Land-atmosphere interactions, evapotranspiration

Abstract

Remote sensing of ET is currently a high-level research and science priority, especially as ET is central to connecting the water, energy, and carbon cycles; a modulator of regional rainfall; a significant factor in flood and drought processes and models; the primary climatic predictor of biodiversity; and critical for the agricultural industry. In situ measurement of ET requires cost-constraining equipment; as such, major international efforts, such as the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX), have focused on determination of ET from existing remote sensing assets (Jiménez et al., 2011; Vinukollu et al., 2011). The techniques described here provide an overview of how the scientific community estimates ET from remote sensing.