Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) is a relatively new parameterization of surface heat fluxes based on spectral satellite measurements. SEBAL requires spatially distributed, visible, near-infrared and thermal infrared data, which can be taken from Landsat Thematic Mapper. The SEBAL parameterization is an iterative and feedback-based numerical procedure that deduces the radiation, heat and evaporation fluxes. The sensible and latent heat fluxes across the lower Gediz River Basin in Western Turkey have been estimated. The energy balance during satellite overpass, and the integrated 24 h fluxes are computed on a pixel-by-pixel basis. The temporal variability in heat fluxes between June and August will be evaluated. The effect of irrigation on the partitioning of energy and crop water stress is discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.