Assessing the Accuracy of OpenET Satellite-Based Evapotranspiration Data to Support Water Resource and Land Management Applications

Authors

• John M. Volk, Desert Research Institute
• Justin L. Huntington, Desert Research Institute
• Forrest S. Melton, California State University, Monterey Bay
• Richard Allen, University of Idaho
• Martha Anderson, USDA Agricultural Research Service
• Joshua B. Fisher, University of California, Los Angeles
• Ayse Kilic, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Anderson Ruhoff, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
• Gabriel B. Senay, US Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center
• Blake Minor, Desert Research Institute
• Charles Morton, Desert Research Institute
• Thomas Ott, Desert Research Institute
• Lee Johnson, California State University, Monterey Bay
• Bruno Comini de Andrade, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
• Will Carrara, California State University, Monterey Bay
• Conor T. Doherty, NASA Ames Research Center
• Christian Dunkerly, Desert Research Institute
• MacKenzie Friedrichs, KBR, Inc.
• Alberto Guzman, California State University, Monterey Bay
• Christopher Hain, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
• Gregory Halverson, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab
• Yanghui Kang, University of California Berkeley
• Kyle Knipper, USDA Agricultural Research Service
• Leonardo Laipelt, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
• Samuel Ortega-Salazar, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Christopher Pearson, Desert Research Institute
• Gabriel E.L. Parrish, Innovate!, Inc.
• Adam Purdy, California State University, Monterey Bay
• Peter ReVelle, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Tianxin Wang, University of California Berkeley
• Yun Yang, Mississippi State University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2024

Publication Title

Nature Water

Abstract

Remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) data offer strong potential to support data-driven approaches for sustainable water management. However, practitioners require robust and rigorous accuracy assessments of such data. The OpenET system, which includes an ensemble of six remote sensing models, was developed to increase access to field-scale (30 m) ET data for the contiguous United States. Here we compare OpenET outputs against data from 152 in situ stations, primarily eddy covariance flux towers, deployed across the contiguous United States. Mean absolute error at cropland sites for the OpenET ensemble value is 15.8 mm per month (17% of mean observed ET), mean bias error is −5.3 mm per month (6%) and r² is 0.9. Results for shrublands and forested sites show higher inter-model variability and lower accuracy relative to croplands. High accuracy and multi-model convergence across croplands demonstrate the utility of a model ensemble approach, and enhance confidence among ET data practitioners, including the agricultural water resource management community.

Comments

Published in Nature Water by Springer Nature. Available via doi: 10.1038/s44221-023-00181-7.

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Recommended Citation

Volk, John M.; Huntington, Justin L.; Melton, Forrest S.; Allen, Richard; Anderson, Martha; Fisher, Joshua B.; Kilic, Ayse; Ruhoff, Anderson; Senay, Gabriel B.; Minor, Blake; Morton, Charles; Ott, Thomas; Johnson, Lee; Comini de Andrade, Bruno; Carrara, Will; Doherty, Conor T.; Dunkerly, Christian; Friedrichs, MacKenzie; Guzman, Alberto; Hain, Christopher; Halverson, Gregory; Kang, Yanghui; Knipper, Kyle; Laipelt, Leonardo; Ortega-Salazar, Samuel; Pearson, Christopher; Parrish, Gabriel E.L.; Purdy, Adam; ReVelle, Peter; Wang, Tianxin; and Yang, Yun, "Assessing the Accuracy of OpenET Satellite-Based Evapotranspiration Data to Support Water Resource and Land Management Applications" (2024). AES Faculty Publications and Presentations. 46.
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/aes_fac/46