Applying the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) remote sensing model to estimate spatial variations in evapotranspiration in Southern Zimbabwe

Abstract

Accurate, reliable and continuous understanding of water utilisation by different land cover types in arid environments is critical for water loss accounting to ensure sustainable water management in the face of the changing climate. Remote sensing provides a lucrative alternative for mapping and estimating the spatial and temporal distribution of water loss across the catchment. The results of this study have shown that evapotranspiration (ET) can be accurately estimated in arid environments from remotely sensed data, such as Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, based on the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) algorithm. This study observed significant spatial and temporal variations in ET across the south western part of Zimbabwe. The findings from this study, therefore, underscore the importance of using cheap and readily available remotely sensed data for estimating and mapping the variations in ET in arid-environment areas found mainly in developing countries.

Keywords:

• evapotranspiration
• remote sensing
• energy balance models
• land cover
• shrub land

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Authors would like to thank NASA for providing MODIS and Landsat 8 images freely. Also we would like to thank the anonymous reviewers.