Evapotranspiration

"The process of transforming soil water into water vapor through the combination of evaporation from the soil surface and plant water use" (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.y.) 

“The combined processes through which water is transferred to the atmosphere from open water and ice surfaces, bare soil and vegetation that make up the Earth’s surface.” (IPCC, 2022). Where Evaporation is “Change from a liquid (more dense) to a vapour or gas (less dense) form.” and Transpiration is defined as “The process of losing water through the surface or skin of a body or a plant.” (ESA, n.d.). “ET is determined by many environmental and biological controls, including net radiation, meteorological conditions, soil moisture availability, and vegetation characteristics (e.g., type, amount, and health).” (Anderson, 2018).

“Calculation of ET is typically based on the conservation of either energy or mass, or both. Computing ET is a combination of two complicated major issues: (1) estimating the stomatal conductance to derive transpiration from plant surfaces; and (2) estimating evaporation from the ground surface.”(Running et al., 2019).
 

Sources

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. "A Glossary  of Water-Related Terms", by Brian Benham. Publication 442-760

Anderson, Martha C. 2018. “ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) Level-3 Evapotranspiration (ET_ALEXI) Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document.”

ESA. 2025. “ESA - Earth Observation Glossary.” Accessed September 17. https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Earth_observation_….

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “Annex I: Glossary.” App. In Global Warming of 1.5°C: IPCC Special Report on Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-Industrial Levels in Context of Strengthening Response to Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty, 541–62. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022.

Running, Steven W, Qiaozhen Mu, Maosheng Zhao, and Alvaro Moreno. 2019. “User’s Guide MODIS Global Terrestrial Evapotranspiration (ET) Product (MOD16A2/A3 and Year-End Gap-Filled MOD16A2GF/A3GF) NASA Earth Observing System MODIS Land Algorithm (For Collection 6).”



 

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