WaPOR V2.0: Evapotranspiration Data Across Africa and the Middle East

FAO WaPOR V2.0 provides actual evapotranspiration and interception data at three spatial resolutions across Africa and the Middle East from 2009 onwards. The dataset was validated against 14 eddy covariance stations and shows an overall R2 of 0.61 and a root mean square error of 1.04 mm/day. Megan Blatchford from the University of Twente authored the evaluation paper.

Use Cases

• Monitoring agricultural water use based on evapotranspiration data across different climate zones.
• Validating hydrological models based on the 10-day temporal resolution and three spatial scales (250m, 100m, 30m).
• Assessing water management in irrigated areas based on the reported overestimation patterns.
• Analyzing long-term water balance trends based on the data's coverage from 2009 onwards.

Strengths

• Data is validated against 14 in-situ eddy covariance stations.
• Covers Africa and the Middle East at three spatial resolutions: continental (250m), national/river basin (100m), and irrigation area (30m).
• Provides continuous 10-day data from 2009 onwards.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The evaluation indicates noticeable overestimation, particularly in irrigated areas.

Provenance

Source

FAO Water Productivity Open Access Portal (WaPOR)

Collection Method

Satellite-derived remote sensing data.

Time Range

2009 onwards

Geography

Africa and the Middle East