While precipitation like rain and snow get all the attention, the amount of evapotranspiration - water transferred from land and planets to the atmosphere - is also critical to water management. But there hasn’t been a broadly accessible and cost-effective tool for farmers, communities, and other water stakeholders to track evapotranspiration. Enter OpenET, a powerful platform that provides easily accessible satellite-based estimates and allows users to explore data down to a quarter-acre resolution or at a broader scale for millions of fields. The development and uses of OpenET is discussed in this episode with Robyn Grimm, Director of Climate Resilient Water Information Systems at the Environmental Defense Fund, and Forrest Melton, Research Scientist at California State University Monterey Bay. Robyn and Forrest talk about building OpenET through a massive partnership, which involves NASA, Google, EDF, the Desert Research Institute, and a variety of federal agencies and universities. They also discuss pilot projects across Western states and how the tool can support irrigation efficiency, groundwater management, and trading programs.
waterloop is made possible in part by grants from the Walton Family Foundation and Spring Point Partners.
waterloop is sponsored by High Sierra Showerheads, the smart and stylish way to save water, energy, and money while enjoying a powerful shower. Use promo code Loop20 for 20 percent off at https://www.highsierrashowerheads.com
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