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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Using Landsat data to estimate evapotranspiration of winter wheat

Results obtained from an evapotranspiration model as applied to Kansas winter wheatfields were compared with results determined by a weighing lysimeter, and the standard deviation was found to be less than 0.5 mm/day (however, the 95% confidence interval was between plus and minus 0.2 mm/day). Model inputs are solar radiation, temperature, precipitation, and leaf area index; an equation was developed to estimate the leaf area index from Landsat data. The model provides estimates of transpiration, evaporation, and soil moisture.

Kanemasu, E. T.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Use of Landsat and environmental satellite data in evapotranspiration estimation from a wildland area

A remote sensing-aided procedure was applied to the watershed-wide estimation of water loss to the atmosphere (evapotranspiration, ET). The approach involved a spatially referenced databank based on both remotely sensed and ground-acquired information. Physical models for both estimation of ET and quantification of input parameters are specified, and results of the investigation are outlined.

Khorram, S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Plant cover, soil temperature, freeze, water stress, and evapotranspiration conditions

Emissive and reflective data for 10 days, and IR data for 6 nights in south Texas scenes were analyzed after procedures were developed for removing cloud-affected data. HCMM radiometric temperatures were: within 2 C of dewpoint temperatures on nights when air temperature approached dewpoint temperatures; significantly correlated with variables important in evapotranspiration; and, related to freeze severity and planting depth soil temperatures. Vegetation greenness indexes calculated from visible and reflective IR bands of NOAA-6 to -9 meteorological satellites will be useful in the AgRISTARS program for seasonal crop development, crop condition, and drought applications.

Wiegand, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Remote Sensing of Snow and Evapotranspiration

The use of snowmelt runoff models from both the U.S. and Japan for simulating discharge on basins in both countries is discussed as well as research in snowpack properties and evapotranspiration using remotely sensed data.

Schmugge, T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Testing an Energy Balance Model for Estimating Actual Evapotranspiration Using Remotely Sensed Data

An energy-balance model is used to estimate daily evapotranspiration for 3 days for a barley field and a wheat field near Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany. The model was calibrated using once-daily estimates of surface temperatures, which may be remotely sensed. The evaporation estimates were within the 95% error bounds of independent eddy correlation estimates for the daytime periods for all three days for both sites, but the energy-balance estimates are generally higher; it is unclear which estimate is biassed. Soil moisture in the top 2 cm of soil, which may be remotely sensed, may be used to improve these evaporation estimates under partial ground cover. Sensitivity studies indicate the amount of ground data required is not excessive.

Gurney, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

NOAA AVHRR and its uses for rainfall and evapotranspiration monitoring

NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Global Vegetation Indices (GVI) were used during the 1986 rainy season (June-September) over Senegal to monitor rainfall. The satellite data were used in conjunction with ground-based measurements so as to derive empirical relationships between rainfall and GVI. The regression obtained was then used to map the total rainfall corresponding to the growing season, yielding good results. Normalized Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI) derived from High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) data were also compared with actual evapotranspiration (ET) data and proved to be closely correlated with it with a time lapse of 20 days.

Kerr, Yann H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evapotranspiration from combined reflected solar and emitted terrestrial radiation - Preliminary FIFE results from AVHRR data

The relation between remotely sensed spectral vegetation indices and thermal IR measurements is studied. Land surface evapotranspiration is evaluated based on this relationship. Analysis of the AVHRR data, obtained in Kansas in 1987, reveal a strong correlation between the spectral vegetation indices and surface temperature and this relation covaries with surface moisture conditions. It is noted that the relation between remotely sensed measurements of canopy green foliage and surface temperature is useful for examining variations in the interface thermal inertia and energy balance Bowen ratio.

Goward, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Potential evapotranspiration and the likelihood of future drought

The possibility that the greenhouse warming predicted by the GISS general-circulation model and other GCMs could lead to severe droughts is investigated by means of numerical simulations, with a focus on the role of potential evapotranspiration E(P). The relationships between precipitation (P), E(P), soil moisture, and vegetation changes in GCMs are discussed; the empirically derived Palmer drought-intensity index and a new supply-demand index (SDDI) based on changes in P - E(P) are described; and simulation results for the period 1960-2060 are presented in extensive tables, graphs, and computer-generated color maps. Simulations with both drought indices predict increasing drought frequency for the U.S., with effects already apparent in the 1990s and a 50-percent frequency of severe droughts by the 2050s. Analyses of arid periods during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic are shown to support the use of the SDDI in GCM drought prediction.

