Using numerical model to study the land surface energy and evapotranspiration balance at Nebraska area

Abstract:

Agriculture is an important part in the Nebraska state economy. While it is found that precipitation and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) are the two most important factors deciding the annual agricultural yields. It is imperative for us to understand the seasonal/annual variation of precipitation and surface solar radiation, and understand their relationship with agricultural yields. In this study, we will use numerical land surface model to study the precipitation and radiation variation using the data from NASA’s Earth Observation System. The research results will be a supplemental references for the farmers in NE agricultural industry and provide valuable information to the government administrators, policy makers in Nebraska department of Agriculture.