Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Temperature-based approaches for estimating monthly reference evapotranspiration based on MODIS data over North China

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Theoretical and Applied Climatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) maps play an important role in distributed hydrological modeling and are particularly useful for regional agricultural and water resource management. In the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, water requirements (i.e., ETo) of different land use types are important preconditions for afforestation program management. The Food and Agriculture Organization Penman–Monteith (FAO-PM) method is the most common method for estimating ETo, but it requires many different types of meteorological data, and few stations with adequate meteorological resources exist in the Three-North regions. In addition, the spatial distribution of ordinary meteorological stations is limited. This study employed two temperature-based ETo methods, Hargreaves and Thornthwaite. The monthly mean, maximum, and minimum air temperatures were estimated using moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The original coefficients of Hargreaves and mean temperatures of Thornthwaite were modified for regional calibration (with the FAO-PM method as the standard). In the comparison between the original/adjusted Hargreaves and the original/adjusted Thornthwaite methods, the adjusted Hargreaves method was appropriate for estimating ETo in the Three-North regions. The average mean bias error (MBE) was −0.21 mm, the relatively root mean square error (RRMSE) was 13.44 %, the correlation coefficient (R 2) was 0.85, and the slope (b) was 1.00 for the monthly ETo. While the MBE was 2.32 mm, the RRMSE was 7.07 %, the R 2 was 0.90, and the b was 1.00 for the annual ETo. Therefore, it is possible to estimate monthly and annual ETo values for other parts of the country or the world using adjusted Hargreaves with the estimated air temperature data instead of using the FAO-PM with observed data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahmadi SH, Fooladmand HR (2008) Spatially distributed monthly reference evapotranspiration derived from the calibration of Thornthwaite equation: a case study, South of Iran. Irrig Sci 26:303–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen RG, Pereira LS, Raes D, Smith M (1998) Crop evapotranspiration—guidelines for computing crop water requirements. FAO, Rome, p 300, FAO Irrig Drain Pap 56

    Google Scholar 

  • Bautista F, Bautista D, Delgado-Carranza C (2009) Calibration of the equations of Hargreaves and Thornthwaite to estimate the potential evapotranspiration in semi-arid and subhumid tropical climates for regional applications. Atmosfera 22:331–348

    Google Scholar 

  • Benavides R, Montes F, Rubio A, Osoro K (2007) Geostatistical modelling of air temperature in a mountainous region of Northern Spain. Agric For Meteorol 146:173–188

  • Blaney HP, Criddle WD (1950) Determining water requirements in irrigated areas from climatological and irrigation data. In: Tech Paper 96, USDA Soil of Conservation Service

  • Boi P, Fiori M, Canu S (2011) High spatial resolution interpolation of monthly temperatures of Sardinia. Meteorol Appl 18:475–482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camargo AP, Marin FR, Sentelhas PC, Picini AG (1999) Ajuste da equação de Thornthwaite para estimar a evapotranspiração potencial em climas áridos e superúmidos, com base na amplitude térmica. Rev Bras Agrometeorologia pp 251–257

  • Campi P, Palumbo AD, Mastrorilli M (2012) Evapotranspiration estimation of crops protected by windbreak in a Mediterranean region. Agric Water Manag 104:153–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen DL, Gao G, Xu CY, Guo J, Ren GY (2005) Comparison of the Thornthwaite method and pan data with the standard Penman-Monteith estimates of reference evapotranspiration in China. Clim Res 28:123–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cristea NC, Kampf SK, Burges SJ (2013) Revised coefficients for Priestley-Taylor and Makkink-Hansen equations for estimating faily reference evapotranspiration. J Hydrol Eng 18:1289–1300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diodato N, Bellocchi G (2007) Modeling reference evapotranspiration over complex terrains from minimum climatological data. Water Resour Res 43:W05444p1–p12

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas EM, Jacobs JM, Sumner DM, Ray RL (2009) A comparison of models for estimating potential evapotranspiration for Florida land cover types. J Hydrol 373:366–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duan Z, Bastiaanssen WGM (2013) First results from version 7 TRMM 3B43 precipitation product in combination with a new downscaling-calibration procedure. Remote Sens Environ 131:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evrendilek F, Karakaya N, Gungor K, Aslan G (2012) Satellite-based and mesoscale regression modeling of monthly air and soil temperatures over complex terrain in Turkey. Expert Syst Appl 39:2059–2066

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gavilán P, Lorite IJ, Tornero S, Berengena J (2006) Regional calibration of Hargreaves equation for estimating reference ET in a semiarid environment. Agric Water Manage 81:257–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gocic M, Trajkovic S (2010) Software for estimating reference evapotranspiration using limited weather data. Comput Electron Agric 71:158–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargreaves GH, Samani ZA (1985) Reference crop evapotranspiration from temperature. Appl Eng Agric 1:96–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jabloun M, Sahli A (2008) Evaluation of FAO-56 methodology for estimating reference evapotranspiration using limited climatic data: application to Tunisia. Agric Water Manage 95:707–715

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jahanbani H, El-Shafie AH (2011) Application of artificial neural network in estimating monthly time series reference evapotranspiration with minimum and maximum temperatures. Paddy Water Environ 9:207–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karim S, Ahmed SA, Nischitha V, Bhatt S, Raj SK, Chandrashekarappa KN (2013) FAO 56 model and remote sensing for the estimation of crop-water requirement in main branch canal of the Bhadra Command area, Karnataka State. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 41:883–894