Rind, D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Estimation of tropical forest canopy temperatures, thermal response numbers, and evapotranspiration using an aircraft-based thermal sensor

Thermal infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) data were collected at a resolution of 5 to 10 m from a tropical rain forest over an elevation gradient from 35 to 2700 m in the Braulio Carrillo National Park in Costa Rica. Flight lines were repeated with a 15 to 30 minute time difference for measurement of forest canopy thermal response over time. Concurrent radiosonde measurements of atmospheric profiles of air temperature and moisture provided inputs to LOWTRAN6 for atmospheric radiance corrections of the TIMS data. Techniques for using calibrated aircraft-based thermal scanner data to examine tropical forest canopy thermal properties are described. Forest canopy temperature changes over time assessed between repeated, duplicated flight lines were combined with estimates of surface radiative energy measurements from towers above the forest canopy to determine temperature spatial variability, calculate Thermal Response Numbers (TRN), and estimate evapotranspiration along the elevation gradient from selected one hectare forest inventory plots.

Luvall, Jeffrey C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Using the TIMS to estimate evapotranspiration from a forest

The main goals were: (1) to characterize the evapotranspiration (Et) of two forested watersheds using direct measurement techniques, and (2) to evaluate if remotely sensed surface temperatures could be used to estimate Et from the same watersheds. Two independent approaches for estimating the Et from watersheds were used. The first was derived using the Penman-Monteith Equation. This model requires the direct measurement of the microclimate of the site as well as biological measurements, i.e., stomatal conductance to water vapor and the leaf area of the stand. The primary limitation of this approach is that the measurement of stomatal conductance is time consuming, and in large trees, access to the foliage is difficult so the sample must be limited to the small number of trees. In the study, the sample was limited to the trees which could be measured from a single tower in each stand.

Teskey, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1993

Understanding land surface evapotranspiration with satellite multispectral measurements

Quantitative use of remote multispectral measurements to study and map land surface evapotranspiration has been a challenging issue for the past 20 years. Past work is reviewed against process physics. A simple two-layer combination-type model is used which is applicable to both vegetation and bare soil. The theoretic analysis is done to show which land surface properties are implicitly defined by such evaporation models and to assess whether they are measurable as a matter of principle. Conceptual implications of the spatial correlation of land surface properties, as observed by means of remote multispectral measurements, are illustrated with results of work done in arid zones. A normalization of spatial variability of land surface evaporation is proposed by defining a location-dependent potential evaporation and surface temperature range. Examples of the application of remote based estimates of evaporation to hydrological modeling studies in Egypt and Argentina are presented.

Menenti, M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Evapotranspiration and runoff from large land areas: Land surface hydrology for atmospheric general circulation models

A land surface hydrology parameterization for use in atmospheric GCM's is presented. The parameterization incorporates subgrid scale variability in topography, soils, soil moisture and precipitation. The framework of the model is the statistical distribution of a topography-soils index, which controls the local water balance fluxes, and is therefore taken to represent the large land area. Spatially variable water balance fluxes are integrated with respect to the topography-soils index to yield our large topography-soils distribution, and interval responses are weighted by the probability of occurrence of the interval. Grid square averaged land surface fluxes result. The model functions independently as a macroscale water balance model. Runoff ratio and evapotranspiration efficiency parameterizations are derived and are shown to depend on the spatial variability of the above mentioned properties and processes, as well as the dynamics of land surface-atmosphere interactions.

Famiglietti, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Empirical relationships among atmospheric variables from rawinsonde and field data as surrogates for AVIRIS measurements: Estimation of regional land surface evapotranspiration

Empirical relationships between variables are ways of securing estimates of quantities difficult to measure by remote sensing methods. The use of empirical functions was explored between: (1) atmospheric column moisture abundance W (gm H2O/cm(sup 2) and surface absolute water vapor density rho(q-bar) (gm H2O/cm(sup 3), with rho density of moist air (gm/cm(sup 3), q-bar specific humidity (gm H2O/gm moist air), and (2) column abundance and surface moisture flux E (gm H2O/(cm(sup 2)sec)) to infer regional evapotranspiration from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometers (AVIRIS) water vapor mapping data. AVIRIS provides, via analysis of atmospheric water absorption features, estimates of column moisture abundance at very high mapping rate (at approximately 100 km(sup 2)/40 sec) over large areas at 20 m ground resolution.

