Evaluation of modeled actual evapotranspiration estimates from a land surface, empirical and satellite-based models using in situ observations from a South African semi-arid savanna ecosystem

•Evapotranspiration at the site is most sensitive to soil moisture and relative humidity.•The empirical models generally overestimate evapotranspiration.•The land surface and satellite-based models generally capture both the magnitude and phase of the observations even in anomalous years.•The spatial patterns of the land surface and satellite-based models are comparable.