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee KH (2010) Relative comparison of the local recalibration of the temperature-based evapotranspiration equation for the Korea Peninsula. J Irrig Drainage Eng ASCE 136:585–594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Sun X, Zhao X (2012) Analysis of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration in arid and semi arid area of China in recent 50 years. J Arid Land Res Environ 26:57–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang L, Li L, Liu Q (2010) Temporal variation of reference evapotranspiration during 1961–2005 in the Taoer River basin of Northeast China. Agric For Meteorol 150:298–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu B, Gong W, Guan WN, Song LN (2009) Opportunities and challenges in the construction of the Three-North Shelter Forest Program. Chin J Ecol 28:1679–1683 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Martinez-Cob A, Tejero-Juste M (2004) A wind-based qualitative calibration of the Hargreaves ET0 estimation equation in semiarid regions. Agric Water Manage 64:251–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mendicino G, Senatore A (2013) Regionalization of the Hargreaves coefficient for the assessment of distributed reference evapotranspiration in southern Italy. J Irrig Drainage Eng ASCE 139:349–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meza FJ (2005) Variability of reference evapotranspiration and water demands. Association to ENSO in the Maipo river basin, Chile. Glob Planet Chang 47:212–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moeletsi ME, Walker S, Hamandawana H (2013) Comparison of the Hargreaves and Samani equation and the Thornthwaite equation for estimating dekadal evapotranspiration in the Free State Province, South Africa. Phys Chem Earth 66:4–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Najafi P, Tabatabaei SH (2009) Comparison of different Hargreaves-Samani methods for estimating potential evapotranspiration in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. Res Crop 10:441–447

    Google Scholar 

  • Ninyerola M, Pons X, Roure JM (2000) A methodological approach of climatological modelling of air temperature and precipitation through GIS techniques. Int J Climatol 20:1823–1841

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ninyerola M, Pons X, Roure JM (2007) Objective air temperature mapping for the Iberian Peninsula using spatial interpolation and GIS. Int J Climatol 27:1231–1242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penman HL (1948) Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass. Roy Soc Proc Ser A 193:120–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira AR, Pruitt WO (2004) Adaptation of the Thornthwaite scheme for estimating daily reference evapotranspiration. Agric Water Manage 66:251–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravazzani G, Corbari C, Morella S, Gianoli P, Mancini M (2012) Modified Hargreaves-Samani equation for the assessment of reference evapotranspiration in Alpine river basins. J Irrig Drainage Eng ASCE 138:592–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raziei T, Pereira LS (2013) Spatial variability analysis of reference evapotranspiration in Iran utilizing fine resolution gridded datasets. Agric Water Manage 126:104–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabziparvar AA, Tabari H (2010) Regional estimation of reference evapotranspiration in arid and semiarid regions. J Irrig Drainage Eng ASCE 136:724–731

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samani Z (2000) Estimating solar radiation and evapotranspiration using minimum climatological data. J Irrig Drainage Eng ASCE 126:265–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sentelhas PC, Gillespie TJ, Santos EA (2010) Evaluation of FAO Penman-Monteith and alternative methods for estimating reference evapotranspiration with missing data in southern Ontario, Canada. Agric Water Manage 97:635–644

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spano D, Snyder RL, Sirca C, Duce P (2009) ECOWAT—a model for ecosystem evapotranspiration estimation. Agric For Meteorol 149:1584–1596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornthwaite CW (1948) An approach toward a rational classification of climate. Geogr Rev 38:55–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trajkovic S (2005) Temperature-based approaches for estimating reference evapotranspiration. J Irrig Drainage Eng ASCE 131:316–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanderlinden K, Giraldez JV, Van Meirvenne M (2004) Assessing reference evapotranspiration by the Hargreaves method in southern Spain. J Irrig Drainage Eng ASCE 130:184–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang HJ, Zhou H (2003) A simulation study on the eco-environmental effects of 3N Shelterbelt in North China. Glob Planet Chang 37:231–246

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang YT, Shang SH, Jiang L (2012) Remote sensing temporal and spatial patterns of evapotranspiration and the responses to water management in a large irrigation district of North China. Agric For Meteorol 164:112–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin Y, Wu S, Zheng D, Yang Q (2008) Radiation calibration of FAO56 Penman-Monteith model to estimate reference crop evapotranspiration in China. Agric Water Manage 95:77–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Kang S, Zhang L, Liu J (2010) Spatial variation of climatology monthly crop reference evapotranspiration and sensitivity coefficients in Shiyang river basin of northwest China. Agric Water Manage 97:1506–1516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Zhu JJ, Yan QL (2013) Monthly air temperatures over Northern China estimated by integrating MODIS data with GIS techniques. J Appl Meteorol Climatol 52:1987–2000

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Zhu JJ, Yan QL, Song LN (2012) Effects of land use changes on the groundwater table and the decline of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations in southern Horqin Sandy Land, Northeast China. Agric Water Manage 109:94–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu JJ, Li FQ, Xu ML, Kang HZ, Wu XY (2008) The role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in alleviating pine decline in semiarid sandy soil of northern China: an experimental approach. Ann For Sci 65:304p1–304p12

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the National Nature Science Foundation of China (31025007) and “Strategic Priority Research Program - Climate Change: Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05060400).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110164, People’s Republic of China

    X. Zheng & Jiaojun Zhu

  2. Key Laboratory for Management of No-commercial Forests, Liaoning Province, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China

    X. Zheng & Jiaojun Zhu

  3. Qingyuan Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, People’s Republic of China

    X. Zheng & Jiaojun Zhu

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    X. Zheng & Jiaojun Zhu

Authors
  1. X. Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jiaojun Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiaojun Zhu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zheng, X., Zhu, J. Temperature-based approaches for estimating monthly reference evapotranspiration based on MODIS data over North China. Theor Appl Climatol 121, 695–711 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-014-1269-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-014-1269-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation