Estimating Evapotranspiration in the Smith River Basin, Montana

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Landsat imagery was used to calculate evapotranspiration within the Smith River Basin to refine the basin water balance and to determine water use impacts on groundwater and surface-water interactions on the mainstem and tributaries of the Smith River, Montana.  Estimates of evapotranspiration from various irrigated and non-irrigated vegetated surfaces were made for 2007 using a spatially heterogeneous energy balance model. Evapotranspiration (ETa) was calculated using the Simplified Surface Energy Balance Method (SSEB) approach  with the Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) model, both of which are based on the principle that latent heat flux, a surrogate for actual evapotranspiration, varies linearly with near-surface temperature differences. At-sensor land-surface temperature data from Landsat 5 TM (120 m), Landsat 7 ETM+ (60 m), and MODIS (1 km) sensors were used.

Author Name
Kyle Blasch
Author Email
kblasch@usgs.gov