Estimation of air temperature from remotely sensed surface observations

doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(96)00216-7

Remote Sensing of Environment

Volume 60, Issue 3, June 1997, Pages 335-346

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(96)00216-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

Air temperature is an important descriptor of terrestrial environmental conditions across the earth. Standard meteorological observations generally provide reasonable descriptions of temporal variations in air temperature for the site sampled but may not describe the spatial heterogeneity typically encountered in this variable over larger land areas. If a reasonable estimate of spatial patterns of air temperature can be derived from satellite remote sensing, this pattern, in combination with the temporal precision of ground measurements, should significantly improve our knowledge of terrestrial environmental conditions.

In this study, we explore a methodology for estimating air temperature directly from remotely sensed observations using the (observed) correlation between a spectral vegetation index and surface temperature (temperature-vegetation index). Inference of air temperature is based on the hypothesis that the bulk temperature of an infinitely thick vegetation canopy is close to ambient air temperature.

Advanced very high resolution radiometer observations for five sites in northeastern Kansas were used to estimate air temperatures on 31 days during the 1987 growing season. These air temperature estimates were compared with coincident ground-measured air temperatures recorded at standard meteorological stations.

A strong correlation (r=0.93) was found between the satellite estimates and measured air temperatures with a mean error of 2.92 C°. However, there was a consistent positive bias in the satellite estimates. It is not clear at this time whether the bias is due to an actual difference between air temperature and the temperature of an infinitely thick canopy or whether it is an artifact of the measurements themselves. Within the errors of the methods used, estimation of standard meteorological shelter height air temperatures recorded at the time of satellite overpass appears possible. Further refinements of the remote sensing methods used here are possible and can be expected in the era of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Earth Observing System.

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^☆: This study was supported in part by funds provided under NASA Grant NAG 5-903, Guest Investigator Program of the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE). The assistance of the FIFE Information System technical staff is greatly appreciated. The provision of additional meteorological observations by Dr. Blaine Blad, University of Nebraska, also contributed to the success of this study. The MMR leaf optical properties measurements were made by B. L. Blad, E. A. Walter-Shea, C. J. Hays, and M. A. Mesarch of the University of Nebraska. Their contribution of these data is particularly appreciated. Special thanks to Ralph Dubayah, for his insights and assistance, and to Niall Hanan, for helpful comments on the manuscript. Additional recognition is given to the RSE editor and the reviewers who have provided constructive comments toward the refinement of this manuscript.

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Estimation of air temperature from remotely sensed surface observations☆

Abstract

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Agric. Meteorol.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Adv. Space Res.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Remote Sens. Environ.

Seasonal vegetation differences from ERTS imagery

Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sens.

Soil surface water depletion and leaf temperature

Agron. J.

Konza prairie research natural area, Kansas

Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing

Factors affecting the radiative temperature of a vegetative canopy

On the relation between HCMM satellite data and temperatures from standard meteorological sites in complex terrain

Int. J. Remote Sens.

Fundamentals of radiation and temperature relations

Satellite estimation of surface energy balance, moisture availability and thermal inertia

J. Appl. Meteorol.

A method to make use of thermal infrared temperature and NDVI measurements to infer surface soil water content and fractional vegetation cover

Remote Sens. Environ.

Estimating evaporation and carbon assimilation using infrared temperature data

The application of a weighted infrared-red vegetation index for estimating leaf area index by correcting for soil moisture

Remote Sens. Environ.

Multispectral remote sensing of vegetation amount

Prog. Phys. Geogr.

Parameterization of the planetary boundary layer for use in general circulation models

Mon. Weather Rev.

Algorithm for atmospheric corrections of aircraft and satellite imagery

NASA Technical Memorandum 100751

Infrared thermometry of vegetation

Agron. J.

Energy Exchange in the Biosphere

The Climate Near the Ground

Multisensor analysis of NDVI surface temperature, and biophysical variables at a mixed grassland site

Int. J. Remote Sens.

Satellite bioclimatology

J. Clin.

Ecological remote sensing at OTTER: satellite macroscale observations

Ecol. Appl.

Climatic impact of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide

Science

Canopy temperatures: the usefulness and reliability of remote measurements

Agron. J.

Thermal scanner measurement of canopy temperatures to estimate evapotranspiration

Remote Sens. Environ.

Soil-dependent spectral response in a developing plant canopy

Agron. J.

Soil influences in remotely sensed vegetation canopy spectra