Caro et al. (2026) Comparative assessment of actual evapotranspiration partitioning models over an irrigated citrus orchard using remote sensing, agrometeorological, and micrometeorological data

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-13
• Authors: Dario De Caro, Olivier Merlin, Vincent Rivalland, Vincent Simonneaux, Gilles Boulet, Matteo Ippolito, Fulvio Capodici, Carmelo Cammalleri, Giuseppe Ciraolo
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110691

Research Groups

• Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Italy
• Centre d’´Etudes Spatiales de la BIOsph`ere (CESBIO), University of Toulouse, France
• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Short Summary

This study compares the performance of different approaches for estimating actual evapotranspiration partitioning into soil evaporation and plant transpiration in an irrigated citrus orchard. The methods include a Soil Water Balance (SWB) model, a Surface Energy Balance (SEB) model, and an Eddy Covariance (EC)-based partitioning method.

Objective

• Investigate the potential synergies between different approaches for estimating actual evapotranspiration partitioning in an irrigated citrus orchard.
• Evaluate the performance of SWB and SEB models driven by remote sensing data and EC-based partitioning method for estimating transpiration and evaporation.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local (0.4 ha) to regional scale (Sicily, Italy)
• Temporal Scale: Seven irrigation seasons (2018–2024)

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • SAtellite Monitoring for Irrigation (SAMIR), a spatially distributed FAO-2Kc-based Soil Water Balance (SWB) model.
  • Soil Plant Atmosphere and Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration (SPARSE), a residual Surface Energy Balance (SEB) model.
  • Eddy Covariance (EC)-based partitioning method.
• Data sources:
  • In situ measurements from EC flux tower, soil water content probes, sap flow sensors, and standard weather station.
  • Remote sensing data from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8/-9 satellites.

Main Results

• The study found that all three methods provided accurate daily estimates of transpiration (RMSE ranging between 0.20 and 0.39 mm d−1).
• The EC-based partitioning method was selected as a benchmark dataset for the subsequent cross-comparison.
• The SWB model was assumed as a benchmark for SEB model due to its continuous assessment of transpiration and evaporation.

Contributions

• This study contributes to the understanding of actual evapotranspiration partitioning in irrigated citrus orchards, highlighting the potential synergies among different approaches.
• The results can be used to improve the operational estimation of both transpiration and evaporation in the context of future satellite missions.

Funding

• Not specified.

Citation

@article{Caro2026Comparative,
  author = {Caro, Dario De and Merlin, Olivier and Rivalland, Vincent and Simonneaux, Vincent and Boulet, Gilles and Ippolito, Matteo and Capodici, Fulvio and Cammalleri, Carmelo and Ciraolo, Giuseppe},
  title = {Comparative assessment of actual evapotranspiration partitioning models over an irrigated citrus orchard using remote sensing, agrometeorological, and micrometeorological data},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110691},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110691}
}