The group has expanded a satellite-based platform that estimates how much water crops are actually using — down to individual fields — across nearly the entire United States, including much of the arid West.
The technology relies on satellite imagery and climate data to calculate evapotranspiration, or ET — essentially how much water evaporates from soil and transpires through plants. That information can help farmers fine-tune irrigation and give water managers a more consistent way to track agricultural water use at a regional scale.
“It can actually help you understand, like, ‘Oh — I have one part of my field where I’m getting water to very efficiently, and then another part of my field is a little dry, or maybe a little too soggy,’” said Sara Larsen, CEO of OpenET.
Supporters say that kind of detail could help reduce wasted water while maintaining crop yields, a growing concern as hotter temperatures increase demand throughout the West.
“In this kind of climate change setting, it can be incredibly challenging to understand how water is being used, and what impact that has on long-term sustainability across entire watersheds, across entire basins,” Larson said.
Water managers are also paying close attention. In places where water rights, conservation agreements and interstate river compacts depend on accurate accounting, satellite-based estimates could offer a more transparent and consistent picture of use over time, she added.
That may be especially important in the Colorado River Basin, where years of overuse and prolonged drought have pushed reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell to historically low levels.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
