Agricultural Research Service scientists have developed an evapotranspiration and drought modeling system that may someday help farmers and water managers assess drought and irrigation impacts on water use and crop development.

The model, known as ALEXI, or Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse, uses thermal infrared imagery from satellites and calculates soil and plant temperatures that can be used to create maps of ET rates of plants growing around the world.

The system is expected to become particularly relevant as climate change presents challenges for growers and water managers in areas such as the Texas Panhandle, the Florida Everglades and the southwestern United States. With help from new satellite imagery, scientists hope to be able to move toward routine mapping at the “field scale” level.

Courtesy: NAFB News