Implementation of a Two-Source Model for Estimating the Spatial Variability of Olive Evapotranspiration Using Satellite Images and Ground-Based Climate Data

Abstract

A study was carried out to evaluate the potential use of the two-source Shuttleworth and Wallace (SW) model to compute the intra-orchard spatial variability of actual evapotranspiration (ET) of olive trees using satellite images and ground-based climate data. The study was conducted in a drip-irrigated olive orchard using satellite images (Landsat 7 ETM+), which were acquired on clear sky days during the main phenological stages (2009/10 growing season). The performance of the SW model was evaluated using instantaneous latent heat flux (LE) measurements that were obtained from an eddy correlation system. At the time of satellite overpass, the estimated values of net radiation ( Rn i ) and soil heat flux ( G i ) were compared with ground measurements from a four-way net radiometer and soil heat flux plates, respectively. The results indicated that the SW model subestimated instantaneous LE (W m−2) and daily ET (mm d−1), with errors of 12% and 10% of observed values, respectively. The root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) values for instantaneous LE were 26 and 20 W m−2, while those for daily values of ET were 0.31 and 0.28 mm d−1, respectively. Finally, the submodels computed Rn i and G i with errors of between 4.0% and 8.0% of measured values and with RMSE and MAE between 25 and 39 W m−2.