Informing hydrogeological models with remotely sensed evapotranspiration

Remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) rates can provide an additional constraint on the calibration of groundwater models beyond typically-used water table (WT) level observations. The value this constraint, measured in terms reductions model error, however, is expected to vary with method by which it imposed and how closely ET flux dependant levels. To investigate variability, four silvicultural sites different access were modeled under three model-data configurations. A benchmark that used only WT levels for was compared two alternatives: one satellite remotely from MODIS-CMRSET also included calibration, data assimilated, through Ensemble Kalman Filter, into model. Large error outputs achieved when CMRSET calibrate Assimilation further improved performance statistics where < 6.5 m deep. It advantageous use spatially distributed actual available. In situations vegetation has direct groundwater, assimilation observations likely improve performance.