Publication Date:
2017-05-29
Description:
Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is essential for hydrological modelling and efficient crop water management in hyper-arid climates, like the one in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, a study was designed to apply the METRIC algorithm on Landsat-8 images, acquired from June to October 2013, for the development of ET maps for a 50-ha center pivot irrigated alfalfa field. The METRIC estimated energy balance components and ET were evaluated against the data provided by an Eddy Covariance (EC) flux tower installed in the field. Results indicated that the METRIC algorithm provided accurate ET estimates over the study area, with RMSE values of 0.09 mm h−1 and 0.38 mm d−1. The METRIC algorithm was observed to perform a relatively better in full canopy conditions compared to that in partial canopy conditions. On the average, the METRIC algorithm overestimated the hourly ET by 6.6 % in comparison to the EC measurements; however, the daily ET was underestimated by 4.2 %.
Print ISSN:
1812-2108
Electronic ISSN:
1812-2116
Topics:
Geography
,
Geosciences
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