Validating MODIS land surface temperature products using long-term nighttime ground measurements

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), onboard the NASA Terra and Aqua Earth Observing System satellites, provides multiple land surface temperature (LST) products on a daily basis. However, these products have not been adequately validated. This paper presents preliminary results of validating two MODIS Terra daily LST products, MOD11_L2 (version 4) and MOD07_L2 (version 4), using the FLUXNET and Carbon Europe Integrated Project (CarboEurope-IP) long-term ground measurements over eight vegetated sites. Since ground-measured LSTs were only available over one fixed point in each validation site, the study was carefully designed to mitigate the scale mismatch issue by using nighttime ground measurements concurrent to more than 1800 MODIS Terra overpasses.The preliminary results show that MOD11_L2 LSTs have smaller absolute biases and root mean squared errors (RMSE) than those of MOD07_L2 LSTs in most cases. The match of MOD11_L2 LSTs with ground measurements in the Brookings, Audubon, Canaan Valley, and Black Hills sites is good, yielding absolute biases less than 0.8 °C and RMSEs less than 1.7 °C. In the Fort Peck, Hainich, Tharandt, and Bondville sites, MOD11_L2 LSTs were underestimated by 2-3 °C. Biases in MOD11_L2 LSTs correlate to those in MOD07_L2 LSTs. Since the MOD07_L2 LST product is one of the input parameters to the MOD11_L2 LST algorithm, biases in MOD11_L2 LSTs may be influenced by biases in MOD07_L2 LSTs. The errors in both products depend weakly on sensor view zenith angle but are independent of surface air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and soil moisture.     

Evaluation and improvement of the MODIS land surface temperature/emissivity products using ground‐based measurements at a semi‐desert site on the western Tibetan Plateau

Current MODerate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST, surface skin temperature)/emissivity products are evaluated and improvements are investigated. The ground‐based measurements of LST at Gaize (32.30° N, 84.06° E, 4420 m) on the western Tibetan Plateau from January 2001 to December 2002 agree well (mean and standard deviation of differences of 0.27 K and 0.84 K) with the 1‐km Version 004 (V4) Terra MODIS LST product (MOD11A1) generated by the split‐window algorithm. Spectral emissivities measured from surface soil samples collected at and around the Gaize site are in close agreement with the landcover‐based emissivities in bands 31 and 32 used by the split‐window algorithm. The LSTs in the V4 MODIS LST/emissivity products (MYD11B1 for Aqua and MOD11B1 for Terra) from the day/night LST algorithm are higher by 1–1.7 K (standard deviation around 0.6 K) in comparisons to the 5‐km grid aggregated values of the LSTs in the 1‐km products, which is consistent with the results of a comparison of emissivities. On average, the emissivity in MYD11B1 (MOD11B1) is 0.0107 (0.0167) less than the ground‐based measurements, which is equivalent to a 0.64 K (1.25 K) overestimation of LST around the average value of 285 K. Knowledge obtained from the evaluation of MODIS LST/emissivity retrievals provides useful information for the improvement of the MODIS LST day/night algorithm. Improved performance of the refined (V5) day/night algorithm was demonstrated with the Terra MODIS data in May–June 2004.     

Evaluation of ASTER and MODIS land surface temperature and emissivity products using long-term surface longwave radiation observations at SURFRAD sites

Land surface temperature (LST) and emissivity are key parameters in estimating the land surface radiation budget, a major controlling factor of global climate and environmental change. In this study, Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Aqua MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 5 LST and emissivity products are evaluated using long-term ground-based longwave radiation observations collected at six Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD) sites from 2000 to 2007. LSTs at a spatial resolution of 90 m from 197 ASTER images during 2000-2007 are directly compared to ground observations at the six SURFRAD sites. For nighttime data, ASTER LST has an average bias of 0.1 °C and the average bias is 0.3 °C during daytime. Aqua MODIS LST at 1 km resolution during nighttime retrieved from a split-window algorithm is evaluated from 2002 to 2007. MODIS LST has an average bias of − 0.2 °C. LST heterogeneity (defined as the Standard Deviation, STD, of ASTER LSTs in 1 × 1 km² region, 11 × 11 pixel in total) and instrument calibration error of pyrgeometer are key factors impacting the ASTER and MODIS LST evaluation using ground-based radiation measurements. The heterogeneity of nighttime ASTER LST is 1.2 °C, which accounts for 71% of the STD of the comparison, while the heterogeneity of the daytime LST is 2.4 °C, which accounts for 60% of the STD. Collection 5 broadband emissivity is 0.01 larger than that of MODIS Collection 4 products and ASTER emissivity. It is essential to filter out the abnormal low values of ASTER daily emissivity data in summer time before its application.     

