Gabriel B Senay, Ph.D.
Gabriel Senay is a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, co-located with the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC CASC) in Boulder, Colorado. He is also an adjunct professor at South Dakota State University and a Faculty Affiliate with Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Senay, with a background in agricultural engineering, hydrology, and remote sensing, conducts applied research on landscape water use assessment and monitoring using satellite-derived data and hydrologic modeling. He has taught courses on remote sensing of water resources and land surveying.
Research topics include:
1) Evapotranspiration modeling for crop water use mapping, drought monitoring, and water budget studies.
2) Runoff and soil moisture modeling for groundwater recharge estimation, small reservoir (pond) monitoring, and ecological drought assessment.
3) Interactions between land cover change and hydrology and their impact on water resources.
4) Spatiotemporal dynamics and trend analyses of agro-hydrologic processes and climatic drivers.
Education and Certifications
Licensed professional engineer (PE) in Civil Engineering (Water Resources)
PhD from The Ohio State University, USA.
MSc in Hydrology from Wageningen University, The Netherlands
BSc in Agricultural Engineering from Alemaya University, Ethiopia
Science and Products
Actual evapotranspiration modeling using the operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) approach
Operational evapotranspiration mapping using remote sensing and weather datasets: A new parameterization for the SSEB approach
Establishing an operational waterhole monitoring system using satellite data and hydrologic modelling: Application in the pastoral regions of East Africa
Evaluation of the relation between evapotranspiration and normalized difference vegetation index for downscaling the simplified surface energy balance model
Flood pulsing in the Sudd wetland: analysis of seasonal variations in 2 inundation and evapotranspiration in Southern Sudan
Assessing the potential hydrological impact of the Gibe III Dam on Lake Turkana water level using multi-source satellite data
A comparison of consumptive-use estimates derived from the simplified surface energy balance approach and indirect reporting methods
Remote sensing of evapotranspiration for operational drought monitoring using principles of water and energy balance
A multi-source satellite data approach for modelling Lake Turkana water level: Calibration and validation using satellite altimetry data
Enhancing the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) Approach for Estimating Landscape ET: Validation with the METRIC model
Estimating basin scale evapotranspiration (ET) by water balance and remote sensing methods
Using multi-source satellite data for lake level modelling in ungauged basins: A case study for Lake Turkana, East Africa
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Actual evapotranspiration modeling using the operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) approach
Remote-sensing technology and surface-energy-balance methods can provide accurate and repeatable estimates of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) when used in combination with local weather datasets over irrigated lands. Estimates of ETa may be used to provide a consistent, accurate, and efficient approach for estimating regional water withdrawals for irrigation and associated consumptive use (CU), esAuthorsMark E. Savoca, Gabriel B. Senay, Molly A. Maupin, Joan F. Kenny, Charles A. PerryOperational evapotranspiration mapping using remote sensing and weather datasets: A new parameterization for the SSEB approach
The increasing availability of multi-scale remotely sensed data and global weather datasets is allowing the estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) at multiple scales. We present a simple but robust method that uses remotely sensed thermal data and model-assimilated weather fields to produce ET for the contiguous United States (CONUS) at monthly and seasonal time scales. The method is based on the SAuthorsGabriel B. Senay, Stefanie Bohms, Ramesh K. Singh, Prasanna H. Gowda, Naga Manohar Velpuri, Henok Alemu, James P. VerdinEstablishing an operational waterhole monitoring system using satellite data and hydrologic modelling: Application in the pastoral regions of East Africa
Timely information on the availability of water and forage is important for the sustainable development of pastoral regions. The lack of such information increases the dependence of pastoral communities on perennial sources, which often leads to competition and conflicts. The provision of timely information is a challenging task, especially due to the scarcity or non-existence of conventional statAuthorsGabriel B. Senay, Naga Manohar Velpuri, Henok Alemu, Shahriar Md Pervez, Kwabena O Asante, Gatarwa Karuki, Asefa Taa, Jay AngererEvaluation of the relation between evapotranspiration and normalized difference vegetation index for downscaling the simplified surface energy balance model
The Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model uses satellite imagery to estimate actual evapotranspiration (ETa) at 1-kilometer resolution. SSEB ETa is useful for estimating irrigation water use; however, resolution limitations restrict its use to regional scale applications. The U.S. Geological Survey investigated the downscaling potential of SSEB ETa from 1 kilometer to 250 meters by correlAuthorsJonathan V. Haynes, Gabriel B. SenayFlood pulsing in the Sudd wetland: analysis of seasonal variations in 2 inundation and evapotranspiration in Southern Sudan
Located on the Bahr el Jebel in South Sudan, the Sudd is one of the largest floodplain wetlands in the world. Seasonal inundation drives the hydrologic, geomorphological, and ecological processes, and the annual flood pulse is essential to the functioning of the Sudd. Despite the importance of the flood pulse, various hydrological interventions are planned upstream of the Sudd to increase economicAuthorsGabriel B. Senay, L-M. Rebelo, M.P. McCartneyAssessing the potential hydrological impact of the Gibe III Dam on Lake Turkana water level using multi-source satellite data
Lake Turkana, the largest desert lake in the world, is fed by ungauged or poorly gauged river systems. To meet the demand of electricity in the East African region, Ethiopia is currently building the Gibe III hydroelectric dam on the Omo River, which supplies more than 80% of the inflows to Lake Turkana. On completion, the Gibe III dam will be the tallest dam in Africa with a height of 241 m. HoweAuthorsNaga Manohar Velpuri, Gabriel B. SenayA comparison of consumptive-use estimates derived from the simplified surface energy balance approach and indirect reporting methods
Recent advances in remote-sensing technology and Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) methods can provide accurate and repeatable estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) when used with satellite observations of irrigated lands. Estimates of ET are generally considered equivalent to consumptive use (CU) because they represent the part of applied irrigation water that is evaporated, transpired, orAuthorsMolly A. Maupin, Gabriel B. Senay, Joan F. Kenny, Mark E. SavocaRemote sensing of evapotranspiration for operational drought monitoring using principles of water and energy balance
Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of the hydrologic budget because it režects the exchange of mass and energy between the soil-water-vegetation system and the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions inžuence potential or reference ET through variables such as radiation, temperature, wind, and relativity humidity. In addition to these weather variables, actual ET (ETa) is also affAuthorsGabriel B. Senay, Stefanie Bohms, James P. Verdin, Martha C. Anderson, Christopher Hain, Brian D. Wardlow, Agustin Pimstein, John R. Mecikalski, William P. KustasA multi-source satellite data approach for modelling Lake Turkana water level: Calibration and validation using satellite altimetry data
Lake Turkana is one of the largest desert lakes in the world and is characterized by high degrees of inter- and intra-annual fluctuations. The hydrology and water balance of this lake have not been well understood due to its remote location and unavailability of reliable ground truth datasets. Managing surface water resources is a great challenge in areas where in-situ data are either limited or uAuthorsN.M. Velpuri, Gabriel B. Senay, K.O. AsanteEnhancing the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) Approach for Estimating Landscape ET: Validation with the METRIC model
Evapotranspiration (ET) can be derived from satellite data using surface energy balance principles. METRIC (Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration) is one of the most widely used models available in the literature to estimate ET from satellite imagery. The Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model is much easier and less expensive to implement. The main puAuthorsGabriel B. Senay, Michael E. Budde, James P. VerdinEstimating basin scale evapotranspiration (ET) by water balance and remote sensing methods
Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important hydrological process that can be studied and estimated at multiple spatial scales ranging from a leaf to a river basin. We present a review of methods in estimating basin scale ET and its applications in understanding basin water balance dynamics. The review focuses on two aspects of ET: (i) how the basin scale water balance approach is used to estimate ET;AuthorsG.B. Senay, S. Leake, P.L. Nagler, G. Artan, J. Dickinson, J.T. Cordova, E.P. GlennUsing multi-source satellite data for lake level modelling in ungauged basins: A case study for Lake Turkana, East Africa
Managing limited surface water resources is a great challenge in areas where ground-based data are either limited or unavailable. Direct or indirect measurements of surface water resources through remote sensing offer several advantages of monitoring in ungauged basins. A physical based hydrologic technique to monitor lake water levels in ungauged basins using multi-source satellite data such as sAuthorsN.M. Velpuri, G.B. Senay, K.O. Asante - Software
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