遥感监测方法

本文讨论了用雷达图像散射系数法、NOAA-AVHRR数字图像热惯量法和作物缺水指数法监测土壤水分的结果,并将这些方法与常规气象方法、绿度指数法和温差法监测土壤水分的效果进行了比较和评价。结果表明,微波遥感监测土壤水分有广阔的应用前景,但必须深入开展基础研究。在我国目前情况下,采用NOAA-AVHRR数字图像及有关气象数据计算热惯量、作物蒸散和缺水指数,从而估算土壤水分的方法是一种比较切实可行的方法。     

闪电河流域水循环和能量平衡遥感综合试验

遥感试验是进行遥感原理的验证、遥感模型与反演方法的发展、遥感产品的真实性检验,推动卫星计划的论证实施及其观测在地球系统科学中应用的重要途径。闪电河流域水循环和能量平衡遥感综合试验以滦河上游闪电河流域为核心试验区,以地球表层系统的水循环过程和能量平衡为研究对象,旨在通过天—空—地一体化的观测手段,针对不同典型地表类型开展全波段主被动协同遥感观测,研究异质地表和山地条件下像元尺度遥感关键参量的观测方案,研究重要水热参量的遥感方法及其同陆面/水文过程模型的结合,支撑国家民用空间基础设施和空间科学先导专项相关卫星计划的论证实施。其中,航空飞行遥感试验搭载L波段主被动一体化微波载荷、双角度热红外相机、四波段多光谱相机和高光谱成像仪进行协同观测,实现了土壤水分、组分温度、植被含水量、叶面积指数等地表参数以及湖泊、水库、湿地等的遥感监测;地面同步观测试验利用车载微波辐射计、地基雷达和光谱仪进行了典型地物如裸土、植被、水体、人工目标等的遥感观测,并按照样区—样方—样点的多尺度嵌套方案进行了地表参数的同步采样,获取了该地区关键地表参数的短时期时空变化特征;同时配合卫星和机载观测,在闪电河流域完成了土壤温湿度、地表水热通量、地表辐射四分量、降水等气象要素的地面观测网络的建设,为验证地表辐射/散射遥感模型,发展、优化和验证水热参量遥感反演算法,研究地表水热参量尺度效应与尺度转化问题提供了重要平台,将促进陆表能量与水分交换过程的理解及其对全球变化的作用和反馈机制的研究。     

Remote detection of bare soil moisture using a surface-temperature-based soil evaporation transfer coefficient

An approach for estimating soil moisture is presented and tested by using surface-temperature-based soil evaporation transfer coefficient (h_a), a coefficient recently proposed through the equation h_a = (T_s − T_a)/(T_sd − T_a), where T_s, T_sd, and T_a are land surface temperature (LST), reference soil (dry soil without evaporation) surface temperature, and air temperature respectively. Our analysis and controllable experiment indicated that h_a closely related to soil moisture, and therefore, a relationship between field soil moisture and h_a could be developed for soil moisture estimation. Field experiments were carried out to test the relationship between h_a and soil moisture. Time series Aqua-MODIS images were acquired between 11 Sep. 2006 and 1 Nov. 2007. Then, MODIS derived h_a and simultaneous measured soil moisture for different soil depths were used to establish the relations between the two variables. Results showed that there was a logarithmic relationship between soil moisture and h_a (P < 0.01). These logarithmic models were further validated by introducing another ground-truth data gathered from 46 meteorological stations in Hebei Province. Good agreement was observed between the measured and estimated soil moisture with RMSE of 0.0374 cm³/cm³ and 0.0503 cm³/cm³ for surface energy balance method at two soil depths (10 cm and 20 cm), with RMSE of 0.0467 cm³/cm³ and 0.0581 cm³/cm³ for maximum temperature method at two soil depths. For vegetated surfaces, the ratio of h_a and NDVI suggested to be considered. The proposed approach has a great potential for soil moisture and drought evaluation by remote sensing.     

Total Water Storage in Small Islands Using Multi-satellite Products: The case of Cyprus

The world’s longest international undersea water pipeline has recently been laid from southern Turkey to Northern Cyprus to address the water scarcity problems in the Cyprus Island. When completed, the project will add 19.8 million gallons of water annually for drinking and irrigation. Moreover, it will spur further development in the Turkish area divided from Greek community for four decades. Under such circumstances, satellite remote sensing provides a unique tool to evaluate the water policy for the entire island. The objective of this study is, therefore, to examine the potential of satellite-based remote sensing hydrologic models covering a small-scale Mediterranean island, which is under drought conditions. Satellite-based measurements such as GRACE (total water storage), TRMM (precipitation) and MODIS (evapotranspiration) data over a 1°–1° grid together with related information from global hydrological model, specifically WGHM and GLDAS, were collected for this purpose.