Comparison of satellite-derived and in-situ observations of ice and snow surface temperatures over Greenland

The most practical way to get spatially broad and continuous measurements of the surface temperature in the data-sparse cryosphere is by satellite remote sensing. The uncertainties in satellite-derived LSTs must be understood to develop internally-consistent decade-scale land surface temperature (LST) records needed for climate studies. In this work we assess satellite-derived “clear-sky” LST products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and LSTs derived from the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) over snow and ice on Greenland. When possible, we compare satellite-derived LSTs with in-situ air temperature observations from Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) automatic weather stations (AWS). We find that MODIS, ASTER and ETM+ provide reliable and consistent LSTs under clear-sky conditions and relatively-flat terrain over snow and ice targets over a range of temperatures from ? 40 to 0 °C. The satellite-derived LSTs agree within a relative RMS uncertainty of ~ 0.5 °C. The good agreement among the LSTs derived from the various satellite instruments is especially notable since different spectral channels and different retrieval algorithms are used to calculate LST from the raw satellite data. The AWS record in-situ data at a “point” while the satellite instruments record data over an area varying in size from: 57 × 57 m (ETM+), 90 × 90 m (ASTER), or to 1 × 1 km (MODIS). Surface topography and other factors contribute to variability of LST within a pixel, thus the AWS measurements may not be representative of the LST of the pixel. Without more information on the local spatial patterns of LST, the AWS LST cannot be considered valid ground truth for the satellite measurements, with RMS uncertainty ~ 2 °C. Despite the relatively large AWS-derived uncertainty, we find LST data are characterized by high accuracy but have uncertain absolute precision.     

Ground measurements for the validation of land surface temperatures derived from AATSR and MODIS data

An experimental site was set up in a large, flat and homogeneous area of rice crops for the validation of satellite derived land surface temperature (LST). Experimental campaigns were held in the summers of 2002-2004, when rice crops show full vegetation cover. LSTs were measured radiometrically along transects covering an area of 1 km². A total number of four thermal radiometers were used, which were calibrated and inter-compared through the campaigns. Radiometric temperatures were corrected for emissivity effects using field emissivity and downwelling sky radiance measurements. A database of ground-based LSTs corresponding to morning, cloud-free overpasses of Envisat/Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) and Terra/Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is presented. Ground LSTs ranged from 25 to 32 °C, with uncertainties between ± 0.5 and ± 0.9 °C. The largest part of these uncertainties was due to the spatial variability of surface temperature. The database was used for the validation of LSTs derived from the operational AATSR and MODIS split-window algorithms, which are currently used to generate the LST product in the L2 level data. A quadratic, emissivity dependent split-window equation applicable to both AATSR and MODIS data was checked as well. Although the number of cases analyzed is limited (five concurrences for AATSR and eleven for MODIS), it can be concluded that the split-window algorithms work well, provided that the characteristics of the area are adequately prescribed, either through the classification of the land cover type and the vegetation cover, or with the surface emissivity. In this case, the AATSR LSTs yielded an average error or bias of − 0.9 °C (ground minus algorithm), with a standard deviation of 0.9 °C. The MODIS LST product agreed well with the ground LSTs, with differences comparable or smaller than the uncertainties of the ground measurements for most of the days (bias of + 0.1 °C and standard deviation of 0.6 °C, for cloud-free cases and viewing angles smaller than 60°). The quadratic split-window algorithm resulted in small average errors (+ 0.3 °C for AATSR and 0.0 °C for MODIS), with differences not exceeding ± 1.0 °C for most of the days (standard deviation of 0.9 °C for AATSR and 0.5 °C for MODIS).     

Quality assessment and validation of the MODIS global land surface temperature

This paper presents an evaluation of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal infrared bands and the status of land surface temperature (LST) version-3 standard products retrieved from Terra MODIS data. The accuracy of daily MODIS LST products has been validated in more than 20 clear-sky cases with in situ measurement data collected in field campaigns in 2000–2002. The MODIS LST accuracy is better than 1°C in the range from ?10 to 50°C. Refinements and improvements were made to the new version of MODIS LST product generation executive code. Using both Terra and Aqua MODIS data for LST retrieval improves the quality of the LST product and the diurnal feature in the product due to better temporal, spatial and angular coverage of clear-sky observations.     

