How representative are instantaneous evaporative fraction measurements for daytime fluxes?

Sun synchronous optical remote sensing is a promising technique to provide instantaneous ET (Evapotranspiration) estimates during satellite overpass. The common approach to extrapolate the instantaneous estimates to values for daily or longer periods relies on the assumption that the EF (Evaporative Fraction, defined as the ratio of latent heat flux to surface available energy) remains nearly constant during daytime. However, there is still no consensus on the validity of the self preservation of EF. We used FLUXNET (a global network of eddy covariance stations) measurements to examine this self preservation, and the conditions under which it can hold. It is found here that the instantaneous EF could represent daytime EF under clear-sky conditions especially between 11:00 and 14:00 LT for all the stations. However, the EF is more unstable during cloudy skies. The increase in cloud cover would result in the increase in the variability of EF during daytime. Future works will focus on the evaluation of this EF constant assumption using real remote sensing data over different surface and climate conditions.