Safre et al. (2026) Calibration and validation of the safer evapotranspiration model using Landsat 8 and eddy covariance data in vineyards

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Irrigation Science
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-05
• Authors: Anderson Luiz dos Santos Safre, Alfonso F. Torres‐Rua, João Carlos Cury Saad, Antônio Heriberto de Castro Teixeira
• DOI: 10.1007/s00271-026-01159-5

Research Groups

• University of California, Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources
• NASA Ames Research Center
• University of California, Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Short Summary

This study locally calibrated and validated the SAFER model for estimating actual evapotranspiration (ET a ) in California vineyards using Landsat 8 imagery and eddy covariance measurements. The results show that SAFER provides reliable estimates of daily ET a when locally calibrated.

Objective

• Investigate the accuracy of the SAFER model in estimating ET a in California vineyard systems

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field-scale irrigation management in perennial cropping systems, specifically California vineyards
• Temporal Scale: Multi-year (2013-2016) study period with daily time steps

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Simple Algorithm for Evapotranspiration Retrieving (SAFER)
• Data sources: Landsat 8 imagery, multi-year eddy covariance measurements collected between 2013 and 2016 in the Central Valley of California

Main Results

• Local calibration of SAFER resulted in reduced root mean square error (RMSE) by approximately 71–77% compared to the original parametrization.
• Model validation showed strong agreement between SAFER ET a and eddy covariance observations after calibration, with RMSE ranging from 0.57 to 0.71 mm d − 1 and mean absolute error (MAE) ranging from 0.46 to 0.55 mm d − 1 .

Contributions

• This study provides original value by demonstrating the applicability of SAFER for field-scale irrigation management in perennial cropping systems, specifically California vineyards.
• The results highlight the importance of local calibration and validation of models for accurate ET a estimates.

Funding

• NASA Ames Research Center (grant number: NNX14AP16G)
• University of California, Davis (grant number: 2016-0001)

Citation

@article{Safre2026Calibration,
  author = {Safre, Anderson Luiz dos Santos and Torres‐Rua, Alfonso F. and Saad, João Carlos Cury and Teixeira, Antônio Heriberto de Castro},
  title = {Calibration and validation of the safer evapotranspiration model using Landsat 8 and eddy covariance data in vineyards},
  journal = {Irrigation Science},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1007/s00271-026-01159-5},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-026-01159-5}
}