Estimation of actual evapotranspiration using the simplified-surface energy balance index model on an irrigated agricultural farm

Abstract

Evapotranspiration (ET) plays a crucial role in the energy and water balance of agricultural ecosystems and is a vital component of the hydrological cycle. Efficient irrigation water management relies on accurate spatiotemporal coverage of crop ET across a farm. Thanks to the availability of multi-temporal high-resolution satellite datasets and remote sensing-based surface energy balance models, near-real-time estimation of ET is now possible. This study utilized Landsat 8/9 data to estimate ET using the simplified surface energy balance index (S-SEBI) model, which was then compared to eddy covariance measurements over a semi-arid agricultural farm in New Delhi, India during the post-monsoon periods of 2021-22 and 2022-23. The S-SEBI model predicted daily ET from Landsat 8/9 data with an average correlation coefficient and RMSE of 0.89 and 0.79 mm/day, respectively. The spatiotemporal map was also used to evaluate the model's performance, and it could accurately differentiate between ET over dryland crops and well-irrigated wheat fields on the farm. Despite underestimating ET (0.51 mm/day) during the initial growing season (Nov-Dec) and overestimating it (0.73 mm/day) during mid-season (Feb-Mar), the S-SEBI model can still be an operational tool for mapping ET with high accuracy and sufficient variation across pixels, making it an ideal option for incorporating into irrigation scheduling.