In this work the evapotranspiration of the Chapala Lake in Jalisco, México was calculated using the weather and remote sensing data (located between 20 °07′–20 °21′ N and 102 °40′–103 °25′ W, to 1,525 meters above sea level (masl) and surface max. of 1.150 km2, with depth max of 11 m). Two methods were integrated for the evaluation of the evapotranspiration: the analytical, conventional way that depends on the weather data and remote sensing, used to calculate the Albedo value. We used data derived from a meteorological automatic station located in Chapala, and registered during four years. Landsat satellite images of three dates (13/10/73, 07/03/90 and 03/11/99) were also used. Four equations of evapotranspiration were evaluated using weather data and they were compared with evaporation data (measured in situ by CNA), the correlation between them was determined: Thornthwaite (0.77), Penman (0.94), Hargreaves (0.76) and Penman‐Monteith (0.71). Finally, the standard Penman‐Monteith equation recommended by FAO was combined, with the remote sensing techniques. From the satellite images the Albedo maps were obtained, which were introduced to the equation, to calculate the total evaporated volume.

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