Intercomparison of versions 4, 4.1 and 5 of the MODIS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity products and validation with laboratory measurements of sand samples from the Namib desert, Namibia

Eight new refinements were implemented in the MODIS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) product suite when transitioning from version 4 (V4) to version 5 (V5). The refinements were designed to improve the spatial coverage, stability, and accuracy of the product suite. Version 4.1 (V4.1) is an interim collection which uses V5 input products (MOD02, MOD03, MOD07, MOD10, and MOD35), but the LST&E retrieval algorithm is unchanged from V4 in which the split-window and day/night temperature retrieval algorithms are only partially incorporated, and not fully incorporated as in V5. A test dataset for the V4.1 product was produced by MODAPS for a 3-month period from July through September 2004, and after an initial evaluation period, it was decided to generate the V4.1 product from mission period 2007001 onwards as a continuation of previous years of V4 data. This paper compares MODIS retrieved surface emissivities between V4, V4.1 and V5 using the level-3 MODIS daily LST&E product, MOD11B1.Comparisons of MOD11B1 retrieved surface emissivity during the Jul-Sep 2004 test period with lab measurements of sand samples collected at the Namib desert, Namibia result in a combined mean absolute emissivity difference for bands 29 (8.55 µm), 31 (11 µm) and 32 (12 µm) of 1.06%, 0.65% and 1.93% for V4, V4.1 and V5 respectively. Maximum band 29 emissivity differences with the lab results were 4.10%, 2.96% and 8.64% for V4, V4.1 and V5 respectively. These results indicate that over arid and semi-arid areas, users should consider using MODIS V4 or V4.1 data instead of V5. Furthermore, users should be careful not to develop time series from a mixture of product versions that could introduce artifacts at version boundaries.     

Near-real time retrievals of land surface temperature within the MODIS Rapid Response System

The MODIS Rapid Response (RR) System was developed to meet the near real time needs of the applications community. Generally, its products are available online within hours of the satellite overpass. We recently adapted the standard MODIS land surface temperature (LST) split-window algorithm for use in the RR System. To minimize latency, we eliminated the algorithm's dependency on upstream MODIS products. For example, although the standard MODIS LST requires prior retrieval of air temperature and water vapor from the MODIS scene, the RR LST employs a climatological database of atmospheric values based on a 25-year record of NOAA TOVS observations. The standard and RR algorithms also differ in upstream processing, surface emissivity determination, and use of a cloud mask (RR product does not contain one). Comparison of the MODIS RR and standard LST products suggests that biases are generally less than 0.1 K, and root-mean-square differences are less than 1 K despite the presence of some larger outliers. Initial validation with field data suggests the absolute uncertainty of the RR product is below 1 K. The MODIS RR land surface temperature algorithm is a stand-alone computer code. It has no dependencies on external products or toolkits, and is suitable for Direct Broadcast and other processing systems.     

基于机器学习算法的AMSR-2地表温度降尺度研究

MODIS日尺度的地表温度受到天气影响,有效像元信息严重缺失,这对数据稀缺区域尤为重要。以古尔班通古特沙漠为研究区,探索了采用AMSR-2的垂直极化亮度温度与植被指数对地表温度空间降尺度的方法,并用此方法填补了2018年MODIS的缺失像元。(1)通过十折交叉验证,对4种机器学习算法（Cubist、DBN、SVM、RF）、10个波段组合、2个空间尺度（5 km、10 km）下的训练模型进行了分析,表明RF算法精度明显高于其他3种算法,C09波段组合的验证精度高于其他波段组合。(2)构建了2个鲁棒性的随机森林算法地表温度降尺度模型（5 km|RF|09、10 km|RF|09）,将AMSR-2亮度温度降尺度到1km分辨率,表明5 km|RF|09模型反演结果更为合理,MODIS与站点验证的R2分别为0.971、0.930,RMSE分别为3.38 K、4.71 K,MAE分别为2.51 K、3.84 K。(3)降尺度结果填补MODIS地表温度缺失像元,将其应用到古尔班通古特沙漠长时间序列的陆表温度分析,可为数据稀缺区域数据获取提供科学参考。     

