+ Visit NASA.gov + Advanced Search   + About the Server   + Animation List   + How to Use the Server   + RSS Feeds   + Podcasts   + Opportunities Previous Animation Next Animation Evapotranspiration from Landsat Instruments on the Landsat satellites capture images in the visible spectrum, but they also take images in wavelengths invisible to the naked eye. Landsat's thermal imager captures land surface temperature data. As farmers irrigate fields, water evaporates from the soil and transpires from plants' leaves. The combined process is called evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiring water absorbs energy, so farm fields consuming more water appear cooler in the thermal band. Landsat-based evapotranspiration measurements provide an objective way for water managers to assess on a field-by-field basis how much water agricultural growers are using. The measurements have even been used to help settle water rights conflicts in court.    In this animation, the first image shows an agricultural region in Idaho on August 14, 2000, captured in the visible spectrum. The round, green circles are irrigated farm fields. The second image, using Landsat's thermal band, depicts cooler and warmer areas. Irrigated fields appear cooler because evapotranspiring water absorbs energy and cools the fields. The thermal image dissolves into a map of evapotranspiration, created using the METRIC tool. Duration: 16.0 seconds Available formats:   1280x720 (30 fps) MPEG-4   12 MB   1280x720 (60 fps) MPEG-4   10 MB   640x360 (30 fps) MPEG-4   3 MB   1280x720 (30 fps) Frames   1280x720 (60 fps) Frames   3840x2160 TIFF         13 MB   320x180     PNG           304 KB   160x80       PNG           71 KB   80x40         PNG           18 KB How to play our movies    This visible spectrum image shows an agricultural region in Idaho. The round, green circles are individual irrigated farm fields. The image was created by combining Landsat bands 1, 2 and 3. Available formats:   3840 x 2160     TIFF 14 MB   320 x 180         PNG     315 KB    This thermal band image shows the same agricultural region in Idaho on the same day. The thermal band - Landsat's band 6 - captures data on land surface temperature. As agricultural growers irrigate farm fields, water evaporating from the soil and transpiring from the plants' leaves absorbs energy and cools the fields. Available formats:   3840 x 2160     TIFF 11 MB   320 x 180         PNG     307 KB   320 x 90           PNG         7 KB    Color Bar for previous image. Available formats:   320 x 90           PNG         7 KB    This image is a map of evapotranspiration of the same agricultural region in Idaho on the same day, created by processing Landsat data with the METRIC tool. Available formats:   3840 x 2160     TIFF 13 MB   320 x 180         PNG     306 KB   320 x 90           PNG         8 KB    Color Bar for previous image. Available formats:   320 x 90           PNG         8 KB Animation Number: 3632 Completed: 2009-09-09 Animators: Adam Martin (UMBC) (Lead)   Lori Perkins (NASA/GSFC) Video Editor: Stefanie Misztal (UMBC) Producer: Jennifer A. Shoemaker (UMBC) Scientists: Darrel Williams (NASA/GSFC)   Richard Trezza (University of Idaho)   Richard Allen (University of Idaho) Writer: Jennifer A. Shoemaker (UMBC) Platform/Sensor/Data Set: Landsat-7/ETM+ (08/14/2000) Series: Agriculture Animations - Land Use Change Keywords: DLESE >> Environmental science SVS >> Evaporation SVS >> HDTV GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Water Vapor >> Evaporation GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Water Vapor >> Evapotranspiration     Please give credit for this item to: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio Back to Top + Privacy Policy and Important Notices + Reproduction Guidelines NASA Official: Content Contact: Curator: