Estimation and Assessment of Drought in North China based on Evapotranspiration Drought Index and Remote Sensing Data

Daily actual evapotranspiration is estimated based on surface net radiation, vegetation index, average air temperature and daily air temperature range using satellite remote sensing data and routine meteorological data. Also, the estimated actual evapotranspiration (ET) is compared and validated with measured ET using eddy covariance method at luancheng station. Besides, the temporal and spatial variation of actual evapotranspiration and its impact factors are analysed qualitatively. According to the evapotranspiration through the ET model correlates well with the measured ET and the estimation is acceptable for assessing the drought conditions at large area of scales. In addition, the EDI anomaly can reflect a higher spatial resolution of drought pattern and is reliable in the indication and judgment of drought.