Applying ECOSTRESS Diurnal Cycle Land Surface Temperature and Evapotranspiration to Agricultural Soil and Water Management

Increased demand for agricultural products and limited water supplies in Costa Rica have encouraged decision makers to seek improved water management practices to increase the efficiency, allocation, and impact of their resources. Remotely sensed evapotranspiration data can provide officials with insights into variables like crop health and water loss, as well as provide direction as to when and how much water should be used. Currently, EARTH University's data are limited to in situ observations and will greatly benefit from expanded measurement collection over larger areas. In this project, remotely sensed Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) evapotranspiration data was modified for this purpose with increased spatial and temporal coverage through the resampling of ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) data. The MODIS Priestly-Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL) 5 km evapotranspiration product was resampled to 70 m resolution to simulate the Level-3 ECOSTRESS product. This simulated, high-resolution data can demonstrate the use of future ECOSTRESS data in managing and implementing healthy and productive sustainable farms throughout the region of Guanacaste. This investigation of the diurnal cycle of land surface temperature, net radiation, and evapotranspiration will advance the model science of ECOSTRESS to be launched in 2018 on the International Space Station (ISS).

Location

NASA Jet Propulsion Labratory

Term

Summer 2016

Partner(s)

EARTH University

NASA Earth Observations

Terra, MODIS
Suomi NPP, VIIRS
Aster GED

Team

Gregory Halverson (Project Lead)
Mark Barker
Savannah Cooley
Steven Pestana

Advisor(s)

Dr. Christine Lee (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Technical Institute)
Dr. Joshua Fisher (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Technical Institute)
Dr. Glynn Hulley (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Technical Institute)
Dr. Simon Hook (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Technical Institute)
Dr. Laura Jewell (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Technical Institute)
Dr. Johan Perret (EARTH University, Costa Rica)
Adam Purdy (University of California, Irvine)

Project Video