Estimation of Actual Evapotranspiration Using the Remote Sensing Method and SEBAL Algorithm: A Case Study in Ein Khosh Plain, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) using remote sensing and the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) in the Ilam province, Iran. Landsat 8 satellite images were used to calculate ET during the cultivation and harvesting of wheat crops. The evaluation using SEBAL, along with the FAO-Penman–Monteith method, showed that SEBAL has a sufficient accuracy for estimating ET. The values of the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Mean Bias Error (MBE), and correlation coefficient were 0.466, 2.9%, 0.222 mm/day, and 0.97, respectively. Satellite images showed that rainfall, except for the last month of cultivation, provided the necessary water requirements and there was no requirement for the use of other water resources for irrigation, with the exception of late May and early June. The maximum ET on the Ein Khosh Plain occurred in March. The irrigation requirements showed that the Ein Khosh Plain in March, which witnessed the highest ET, did not experience any deficiency of rainfall that month. However, during April and May, with maxima of 50 and 70 mm, respectively, water was needed for irrigation. During the plant growth periods, the greatest and least amount of water required were 231.23 and 19.47 mm/hr, respectively.