Conel, James E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Measurement of evapotranspiration with combined reflective and thermal infrared radiance observations

The broad goal of the research summarized in this report was 'To facilitate the evaluation of regional evapotranspiration (ET) through the combined use of solar reflective and thermal infrared radiance observations.' The specific objectives stated by Goward and Hope (1986) were to: (1) investigate the nature of the relationship between surface temperature (T(sub S)) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and develop an understanding of this relationship in terms of energy exchange processes, particularly latent flux heat (LE); (2) develop procedures to estimate large area LE using combined T(sub S) and NDVI observations obtained from AVHRR data; and (3) determine whether measurements derived from satellite observations relate directly to measurements made at the surface or from aircraft platforms. Both empirical and modeling studies were used to develop an understanding of the T(sub S)-NDVI relationship. Most of the modeling was based on the Tergra model as originally proposed by Goward. This model, and modified versions developed in this project, simulates the flows of water and energy in the soil-plant-atmosphere system using meteorological, soil and vegetation inputs. Model outputs are the diurnal course of soil moisture, T(sub S), LE and the other individual components of the surface energy balance.

Hope, Allen S.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Remotely-Sensed Regional-Scale Evapotranspiration of a Semi-Arid Great Basin Desert and its Relationship to Geomorphology, Soils, and Vegetation

Landsat thematic mapper data are used to estimate instantaneous regional-scale surface water and energy fluxes in a semi-arid Great Basin desert of the western United States. Results suggest that it is possible to scale from point measurements of environmental state variables to regional estimates of water and energy exchange. This research characterizes the unifying thread in the classical climate-topography-soil-vegetation relation -the surface water and energy balance-through maps of the partitioning of energy throughout the landscape. The study was conducted in Goshute Valley of northeastern Nevada, which is characteristic of most faulted graben valleys of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States. The valley comprises a central playa and lake plain bordered by alluvial fans emanating from the surrounding mountains. The distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) is lowest in the middle reaches of the fans where the water table is deep and plants are small, resulting in low evaporation and transpiration. Highest ET occurs in the center of the valley, particularly in the playa, where limited to no vegetation occurs, but evaporation is relatively high because of a shallow water table and silty clay soil capable of large capillary movement. Intermediate values of ET are associated with large shrubs and is dominated by transpiration.

Laymon, C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Remotely-Sensed Regional-Scale Evapotranspiration of a Semi-Arid Great Basin Desert and its Relationship to Geomorphology, Soils, and Vegetation

Landsat Thematic Mapper data is used to estimate instantaneous regional-scale surface water and energy fluxes in a semi-arid Great Basin desert of the western United States. Results suggest that it is possible to scale from point measurements of environmental state variables to regional estimates of water and energy exchange. This research characterizes the unifying thread in the classical climate-topography-soil-vegetation relation-the surface water and energy balance-through maps of the partitioning of energy throughout the landscape. The study was conducted in Goshute Valley of northeastern Nevada, which is characteristic of most faulted graben valleys of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States. The valley comprises a central playa and lake plain bordered by alluvial fans emanating from the surrounding mountains. The distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) is lowest in the middle reaches of the fans where the water table is deep and plants are small, resulting in low evaporation and transpiration. Highest ET occurs in the center of the valley, particularly in the playa, where limited to no vegetation occurs, but evaporation is relatively high because of a shallow water table and silty clay soil capable of large capillary movement. Intermediate values of ET are associated with large shrubs and is dominated by transpiration.

Laymon, C.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Partitioning Evapotranspiration in Semiarid Grassland and Shrubland Ecosystems Using Diurnal Surface Temperature Variation

The encroachment of woody plants in grasslands across the Western U.S. will affect soil water availability by altering the contributions of evaporation (E) and transpiration (T) to total evapotranspiration (ET). To study this phenomenon, a network of flux stations is in place to measure ET in grass- and shrub-dominated ecosystems throughout the Western U.S. A method is described and tested here to partition the daily measurements of ET into E and T based on diurnal surface temperature variations of the soil and standard energy balance theory. The difference between the mid-afternoon and pre-dawn soil surface temperature, termed Apparent Thermal Inertia (I(sub A)), was used to identify days when E was negligible, and thus, ET=T. For other days, a three-step procedure based on energy balance equations was used to estimate Qe contributions of daily E and T to total daily ET. The method was tested at Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in southeast Arizona based on Bowen ratio estimates of ET and continuous measurements of surface temperature with an infrared thermometer (IRT) from 2004- 2005, and a second dataset of Bowen ratio, IRT and stem-flow gage measurements in 2003. Results showed that reasonable estimates of daily T were obtained for a multi-year period with ease of operation and minimal cost. With known season-long daily T, E and ET, it is possible to determine the soil water availability associated with grass- and shrub-dominated sites and better understand the hydrologic impact of regional woody plant encroachment.

Moran, M. Susan↗