FY3A/MERSI地表温度反演

MERSI是我国第二代极轨气象卫星上的重要传感器,可获取高空间分辨率和高时间分辨率的对地观测影像。为使Jimènez-Mu珘nozSobrino算法更适用于FY3A/MERSI传感器通道特性,更新了大气函数的估算系数,并引入观测角度因子,以获取更为精确像元间更为平滑的地表温度。用MODTRAN4模拟验证该算法精度,得引入角度因子后反演精度显著提升,所有角度下平均误差为-0.6±2.2K。用实测的敦煌戈壁地表温度和MODIS地表温度产品评价MERSI反演结果,显示MERSI地表温度的空间分布准确,结果精度也较高。与实测温度对比,平均误差为1.74K,均方根误差小于1.9K。研究区域与MODIS地表温度间差异平均为2.6307K。虽然会受云检测精度和观测亮温偏高的影响,由MERSI反演的高精度地表温度在相关科研和业务方面仍然具有极好的应用前景。     

Estimation of instantaneous net surface longwave radiation from MODIS cloud-free data

This paper develops a statistical regression method to estimate the instantaneous Downwelling Surface Longwave Radiation (DSLR) for cloud-free skies using only the satellite-based radiances measured at the Top Of the Atmosphere (TOA), and subsequently combines the DSLR with the MODIS land surface temperature/emissivity products (MOD11_L2) to estimate the instantaneous Net Surface Longwave Radiation (NSLR). The proposed method relates the DSLR directly to the TOA radiances in the MODIS Thermal InfraRed (TIR) channels provided that the terrain altitude and the satellite Viewing Zenith Angle (VZA) are known. The simulation analysis shows that the instantaneous DSLR could be estimated by the proposed method with the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 12.4 W/m² for VZA = 0 and terrain altitude z = 0 km. Similar results are obtained for the other VZAs and altitudes. Considering the MODIS instrumental errors of 0.25 K for the TOA brightness temperatures in channels 28, 33 and 34, and of 0.05 K for channels 29 and 31, and of 0.35 K for channel 36, the overall retrieval accuracy in terms of the RMSE is decreased to 13.1 W/m² for the instantaneous DSLR. Moreover, a comparison of MODIS derived DSLR and NSLR are done with the field measurements made at six sites of the Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD) in the United States for days with cloud-free conditions at the moment of MODIS overpass in 2006. The results show that the bias, RMSE and the square of the correlation coefficient (R²) between the MODIS derived DSLR with the proposed method and the field measured DSLR are 20.3 W/m², 30.1 W/m² and 0.91 respectively, and bias = 11.7 W/m², RMSE = 26.1 W/m² and R² = 0.94 for NSLR. In addition, the scheme proposed by Bisht et al. [Bisht, G., Venturini, V., Islam, S., & Jiang, L. (2005). Estimation of the net radiation using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data for clear-sky days. Remote Sensing of Environment, 97, 52-67], which requires the MODIS atmospheric profile product (MOD07) and also the MODIS land surface temperature/emissivity products (MOD11_L2) as inputs, is used to estimate the instantaneous DSLR and NSLR for comparison with the field measurements as well as the MODIS derived DSLR and NSLR using our proposed method. The results of the comparisons show that, at least for our cases, our proposed method for estimating DSLR from the MODIS radiances at the TOA and the resultant NSLR gives results comparable to those estimated with Bisht et al.'s scheme [Bisht, G., Venturini, V., Islam, S., & Jiang, L. (2005). Estimation of the net radiation using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data for clear-sky days. Remote Sensing of Environment, 97, 52-67].     

Quantitative comparison of the operational NOAA-AVHRR LST product of DLR and the MODIS LST product V005

Land surface temperature (LST) products of two different sensors – the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) – were cross-compared. The analysis was conducted on a daily basis for four different years. Only pixels that stuck to certain homogeneity criteria were chosen. Furthermore, a time criterion defining the maximal time difference between two acquisitions was introduced.

The differences between the two products showed both a diurnal and an annual pattern, with LST of AVHRR being higher than that of MODIS at high surface temperatures and AVHRR LST being lower than MODIS LST at lower temperatures. Additionally, some irregular patterns were identified and attributed to the different algorithm approaches. Mean annual absolute differences were relatively low: only 2.2 K for the daytime and 1.4 K for the night-time scenes, speaking for a general good agreement between the two products. The coefficient of determination (R ²) between the LST of AVHRR and MODIS of both day and night scenes was 0.99.     

Preliminary applications of a land surface temperature retrieval method to IASI and AIRS data

Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the key state variables for many applications. This article aims to apply our previously developed LST retrieval method to infrared atmospheric sounding interferometer (IASI) and atmospheric infrared sounder (AIRS) data. On the basis of the opposite characteristics of the atmospheric spectral absorption and surface spectral emissivity, a ‘downwelling radiance residual index’ (DRRI) has been recalled and improved to obtain LST and emissivity. To construct an efficient DRRI, an automatic channel selection procedure has been proposed, and 11 groups of channels have been selected within the range 800–1000 cm^?1. The DRRI has been tested with IASI and AIRS data. For the IASI data, the radiosonde data have been used to correct for atmospheric effects and to retrieve LST, while the atmospheric profiles retrieved from AIRS data have been used to perform the atmospheric corrections and subsequently to estimate LST from AIRS data. The differences between IASI- and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived LSTs are no more than 2 K, while the differences between AIRS- and MODIS-derived LSTs are less than 5 K. Even though an exceptionally problematic value occurred (–12.89 K), the overall differences between AIRS-estimated LST and the AIRS L2 LST product are no more than 5 K. Although the IASI-derived LST is more accurate than the AIRS-derived one, the convenient retrieval of AIRS atmospheric profile made this method more applicable. Limitations and uncertainties in retrieving LST using the DRRI method are also discussed.     

A three-channel algorithm for retrieving night-time land surface temperature from MODIS data under thin cirrus clouds

Thin cirrus clouds are dominated by non-spherical ice crystals with an effective emissivity of less than 0.5. Until now, the influences of clouds were not commonly considered in the development of algorithms for retrieving land-surface temperature (LST). However, numerical simulations showed that the influence of thin cirrus clouds could lead to a maximum LST retrieval error of more than 14 K at night if the cirrus optical depth (COD) at 12 μm was equal to 0.7 (cirrus emissivity equivalent to 0.5). To obtain an accurate estimate of the LST under thin cirrus using satellite infrared data, a nonlinear three-channel LST retrieval algorithm was proposed based on a widely used two-channel algorithm for clear-sky conditions. The variations in the cloud top height, COD, and effective radius of cirrus clouds were considered in this three-channel LST retrieval algorithm. Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) channels 20, 31, and 32 (centred at 3.8, 11.0, and 12.0 μm, respectively) and the corresponding land surface emissivities (LSEs), the simulated data showed that this algorithm could obtain LSTs with root mean square errors (RMSEs) of less than 2.8 K when the COD at 12 μm is less than 0.7 and the viewing zenith angle (VZA) is less than 60°. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of the proposed algorithm showed that the total LST errors, including errors from the uncertainties in input parameters and algorithm error, were nearly the same as the algorithm error itself. Some lake surface water temperatures measured in Lake Superior and Lake Erie were used to test the performance of the proposed LST retrieval algorithm. The results showed that the proposed nonlinear three-channel algorithm could be used for estimating LST under thin cirrus with an RMSE of less than 2.8 K.     

Evaluation of land surface temperature and emissivities retrieved from MSG/SEVIRI data with MODIS land surface temperature and emissivity products

Land surface temperature (LST) and land surface emissivity (LSE) are two key parameters in global climate study. This article aims to cross-validate LST/LSE products retrieved from data of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on board the first geostationary satellite, Meteosat Second Generation (MSG), with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST/LSE version 5 products over the Iberian Peninsula and over Egypt and the Middle East. Besides time matching, coordinate matching is another requirement of the cross-validation. An area-weighted aggregation algorithm was used to aggregate SEVIRI and MODIS LST/LSE products into the same spatial resolution. According to the quality control (QC) criterion and the view angle, the cross-validation was completed under clear-sky conditions and within a view angle difference of less than 5° for the two instruments to prevent land surface anisotropic effects. The results showed that the SEVIRI LST/LSE products are consistent with MODIS LST/LSE products and have the same trend over the two study areas during both the daytime and the night-time. The SEVIRI LST overestimates the temperature by approximately 1.0 K during the night-time and by approximately 2.0 K during the daytime compared to MODIS products over these two study areas. The SEVIRI LSE underestimates by about 0.015 in 11 μm and by about 0.025 in 12 μm over the Iberian Peninsula. However, both LSEs agree and show a difference of less than 0.01 over Egypt and the Middle East.     

