Mapping water use—Landsat and water resources in the United States

Rebecca L. Johnson

doi:10.3133/fs20163037

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Mapping water use—Landsat and water resources in the United States

Rebecca L. Johnson

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Abstract

Using Landsat satellite data, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey have helped to refine a technique called evapotranspiration mapping to measure how much water crops are using across landscapes and through time. These water-use maps are created using a computer model that integrates Landsat and weather data. Crucial to the process is the thermal (infrared) band from Landsat. Using the Landsat thermal band with its 100-meter resolution, water-use maps can be created at a scale detailed enough to show how much water crops are using at the level of individual fields anywhere in the world.

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Rebecca L. Johnson. 2016-06-27. Mapping water use—Landsat and water resources in the United States. https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20163037

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