Characterization of Evapotranspiration over Irrigated Crops in a Semi-arid Area (Marrakech, Morocco) Using an Energy Budget Model

The objective of this study is to evaluate the capability of the two source energy budget (TSEB) to predict daily evapotranspiration over irrigated crops in a semi-arid area. The TSEB model presents particularly interesting skills for seasonal course of daily evapotranspiration regarding the limited number of inputs required with an RMSE of 0.75 mm/day (33% on average) with regards to eddy-covariance measurements at least before crop senescence. By contrast, if focusing on a drying/wetting period surrounding a rain event, a lack of model reaction to stress is highlighted that could be a major drawback for irrigation scheduling.