Evapo-transpiration estimation over the river basin of the Loess Plateau of China based on remote sensing

In northeastern Loess Plateau of China, wind and/or water erosion are severe, and the amount of earth and sand pouring into the Yellow River is large. It is necessary to establish a land-use system that guarantees the water cycle in the river basin to prevent soil erosion and utilize land resources continuously. We targeted the water balance, especially regarding evapo-transpiration (ET), over the river basin in the northeastern Loess Plateau. For ET estimation, an algorithm referring to the SEBAL method (a remote sensing surface energy balance algorithm for land) based on remote sensing was outlined and validated with the observation result over natural grassland. ET by land-use difference and the spatial distribution of ET over the river basin were examined using the algorithm.