Project Summary:

A pilot study effort to improve estimation and mapping of consumptive water use in the Upper Green River basin of Wyoming for the Wyoming State Engineer's Office Interstate Streams Division. In collaboration with the Engineer's Colorado River Coordinator WyGISC investigated techniques to map a key water use estimation variable EvapoTranspiration or ET. A spatially explicit modeling approach was selected using in-situ weather station data and remotely sensed imagery as inputs.

We chose a model in use by colleagues in the western US and internationally, METRICtm: Mapping EvapoTranspiration at high Resolution using Internalized Calibration. This report describes the process of model development at the University of Wyoming's Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, deployment of supporting in-situ weather stations by the State Engineer's Office, and use of this station data with remotely sensed inputs from the Landsat5 satellite Thematic Mapper imager.

Spatially explicit estimates of ET for the Upper Green River basin were generated as a grid of data locations representing 30 meter by 30 meter orthogonal areas on the ground. This data is loaded and delivered in a spatially co-registered Geographic Information System for further analysis. Results represent a pilot or preliminary study level effort and are discussed in detail within; further analysis is suggested in the final section.

Project Report:

Modeling Consumptive Water Use in the Green River Basin, Wyoming Using Remotely Sensed Data and the METRIC/SEBAL Model Final Report (pdf) 

Publications:

Redemaker, E.L., Driese, K.L. Modeling Consumptive Water Use in the GReen RIver Basin, Wyoming Using Remotely Sensed Data and the METRIC/SEBAL Model. Final Report to: Wyoming State Engineer. 30 June 2008.