ESTIMET: Enhanced and Spatial-Temporal Improvement of MODIS EvapoTranspiration algorithm for all sky conditions in tropical biomes

Author(s):Show less -

Claudino, Cinthia M. A. ; Bertrand, Guillaume F. ; Nobrega, Rodolfo L. B. ; Almeida, Cristiano das N. ; Gusmao, Ana Claudia V. ; Montenegro, Suzana M. G. L. ; Silva, Bernardo B. ; Patriota, Eduardo G. ; Lemos, Filipe C. ; V. Coutinho, Jaqueline ; Sousa, Jose Welton Goncalo de ; Andrade, Joao M. ; Melo, Davi C. D. ; Rodrigues, Diogo Francisco B. ; Oliveira, Leidjane M. ; Xuan, Yunqing ; Moura, Magna S. B. ; Montenegro, Abelardo A. A. ; Brocca, Luca ; Corbari, Chiara ; Jin, Yufang ; Suvocarev, Kosana ; Bezerra, Bergson ; de Lima, Jose Romualdo S. ; Souza, Eduardo ; Anache, Jamil A. A. ; Coelho, Victor Hugo R.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT; v. 325, p. 23-pg., 2025-04-26.

Abstract

We developed an ET model, namely the Enhanced and Spatial-Temporal Improvement of MODIS EvapoTranspiration (ESTIMET), for local-to-regional ET monitoring and applications in the tropics, based on the original MOD16 evapotranspiration (ET) algorithm. The main distinguishing features of ESTIMET are providing a nearreal-time product with increased spatial (from 500 to 250 m) and temporal (from 8-day to daily) resolutions, minimising gaps in cloud cover and adjusting specific tropical characteristics of diverse vegetation and microclimate types. We compared the results of ESTIMET with the MOD16A2GF, PML_V2, and GLEAM 4.1a ET products, using eddy covariance (EC) data from 14 sites in Brazil, as well as the water balance-based annual ET in 25 Brazilian catchments. Overall, the ESTIMET estimates captured the daily seasonal variations of the EC data, especially in the Caatinga, Pantanal, and Cerrado biomes, with concordance correlation coefficients (rho c) ranging from 0.45 to 0.80 at eight sites located in these three biomes. The comparisons of the 8-day cumulative ET show that the ESTIMET algorithm exhibits a mean rho c of 0.63, greater than that of MOD16A2GF (rho c = 0.58), GLEAM 4.1a (rho c = 0.47), and PML_V2 (rho c = 0.45). Similarly, for the catchment water balance, ESTIMET exhibits a better representation of annual ET than other ET products in the three major South American biomes, i.e. the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Cerrado, which cover over 85 % of the Brazilian territory. Thus, ESTIMET improves remote sensing-based ET estimates in tropical biomes, operating at a finer spatiotemporal scale and latency (i.e. monthly) under all sky conditions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/50488-5 - Nordeste: new science for a neglected biome
• Grantee: Jonathan James Lloyd
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - SPEC Program
• FAPESP's process: 19/11835-2 - Phenology of deciduous dry forests: a comparison at multiple spatial scales using phenocams and drones
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 22/07735-5 - The impact of climate variability and weather extremes on plant phenology and its implications on biodiversity
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC