The research project I am working on consists of modeling water stress in plants over a daily cycle and mapping trends to help inform and optimize irrigation practices. To estimate the changes in water stress in crops, our team works with simulated ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) land surface temperature data and applies the Priestly-Taylor-Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL) model to derive an evapotranspiration data product.
Scheduled to launch on the International Space Station in 2018, ECOSTRESS is one of two instruments selected in July for NASA's Earth Venture-Instrument series of missions. The ECOSTRESS multispectral thermal infrared radiometer will acquire the most detailed temperature images of the surface ever acquired from space and will be able to measure the temperature of an individual farmer’s field. This information is used to calculate how efficiently plants use water to process carbon dioxide and identify plants likely to be more resilient during droughts.
Project partners in Costa Rica at EARTH University, whose campus includes 5000 hectares of agricultural lands, currently utilizes georeferenced and in-field soil-plant-water variable measurements to inform agricultural sector management practices, primarily through teaching and consulting activities. These data, however, are limited in their spatial resolution (i.e., generally one sampling point per hectare or less) and still require significant processing to visualize regions that may require additional attention. Our partners at EARTH University are interested in using remotely sensed data to understand rates of evapotranspiration to manage resources for their crops more efficiently.
​
​
