A remote sensing approach with the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) for estimating evapotranspiration (ET) at a prairie and wetland restoration site in northwestern Minnesota is presented. Temporal scales of monthly, inter-seasonal, and seasonal ET rates were compared to three different adjacent land-uses from June to September during 2000 to 2003: (1) a prairie and wetland preserve; (2) a treated site; and (3) a non-treated site subject to future improvements. Comparing ET behavior at the preserve, results suggest restoration efforts have affected monthly and seasonal ET rates within the treated site. From the beginning of restoration efforts in 2001 until the conclusion in 2003, average standard deviations of the seasonal ET within the preserved, treated, and non-treated sites give 47.3, 75.7, and 109.9mm, respectively, suggesting hydrologic stabilization within the treated site. Seasonal ET averages for the preserved, treated, and non-treated sites show 606.4, 579.7, and 532.2mm, respectively, suggesting a relatively higher ET within the treated site, compared to the non-treated area, possibly caused by the restoration of native grasses and wetlands to natural water levels.