Land surface temperature and emissivity retrieval by integrating MODIS data onboard Terra and Aqua satellites

This paper presents an algorithm to retrieve land surface temperature (LST) and emissivity by integrating MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data onboard Terra and Aqua satellites. For a study area, there will be four pairs of day and night observations by MODIS onboard two satellites every day. Solar zenith angle, view zenith angle, and atmospheric water vapour have first been taken as independent variables to analyse their sensitivities to the same infrared channel measurements of MODIS on both Terra and Aqua satellites. Owing to their similar influences on the same MODIS band from Terra and Aqua satellites, four pairs of MODIS data from Terra and Aqua satellites can be thought of as MODIS measurement on a satellite at different viewing angles and viewing time. Comparisons between the retrieved results and in-situ measurements at three test sites (Qinghai Lake, Poyang Lake and Luancheng in China) indicate that the root mean square (rms) error is 0.66 K, except for the sand in Poyang Lake area. The rms error is less than 0.7 K when the retrieved results are compared with Earth Observing System (EOS) MODIS LST data products using the physics-based day/night algorithm. Emissivities retrieved by this algorithm are well compared to EOS MODIS emissivity data products (V5). The proposed algorithm can therefore be regarded as complementary and an extension to the EOS physics-based day/night algorithm.     

Developing clear-sky,cloud and cloud shadow mask for producing clear-sky composites at 250-meter spatial resolution for the seven MODIS land bands over Canada and North America

A new technology was developed at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) for generating Canada-wide and North America continental scale clear-sky composites at 250 m spatial resolution for all seven MODIS land spectral bands (B1–B7). The MODIS Level 1B (MOD02) swath level data are used as input to circumvent the problems with image distortion in the mid latitude and polar regions inherent to the global sinusoidal (SIN) projection utilized for the standard MODIS data products. The MODIS 500 m land bands B3 to B7 are first downscaled to 250 m resolution using an adaptive regression and normalization scheme for compatibility with the 250 m bands B1 and B2. A new method has been developed to produce the mask of clear-sky, cloud and cloud shadow at 250 m resolution. It shows substantial advantages in comparison with the MODIS 250 m standard cloud masks. The testing of new cloud mask showed that it is in reasonable agreement with the MODIS 1-km standard product once it is aggregated to 1-km scale, while the cloud shadow detection looks more reliable with the new methodology. Nevertheless, more quantitative analyses of the presented scene identification technique are required to understand its performance over the range of input scenes in various seasons. The new clear-sky compositing scheme employs a scene-dependent decision matrix. It is demonstrated that this new scheme provides better results than any others based on a single compositing criterion, such as maximum NDVI or minimum visible reflectance. To account for surface bi-directional properties, two clear-sky composites for the same time period are produced by separating backward scattering and forward scattering geometries, which separate pixels with the sun-satellite relative azimuth angles within 90°–270° and outside of this range. Comparison with Landsat imagery and with MODIS standard composite products demonstrated the advantage of the new technique for screening cloud and cloud shadow, and generating high spatial resolution MODIS clear-sky composites. The new data products are mapped in the Lambert Conformal Conic (LCC) projection for Canada and the Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area (LAEA) projection for North America. Presently this activity is limited to MODIS/TERRA due to known problems with band-to-band registration and noisy SWIR channels on MODIS/AQUA.     

