Land Surface Temperature Focus Area Contributions to International Structures
GCOS
GCOS target requirements for LST were set as follows (GCOS-245):
| Variable/Parameter | Horizontal Resolution | Temporal Resolution | Accuracy | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Surface Temperature | <1 km | <1 hour | <1 K | < 0.1 K/decade |
TIRCalNet Preparation Study
For a reliable vicarious calibration of TIR satellite sensors, top of atmosphere (TOA) brightness temperature (BT) needs to be estimated with an accuracy of 0.5 K. The Thermal Infrared Calibration Network (TIRCalNet) Preparation Study started in November 2023 and is managed by ESA/ESRIN. The study will generate a roadmap document in support of an operational roll-out of potential TIRCalNet sites that can provide TOA BT with the required accuracy. Based on past and on-going calibration activities, the TIRCalNet study will estimate the required measurement uncertainty budget and identify suitable site characteristics, instruments and propagation schemes in order to minimize TOA BT uncertainty.
Copernicus LAW project
The Copernicus Space Component Validation for Land Surface Temperature, Aerosol Optical Depth and Water Vapor (LAW) Sentinel-3 Products Project started in January 2020 and is managed by ESA/ESRIN. Copernicus LAW aims to perform a more extensive and systematic validation against ground-based measurements of three Sentinel-3 datasets (Integrated Water Vapor, Aerosol Optical Depth, Land Surface Temperature). The validation will be followed by an analysis phase to better identify areas where the products are still limited. To foster the validation of satellite LST products against a wider variety of stations, five new LST stations are being deployed and match-ups between in-situ LST and S3 products will be made available via the project’s web portal.
Dragon 5 All-weather LST cooperation (NASCC / ESA)
The Dragon 5 cooperation ‘All-weather Land Surface Temperature at high spatial resolution: validation and applications’ aims to intercompare and validate two new LST products (Zhang et al., 2019; Martins et al., 2019), which provide (nearly) gap-free all-weather LST at high spatial resolution. The two all-weather LST products and LST extracted from ERA5-Land data will be intercompared and validated over selected regions in China, Europe, and Southern Africa. Within the framework of the cooperation an additional LST validation station will be set up and all-weather LST data will be used to simulate and study freeze / thaw cycles.
NASA MEaSUREs project
Making Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) is a NASA initiative to build long-term, consistent data records across the globe. The LST&E Measures project aims to provide long-term and continuous records of LST from low earth orbit sensors (MODIS) and from geostationary orbit (GOES) since 2000, including a Combined ASTER and MODIS for Land (CAMEL) emissivity dataset providing global hyperspectral emissivities in the MIR-TIR wavelength ranges.
ESA LST CCI+ project
ESAs Climate Change Initiative (CCI) aims at contributing long-term and quality controlled observations to the needed data bases of these ECVs. The LST CCI project intends to provide an accurate view of LSTs over different land covers globally. Furthermore, the project will develop a long-term LST data record including various satellite LST data sets: the quality of these data sets will be ensured via validation with in-situ LST data.
EUMETSAT LSA SAF project
The main purpose of EUMETSAT's Land Surface Analysis (LSA) Satellite Application Facility (SAF) is to increase the benefits from Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) and European Polar System (EPS) satellite data related to land, land-atmosphere interactions and biophysical applications. LSA SAF develops techniques, products and algorithms for a broad range of land biophysical applications and provides some well established LST products that are routinely validated with in-situ LST observations.
