Using high-spatiotemporal thermal satellite ET retrievals to monitor water use over California vineyards of different climate, vine variety and trellis design

Authors: Knipper, Kyle; Kustas, William - Bill; Anderson, Martha; NIETO, H. - University Of Alcala; Alfieri, Joseph; Prueger, John; HAIN, C. - Nasa Marshall Space Flight Center; Gao, Feng; McKee, Lynn; MAR ALSINA, M. - E & J Gallo Winery; SANCHEZ, L. - E & J Gallo Winery

Submitted to: Agricultural Water Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2020
Publication Date: 11/1/2020
Citation: Knipper, K.R., Kustas, W.P., Anderson, M.C., Nieto, H., Alfieri, J.G., Prueger, J.H., Hain, C.R., Gao, F.N., McKee, L.G., Mar Alsina, M., Sanchez, L. 2020. Using high-spatiotemporal thermal satellite ET retrievals to monitor water use over California vineyards of different climate, vine variety and trellis design. Agricultural Water Management. 241. Article 106361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106361.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106361

Interpretive Summary: Water resources in California are becoming increasingly scarce as industry, municipalities and agriculture compete for limited water supplies. Limited groundwater resources in the Central Valley has led to severe economic and environmental impacts, prompting regulatory constraints on consumptive water use (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA)). The agricultural sector needs information on crop water use to improve their ability to effectively manage irrigation water. The remote sensing-based evapotranspiration (ET) toolkit for mapping vine water use is evaluated over a range of vineyards with comparisons to ground truth ET measurements showing satisfactory model performance. Findings will inform strategies for integrating ET mapping into an operational irrigation management framework and provide actionable information regarding vineyard water use and stress at multiple space and time scales.

Technical Abstract: Mapping the spatial variability of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) across vineyards is useful for optimizing irrigation scheduling and efficiency, leading to conservation of water resources and more sustainable wine grape production. To support efficient irrigation strategies, we investigate the utility of thermal infrared-based ETa maps over a range of vineyards located throughout California, each presenting a unique local climate, trellis design, grape variety, row orientation and management practice. ETa maps are derived by combining the Disaggregated Atmosphere Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI/DisALEXI) surface energy balance model and the Spatial Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) to generate ETa estimates at high spatial (30m) and temporal (daily) resolution. Model output is evaluated for years 2017 and 2018 over vineyard sites located in Sonoma, Sacramento, and Madera counties in California that are being monitored as part of the Grape Remote sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment (GRAPEX). Comparisons with micrometeorological data indicate satisfactory model performance at all sites, with mean absolute errors on the order of 0.70 mm/day, similar to past GRAPEX studies. Spatiotemporal analyses illustrate the ability of the thermal-based multi-sensor data fusion approach to characterize heterogeneity in ET both within a vineyard and over the surrounding landscape. Findings will inform the development of strategies for integrating ET mapping into operational irrigation management framework, providing actionable information regarding vineyard water use and stress at the field and regional scale and at daily to multi-annual timescales.