Accuracy assessment of land surface temperature retrievals from MSG2-SEVIRI data

The accuracy of the Land Surface Temperature (LST) product generated operationally by the EUMETSAT Land Surface Analysis Satellite Applications Facility (LSA SAF) from the data registered by the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) on board the geostationary METEOSAT Second Generation 2 (MSG2, Meteosat 9) satellite was assessed on two test sites in Eastern Spain: a homogeneous, fully vegetated rice field and a high-plain, homogeneous area of shrubland. The LSA SAF LSTs were compared with ground LST measurements in the conventional temperature-based (T-based) method. We also validated the LSA SAF LST product by using an alternative radiance-based (R-based) method, with ground LSTs calculated from MSG-SEVIRI channel 9 brightness temperatures (at 10.8 μm) through radiative transfer simulations using atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles together with surface emissivity data. Two lakes were also used for validation with the R-based method. Although the LSA SAF LST algorithm works mostly within the uncertainty expectation of ± 2 K, both validation methods showed significant biases for the LSA SAF LST product, up to 1.5 K in some cases. These biases, with the LSA SAF LST product overestimating reference values, were also observed in previous studies. Nevertheless, the present work points out that the biases are related to the land surface emissivities used in the operational generation of the product. The use of more appropriate emissivity values for the test sites in the LSA SAF LST algorithm led to better results by decreasing the biases by 0.7 K for the shrubland validation site. Furthermore, we proposed and checked an alternative algorithm: a quadratic split-window equation, based on a physical split-window model that has been widely proved for other sensors, with angular-dependent coefficients suitable for the MSG coverage area. The T-based validation results for this algorithm showed LST uncertainties (robust root-mean-squared-errors) from 0.2 K to 0.5 K lower than for the LSA SAF LST algorithm after the emissivity replacement. Nevertheless, the proposed algorithm accuracies were significantly better than those obtained for the current LSA SAF LST product, with an average accuracy difference of 0.6 K.     

Land Surface Temperature Retrieval from Landsat-8 Data with the Generalized Split Window Algorithm

This work addresses the LST retrieval from Landsat\|8 data with the generalized split\|window algorithm.Firstly,radiative transfer modeling experiment is conducted using MODTRAN 4.0,fed with SeeBor V5 atmospheric profile database to build a data set of LST related to brightness temperatures in the bands 10 and 11 of Thermal Infrared Sensor(TIRS) on Landsat-8,Land Surface Emissivities(LSEs),viewing zenith angle and Total Precipitable Water(TPW).Secondly,based on the modeling data set,the unknown coefficients of the generalized split-window algorithm are obtained,and the algorithm sensitivity is analyzed.Then,LSTs are derived from the inter-calibrated and clear sky Landsat\|8 data with the generalized split\|window algorithm,in which LSEs are estimated from Landsat\|8 Operational Land Imager(OLI) data,and TPWs are extracted from the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF) reanalysis data.Finally,the results are validated with the Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) LST/LSE product(MOD11_L2 V5).The results show that the generalized split window algorithm developed in this work can accurately retrieve LST from the Landsat\|8 data,and the error is mainly come from the uncertainty of LSEs and TPW.Before and after correction of LSEs and TPW,the LST errors in this work are,respectively,-0.64 ±0.81 K and 0.10±0.68 K against the MOD11_L2 V5 product.     

Multi-sensor model-data fusion for estimation of hydrologic and energy flux parameters

Model-data fusion offers considerable promise in remote sensing for improved state and parameter estimation particularly when applied to multi-sensor image products. This paper demonstrates the application of a ‘multiple constraints’ model-data fusion (MCMDF) scheme to integrating AMSR-E soil moisture content (SMC) and MODIS land surface temperature (LST) data products with a coupled biophysical model of surface moisture and energy budgets for savannas of northern Australia. The focus in this paper is on the methods, difficulties and error sources encountered in developing an MCMDF scheme and enhancements for future schemes. An important aspect of the MCMDF approach emphasized here is the identification of inconsistencies between model and data, and among data sets.The MCMDF scheme was able to identify that an inconsistency existed between AMSR-E SMC and LST data when combined with the coupled SEB-MRT model. For the example presented, an optimal fit to both remote sensing data sets together resulted in an 84% increase in predicted SMC and 0.06% increase for LST relative to the fit to each data set separately. That is the model predicted on average cooler LST's (∼ 1.7 K) and wetter SMC values (∼ 0.04 g cm^− 3) than the satellite image products. In this instance we found that the AMSR-E SMC data on their own were poor constraints on the model. Incorporating LST data via the MCMDF scheme ameliorated deficiencies in the SMC data and resulted in enhanced characterization of the land surface soil moisture and energy balance based on comparison with the MODIS evapotranspiration (ET) product of Mu et al. [Mu, Q., Heinsch, F.A, Zhao, M. and Running, S.W. (in press), Development of a global evapotranspiration algorithm based on MODIS and global meteorology data, Remote Sensing of Environment.]. Canopy conductance, g_C, and latent heat flux, λE, from the MODIS ET product were in good agreement with RMSEs for g_C = 0.5 mm s^− 1 and for λE = 18 W m^− 2, respectively. Differences were attributable to a greater canopy-to-air vapor pressure gradient in the MCMDF approach obtained from a more realistic partitioning of soil surface and canopy temperatures.