MODIS-driven estimation of terrestrial latent heat flux in China based on a modified Priestley-Taylor algorithm

a b s t r a c t Because of China's large size, satellite observations are necessary for estimation of the land surface latent heat flux (LE). We describe here a satellite-driven Priestley-Taylor (PT)-based algorithm constrained by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Apparent Thermal Inertia (ATI) derived from temperature change over time. We compare to the satellite-driven PT-based approach, PT-JPL, and vali- date both models using data collected from 16 eddy covariance flux towers in China. Like PT-JPL, our proposed algorithm avoids the computational complexities of aerodynamic resistance parameters. We run the algorithms with monthly Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products (0.05 ◦ resolution), including albedo, Land Surface Temperature (LST), surface emissivity, and NDVI; and, Insolation from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). We find good agreement between our estimates of monthly LE and field-measured LE, with respective Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and bias differences of 12.5 W m −2