Satellite‑based monitoring of land–atmosphere water exchange

A global Earth‑observation project delivering consistent, satellite‑based evapotranspiration information to support water management, climate analysis, and land‑surface monitoring at continental to global scale.

Why is it important?

Evapotranspiration describes the transfer of water from land to atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration and is a key component of the global water, energy, and carbon cycles. It provides direct insight into plant water use, drought conditions, and ecosystem productivity, making it essential for agriculture, water‑resources management, and climate monitoring. Until recently, evapotranspiration information was either available only locally through field measurements or inconsistently across regions. Satellite Earth observation makes it possible to monitor evapotranspiration globally, repeatedly, and in a consistent way, providing a common information basis for decision‑making across borders and sectors.

Project highlights:

The product delivers evapotranspiration information at global scale using satellite Earth observation, providing consistent coverage across continents and climatic zones that cannot be achieved through ground‑based measurements alone.

Regular satellite observations make it possible to track evapotranspiration over time, supporting monitoring of seasonal dynamics, long‑term trends, drought development, and changes in land and water use.

The resulting evapotranspiration products are designed for operational use and made openly available through the Copernicus programme, enabling applications in agriculture, hydrology, climate analysis, and ecosystem assessment.

In more detail..

The global evapotranspiration product was developed to operationalise how satellite Earth observation can be used to monitor land–atmosphere water exchanges in a consistent and scalable way. The work forms part of the scientific and technical foundation for the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service evapotranspiration products, which provide global, regularly updated information on actual evapotranspiration.
Using satellite observations combined with physically based modelling, the product allows evapotranspiration to be estimated across diverse environments, from agricultural areas to natural ecosystems. Satellite data ensure consistent spatial coverage and long‑term continuity, while modelling ensures that the estimates are physically meaningful and comparable across regions.
The resulting information supports a wide range of applications, including drought monitoring, assessment of water availability, evaluation of irrigation efficiency, and analysis of ecosystem response to climate variability. By moving from research‑oriented development to an operational global product, the project demonstrates how Earth observation can provide trusted, decision‑ready information on a key variable in the global water cycle.
Click the link below to access the product through the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service.

Joint Research Centre

The product has been developed through a collaborative effort involving experts from DHI, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMI), VITO Remote Sensing, and HYGEOS. The work was funded by the European Commission under a contract with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and forms part of the development of operational Earth‑observation products within the Copernicus programme.