Using remote sensing energy balance and evapotranspiration to characterize montane landscape vegetation with focus on grass and pasture lands

摘要: Abstract Water and energy balance interactions with vegetation in mountainous terrain are influenced by topographic effects, spatial variation type density, water availability. This is the case for areas of northern Portugal, where ancestral irrigated meadows (lameiros) a main component complex mosaic. The widely used surface model METRIC was applied to four Landsat images determine temporal distribution terms identified land cover types (LCT). A discussion on variability evapotranspiration (ET) through various supported comparison between respective crop coefficients those available literature corresponding LCT, which has shown appropriateness estimates ET. products derived from May June – NDVI, temperature, net radiation, soil heat flux, sensible ET were characterize LCTs, application principal analysis. Three components explained variance observed variables their varimax rotated loadings allowed good explanation behaviour explanatory association LCTs. Information gained contributes improve characterization study area may further support conservation management these mountain landscapes.