Improving iterative surface energy balance convergence for remote sensing based flux calculation

Abstract

A modification of the iterative procedure of the surface energy balance was purposed to expedite the convergence of Monin–Obukhov stability correction utilized by the remote sensing based flux calculation. This was demonstrated using ground-based weather stations as well as the gridded weather data (North American Regional Reanalysis) and remote sensing based (Landsat 5, 7) images. The study was conducted for different land-use classes in southern Idaho and northern California for multiple satellite overpasses. The convergence behavior of a selected Landsat pixel as well as all of the Landsat pixels within the area of interest was analyzed. Modified version needed multiple times less iteration compared to the current iterative technique. At the time of low wind speed (∼1.3 m/s), the current iterative technique was not able to find a solution of surface energy balance for all of the Landsat pixels, while the modified version was able to achieve it in a few iterations. The study will facilitate many operational evapotranspiration models to avoid the nonconvergence in low wind speeds, which helps to increase the accuracy of flux calculations.