New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

Although the problem of regional soil moisture distrjbution appears trivial, no methodology has been developed to date that is truly capable of reliable soil moisture measurements over large areas using satellite data. In this study we will test an empirical regression method and a physical Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) developed by Bastiaanssen. The test is conducted in the Estancia Basin (New Mexico) on October 3, 1998, under relatively moist conditions. A significant regression (R2 equal 67) was determined between volumetric soil water content in the top 5 cm of the soil and bands 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the Landsat TM. It was also found that the evaporative fraction is much more stable during the day than the Bowen ratio which is critical for application of SEBAL. The evaporation rates determined with SEBAL and the surface soil water contents determined with the empirical method show good qualitative agreement. These fIrst results are promising but more analysis needs to be done.