Monthly, long-term-mean year data compares eleven potential evapotranspiration functions across U.S. watersheds. The collection contains four datasets with model predictions for actual evapotranspiration, runoff, and inputs like precipitation and temperature. It was produced by SCIOPS for a study published in the Journal of Hydrology in 1998.
Use Cases
- Compare predictions of actual evapotranspiration and runoff under different rooting depth scenarios.
- Benchmark eleven potential evapotranspiration functions using input variables like precipitation, temperature, and vapor pressure.
- Analyze soil moisture and runoff relationships using grid-cell data on soil texture, land cover, and climatic drivers.
- Validate water cycle models against reference estimates for variables like solar radiation and wind speed.
Strengths
- Data spans the conterminous United States, a relatively data-rich region.
- Model outputs are provided at a 0.5 x 0.5 degree spatial resolution.
- Includes a dedicated dataset for model inputs covering multiple climatic and biophysical variables.
Limitations
- Temporal coverage is limited to a single, climatologically-averaged long-term-mean year, not a multi-year time series.
- Spatial coverage is restricted to the United States, limiting global applicability.
- The underlying study and model are from 1998, so methods may be outdated.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Earthdata (GHAAS collection)
- Collection Method
- Simulations from a water balance model run to steady state using climatologically-averaged datasets.
- Time Range
- Long-term-mean year (monthly resolution)
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Conterminous United States at 0.5 x 0.5 degree grid resolution