Monthly actual evapotranspiration satellite data with SWAT and SWAT-CUP format

Actual Evapotranspiration (AET) consists of evaporation from rainwater intercepted by the canopy before it reaches the ground, from wet and moist soil, and the transpiration through stomata on plant stems and leaves. Evapotranspiration claimed 61% of all rainwater that falls on land. Using the satellite remote sensing data, evapotranspiration from earth land surface have been collected by NASA. Zhang, Kimball et al. (2009) spatially aggregated the global 8-km NASA dataset and published the global monthly AET data with half-degree and one-degree resolutions (Zhang, Kimball et al. 2009). These datasets cover the time period 1983 to 2006. We reformatted the MODIS-AET data, prepared by Zhang et al 2009, in order to be compatible with SWAT-CUP input data. We prepared the MODIS-AET data in two formats (Fig 1). This dataset could be used for calibration and validation of SWAT actual evapotranspiration outputs. SWAT provides monthly actual evapotranspiration at HRU and Subbasin levels in "output.hru" and "output.sub" files, respectively. The SWAT output could be calibrated against observed MODIS-AET data through one of the following approaches: 1) Overlaying the MODIS-AET grids extracted from the 2W2E website with subbasin map of SWAT project and aggregating the located AET grids inside each subbasin to one single grid as the representer of AET of the subbasin. 2) Assessing the individual AET grids files and selecting a proper grid as a representative grid for every subbasin.

The dataset could be downloaded entirely or for specific spatial reference through the 2w2e website (Reference 2)

References:

1. Zhang, K., J. S. Kimball, R. R. Nemani and S. W. Running (2010). "A continuous satellite-derived global record of land surface evapotranspiration from 1983 to 2006." Water Resources Research 46(9).

2. https://www.2w2e.com/home/ModisNasa