Evapotranspiration estimation of Urmia Lake Basin using GCOM-C thermal imagery

Abstract

Basin-scale monthly and annual evapotranspiration (ET) is estimated for Urmia Lake Basin by applying the Global Change Observation Mission for Climate (GCOM-C) global ETindex estimation algorithm to thermal imagery observed by the GCOM-C satellite. In total, 297 satellite images acquired during 2018-2019 were used in this study. ET estimation accuracy was examined for an area dominated by apple fields using traditional surface irrigation. The estimated ET was 15% lower than the standard crop ET, which was computed using a procedure suggested by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on a monthly timescale, and was 8% lower on an annual timescale. Comparison of estimated ET with a satellite-based ET map derived by using the Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) model showed a similar difference. The 8%–15% differences among the different sources of ET were small, given that a similar or wider range of uncertainty is frequently available even in ground-based ET measurements. Comparison between the estimated ET and the MODIS ET Product (MOD16) revealed a greater difference in the evaluated area of the apple fields. Given the climatic ET demands and the irrigation practices of the area, ET estimation accuracy is more likely to be higher using the dataset derived from this study than using MOD16. The GCOM-C satellite started routine surface observations in January 2018. Its contribution to agricultural water management, such as by estimating ET as presented in this study, will increase as the amount of historical data stored continues to accumulate.