Multiple sources of uncertainties in satellite retrieval of terrestrial actual evapotranspiration

Abstract Since evapotranspiration (ET) is the intrinsic link between global energy and water cycle, remote sensing-based models have been developed for regional and global scale ET on heterogeneous land surface over the past four decades. In view of the significantly different physical mechanisms and mathematical expressions among remote sensing ET models as well as data availability and quality control process among the model input products, it is necessary to investigate the uncertainties of the multiple sources in actual ET estimation. Here, three remote sensing ET models, including the PT-DTsR model, the PM-mod model and the PML model, were simultaneously driven by three meteorological reanalysis products, resulting in nine calculation schemes to analyze the combined effect of the models and the input datasets. The Sobol’ sensitivity method was also adopted for identifying the influential model parameters and in turn understanding the model process. The results indicated that estimates from nine calculation schemes showed great differences in the magnitude and temporal variation, explaining 20–50% of ET variability over all sites. Additionally, schemes compared with both uncorrected and corrected energy balance observations, as well as schemes using meteorological variables from three reanalysis products and Eddy Covariance tower observations, verified that the uncertainties in latent heat flux data observations caused by the energy budget mis-closure problem and spatial scale mismatch have propagated into the ET estimation. Our study is a beneficial reference for the uncertainties in remote sensing-based methods, and thus can provide guidance for the future development of ET models.