Comparison of Three Operative Models for Estimating the Surface Water Deficit using ASTER Reflective and Thermal Data

Three operative models with minimum input data requirements for estimating the partition of available surface energy into sensible and latent heat flux using ASTER data have been evaluated in a semiarid area in SE Spain. The non-evaporative fraction (NEF) is proposed as an indicator of the surface water deficit. The best results were achieved with NEF estimated using the “Simplified relationship” for unstable conditions (NEF(Seguin)) and with the S-SEBI (Simplified Surface Energy Balance Index) model corrected for atmospheric conditions (NEF(S-SEBIt),) which both produced equivalent results. However, results with a third model, NEF(Carlson), that estimates the exchange coefficient for sensible heat transfer from NDVI, were unrealistic for sites with scarce vegetation cover. These results are very promising for an operative monitoring of the surface water deficit, as validation with field data shows reasonable errors, within those reported in the literature (RMSE were 0.18 and 0.11 for the NEF, and 29.12 Wm(-2) and 25.97 Wm(-2) for sensible heat flux, with the Seguin and S-SEBIt models, respectively).