ARS | Publication request: Bushland evapotranspiration and agricultural remote sensing system (BEARS)

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 28, 2012
Publication Date: October 23, 2012
Citation: Gowda, P., Howell, T.A., Paul, G., Colaizzi, P.D., Marek, T.H., Porter, D.O., Moorhead, J.E., Holman, D. 2012. Bushland evapotranspiration and agricultural remote sensing system (BEARS)[abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. Paper No. 209-10.

Technical Abstract: High-resolution daily evapotranspiration (ET) maps would greatly assist irrigation scheduling and hydrologic modeling. Numerous remote sensing-based ET algorithms that vary in complexity are available for estimating spatially and temporally variable daily ET at a regional scale. However, implementation of these algorithms for deriving ET maps on a daily basis requires high-level remote sensing expertise, and expensive specialized software. In this study, we will present the Bushland Evapotranspiration and Agricultural Remote Sensing System (BEARS), a standalone application developed using the Java Programming Language for deriving ET maps from Landsat TM/ETM+ data. This is a collaborative project between USDA-ARS (Bushland), Texas AgriLife Research (Amarillo) and Extension (Lubbock), and Kansas State University that would bring us one step closer to implementation of an operational ET remote sensing program for irrigation scheduling purposes. Users will have the option of selecting one of the five energy balance based ET methods: Mapping Evapotranspiration with Internalized Calibration (METRIC), Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL), SEBS (Surface Energy Balance System), Two Source Model (TSM), and Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) for deriving ET maps interactively or in a batch mode. Other capabilities of the BEARS include spatial interpolation of selected climatic variables and reference ET maps using point datasets, accuracy assessment of interpolated maps, and numerous GIS techniques for managing remote sensing data and ET maps. At present, efforts are being made to include capabilities for deriving ET maps from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Extension specialists and groundwater districts with minimal background in remote sensing for irrigation scheduling and ground/surface water management, designed the BEARS system. This package can also be used by climate change, and watershed modelers to develop historical ET databases at a regional scale to assist with accurate prediction of spatially variable water budgets.