Salazar-Martínez et al. (2025) Influence of vineyard row orientation on evapotranspiration estimates from a satellite-based two-source energy balance model

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-19
• Authors: Diego Salazar-Martínez, Kyle Knipper, William P. Kustas, Nicolás Bambach, María A. Ponce de León, Sebastian Castro, Peter Tolentino, John H. Prueger, Joe Alfieri, L. McKee, Martha C. Anderson, Feng Gao, I.R. Wright, Andrew Gal, Andrew J. McElrone
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109976

Research Groups

• US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Unit, Davis, CA, USA
• US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Hydrology and Remote Sensing Lab, Beltsville, MD, USA
• University of California, Davis, Viticulture and Enology, Davis, CA, USA
• University of California, Davis, Department of Plant Sciences, Davis, CA, USA
• US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames, IA, USA
• University of California, Davis, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, Davis, CA, USA
• US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Laboratory, Davis, CA, USA

Short Summary

This study quantified the influence of vineyard row orientation (Southwest-Northeast vs. Northwest-Southeast) on evapotranspiration (ET) using a satellite-based Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model. It found that Southwest-Northeast oriented vineyard blocks consistently exhibited higher ET rates (average 1.32 mm day⁻¹) during the growing season compared to Northwest-Southeast blocks, a difference primarily driven by variations in land surface temperature and albedo related to canopy radiation interception and shadowing.

Objective

• Quantify the differences in satellite-based Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) evapotranspiration (ET) estimates between Southwest-Northeast (SWNE) and Northwest-Southeast (NWSE) oriented vineyard blocks.
• Investigate the underlying model mechanisms within TSEB that capture these ET differences without explicit row orientation parameterization.
• Evaluate simulated ET differences using in situ eddy covariance measurements from the USDA-ARS Grape Remote Sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment (GRAPEX) project.
• Utilize radiative transfer models to help explain differences in radiation interception between blocks with different orientations.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional domain at 30-meter grid resolution, focusing on individual vineyard blocks (totaling 25 ha for SWNE and 26.3 ha for NWSE).
• Temporal Scale: Two full growing seasons (2021-2022) for TSEB simulations (14-18 clear-sky Landsat overpass days per year). Eddy covariance data from 2019-2024 for long-term averages, and 30-minute instantaneous measurements.

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model (original version).
  • Binomial Model of radiation interception (adapted for rectangular prism canopies, incorporating scattering).
  • Helios 3-D radiative transfer model (version 1.2.65).
• Data sources:
  • Satellite: Landsat 8, 9, Collection 2 (Thermal IR surface temperature, surface reflectance for albedo), Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) surface reflectance (for Leaf Area Index, LAI).
  • Observation (in situ): USDA-ARS GRAPEX project eddy covariance flux stations (latent heat flux, net radiation, albedo) at Barrelli Creek vineyard, Sonoma County, California. In situ canopy dimensions (height, length, width) and row spacing.
  • Reanalysis: Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) for air temperature, incoming solar radiation, wind speed, air pressure, water vapor pressure.

Main Results

• TSEB daily ET (ETTSEB) was consistently higher for Southwest-Northeast (SWNE) blocks during the growing season compared to Northwest-Southeast (NWSE) blocks.
• Average ETTSEB differences were 1.2 ± 0.36 mm day⁻¹ in 2021 and 1.5 ± 0.55 mm day⁻¹ in 2022, with an overall average difference of 1.32 mm day⁻¹ (~48% higher in SWNE).
• ETTSEB differences were minimal during the vine dormant season (average absolute difference of 0.02 ± 0.21 mm day⁻¹ in 2021 and 0.05 ± 0.18 mm day⁻¹ in 2022).
• Long-term (six-year) averages of eddy covariance ET (ETec) confirmed a statistically significant separation (p < 6.12 × 10⁻¹³) during the growing season, with SWNE12 showing an average of 0.6 ± 0.28 mm day⁻¹ higher ETec than NWSE07.
• Day-to-day ETec differences were generally smaller (-0.5 to 1.3 mm day⁻¹) than ETTSEB differences (0.7 to 2 mm day⁻¹).
• Satellite-based inputs to TSEB showed systematic differences during the growing season: SWNE Land Surface Temperature (LST) was 1.7 °C to 4.5 °C (4% to 14%) lower, SWNE albedo was 0.02 to 0.05 (13% to 26%) lower, and SWNE Leaf Area Index (LAI) was 10% to 40% (0.17 m² m⁻² to 0.7 m² m⁻²) higher than NWSE averages.
• TSEB net radiation (Rn) was systematically higher for SWNE blocks during the growing season, with an average absolute difference of 57 ± 12 W m⁻².
• Sensitivity analysis indicated high correlations between ETTSEB differences and normalized differences in LST (r² = 0.88) and albedo (r² = 0.86), suggesting these parameters drive the ETTSEB separation.
• Radiative transfer models (Binomial and Helios 3D) showed lower canopy gap fraction and greater radiation interception (up to 15% more) and shadowing in SWNE blocks compared to NWSE blocks.

Contributions

• Provides the first direct comparison of ET estimates from Southwest-Northeast (SWNE) and Northwest-Southeast (NWSE) oriented vines using both a remote sensing model and eddy covariance flux measurements.
• Quantifies the significant influence of SWNE and NWSE row orientations on vineyard ET, addressing a gap in existing literature.
• Identifies that satellite-based Land Surface Temperature (LST) and albedo, influenced by canopy radiation interception and shadowing, are the primary drivers of row orientation-associated ET differences within the TSEB model, even without explicit parameterization.
• Enhances the comprehensive understanding of row geometry's influence on vineyard water demands, which is critical for optimizing agricultural ET models and designing sustainable irrigation strategies.
• Highlights the potential of shadows cast by vine canopies as a reliable indicator for row orientation effects on crop water consumption.

Funding

• Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Research Participation Program administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• ORISE managed by ORAU under DOE contract number DE-SC0014664.
• USDA funds provided financial support for Diego Salazar-Martinez through ORISE fellowship agreements 60–8042–3–003 and 60–8042–4–162.

Citation

@article{SalazarMartínez2025Influence,
  author = {Salazar-Martínez, Diego and Knipper, Kyle and Kustas, William P. and Bambach, Nicolás and León, María A. Ponce de and Castro, Sebastian and Tolentino, Peter and Prueger, John H. and Alfieri, Joe and McKee, L. and Anderson, Martha C. and Gao, Feng and Wright, I.R. and Gal, Andrew and McElrone, Andrew J.},
  title = {Influence of vineyard row orientation on evapotranspiration estimates from a satellite-based two-source energy balance model},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109976},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109976}
}