Implementation of SEBAL algorithm with Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 in lower Colorado River Basin

摘要

This paper presents the implementation and validation of the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) using Landsat Thematic Mapper5 (TM5). SEBAL, an image-based algorithm, was implemented in ERDAS IMAGINE 10.0 to calculate the daily evapotranspiration (ET) for the Lower Colorado Basin. Slope correction was taken into consideration by computing the solar declination, equation of time, hour angle, and instantaneous angle of incidence of beam radiation on sloping surfaces, which is critical for the subsequent computation of surface albedo, net radiation, and instantaneous evapotranspiration calculation. A sequence of ET images were computed for the years of 2007 and 2008, and validated with ground California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) weather and ground eddy covariance tower data. This paper demonstrates that SEBAL is a robust tool for mapping and monitoring the ET rates in riparian area.