2007 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) The primary objective of this project is to refine and validate a scalable surface-flux-modeling system that can be driven by thermal and shortwave remote sensing imagery from multiple satellite platforms. The utility of these techniques in identifying ecosystem evaporative response to natural and anthropogenic stressors will be evaluated in a case study application in the Florida Everglades. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) An existing multi-scale flux mapping approach will be validated with data collected at several U.S. research sites in agricultural, forested, semiarid desert, arid-temperate grassland and wetland areas. In addition, we will develop two new techniques for enhancing the remote-sensing data used by these modeling algorithms: . 1)a thermal-sharpening technique to sharpen thermal band imagery to resolutions associated with visible/near-infrared bands; and. 2)a flux-bootstrapping technique to improve extrapolation of instantaneous flux predictions to reliable daily totals. Maps of surface moisture stress over the Florida Everglades will be examined at regional scales to assess relationships between seasonal watershed water balance and land-use, and at fine scales to investigate the impacts of restoration and water management activities on local hydrologic conditions within these sensitive coastal biomes. 3.Progress Report This report documents research conducted under a reimbursable agreement between ARS and the University of Wisconsin. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent project 1265-13610-027-00D, "Using remote sensing and modeling for evaluating hydrologic fluxes, states, and constituent transport processes within agricultural landscapes." Qualitative validation of continental-scale flux and moisture stress estimates from the Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model was completed, showing good potential for operational drought monitoring applications. At continental scales, moisture stress maps from ALEXI, based on thermal infrared remote sensing imagery, agree well with maps of antecedent precipitation and with standard Palmer drought indices over the U.S. Ground and airborne flux validation data were collected during an intensive field campaign in Bondville, IL during conditions of severe drought. The land surface model in ALEXI has been applied to a semiarid desert landscape in Arizona (SMEX04 field experiment), yielding good agreement with micrometeorological flux measurements under dry atmospheric conditions. Data collection supporting validation in irrigated agricultural and natural land in the Texas Panhandle is ongoing. A technique for spatially sharpening thermal satellite imagery has been rigorously tested over a rainfed agricultural landscape and has proved good utility in pulling finescale detail out of moderate resolution MODIS-scale land-surface temperature (LST) maps. This sharpening technique allows us to assess evapotranspiration and moisture stress in finer detail over sites of specific interest. Rigorous quantitative validation of 10-km resolution ALEXI fluxes has commenced, using a flux disaggregation technique applied around several AmeriFlux tower sites in the U.S. sampling a range in vegetation and climatic conditions.