LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Nevada is the driest state in the country, and now, Las Vegas Valley scientists are using NASA satellites above the Earth to estimate groundwater in our state and throughout the West.
There are existing maps of groundwater but most are decades old. After a recent study, scientists at the Desert Research Institute now say satellites can be used to get a much more accurate picture.
“Understanding how much water is being used and how much water is left is really important,” shared Thomas Ott, an Assistant Research Scientist with Desert Research Institute.
Water management is crucial in Nevada and throughout the West and using two NASA satellites that continually orbit the Earth, scientists can get image of same location of the Earth’s surface every four days and can measure evapotranspiration.
That is the water from plants, soil, and other surfaces that reach the atmosphere.
“If you have artificial grass or turf, many places in Las Vegas do, it is quite hot. However, if you go to a real lawn or real turf, it is much cooler so evapotranspiration has kind of a cooling effect on the land surface and we can pick that up with satellite data, land surface temperature. Cooler surfaces have more water use, warmer surfaces have less and that is how we are able to estimate it from satellites,” Ott explained.
Ott is specially interested in the satellite data from a farm in Diamond Valley, Nevada. Growing up on a dairy farm, the Desert Research Institute scientist returned to his roots to conducting research on an alfalfa farm.
“I did about a month of field work while I was out there. The farmer was really gracious and let me stay at his mobile home,” Ott recounted.
Measurements taken from meters in the field of how much water was being used were compared to satellite estimates. Ott found the satellites were accurate.
“We have shown that we can predict it well,” Ott asserted.
The study finding: satellites high above the Earth can help us better understand the groundwater use below.
While the study compared groundwater meter data and satellite data in agricultural fields in both Nevada and Oregon, the hope is to be able to use satellite data to map groundwater in other locations especially to address drought concerns and water conservation efforts.
That satellite data is available through a platform called OpenET. It is now being used by some farmers across the Western US for improved water management.
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