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Landsat Provisional Actual Evapotranspiration

By Landsat Missions

The Landsat Provisional Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa) Science Product is generated by calculating the latent heat flux based on surface energy balance principles using a robust model and can be fundamental in the understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of water use over land surfaces.

Collection 2

Example of the Landsat Collection 2 Provisional Evapotranspiration science product

Products created from Landsat 4-5 TM, Landsat 7, Landsat 8, and Landsat 9 scenes that successfully process to a Collection 2 Surface Temperature product.
Global coverage

Access Collection 2 Information

Previous Landsat Collections

Return to Landsat Science Products Overview 

Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa) is the quantity of water that is removed from a surface due to the processes of evaporation and transpiration and is measured in millimeters (mm). ETa is scene-based and derived from the Landsat Level-2 Surface Temperature products. Landsat Surface Temperature is input to a surface energy balance model with external auxiliary data to retrieve the daily total of ETa.

ETa estimates made using remote sensing and global weather datasets provide useful information for a range of applications, from calculating a basin’s water budget to assessment of water consumption and crop yield and drought monitoring. Evapotranspiration is a crucial process in the understanding of the earth’s energy and water budgets along with the carbon cycle and having a time-series of spatially consistent, historical Landsat data for the globe is a scientific step forward.  

The table below displays how different communities use Landsat Provisional ETa science products in their research. 

Community Potential Use
Farmers and Ranchers Agriculture, Irrigation Scheduling
Policymakers Agriculture, Water Management, Water Rights 
Water managers, City Planners Planning, allocation, and water management
Conservation groups Planning and Water management
International and Non-governmental Organizations Food security, drought monitoring, and early warning applications