Abstract
In this study, the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Land Surface Temperature (LST) Environmental Data Record (EDR) was evaluated against snow surface (T-skin) and near-surface air temperature (T-air) ground observations recorded at the Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center—Snow Analysis and Field Experiment (CREST-SAFE), located in Caribou, ME, USA during the winters of 2013 and 2014. The satellite LST corroboration of snow-covered areas is imperative because high-latitude regions are often physically inaccessible and there is a need to complement the data from the existing meteorological station networks. T-skin is not a standard meteorological parameter commonly observed at synoptic stations. Common practice is to measure surface infrared emission from the land surface at research stations across the world that allow for estimating ground-observed LST. Accurate T-skin observations are critical for estimating latent and sensible heat fluxes over snow-covered areas because the incoming and outgoing radiation fluxes from the snow mass and T-air make the snow surface temperature different from the average snowpack temperature. Precise characterization of the LST using satellite observations is an important issue because several climate and hydrological models use T-skin as input. Results indicate that T-air correlates better than T-skin with VIIRS LST data and that the accuracy of nighttime LST retrievals is considerably better than that of daytime. Based on these results, empirical relationships to estimate T-air and T-skin for clear-sky conditions from remotely-sensed (RS) LST were derived. Additionally, an empirical formula to correct cloud-contaminated RS LST was developed.
Highlights
Snow is a key component of the Earth’s energy balance, climate, environment, and a major source of freshwater in many regions [1,2]
This study aims to check whether remote sensing (RS) Land Surface Temperature (LST) fares better with T-skin whenever snow cover is present using temperature observations from CREST-SAFE
It should be noted that the T-skin and T-air values used in Section 3.2 for the in situ temperature vs. RS LST comparisons were not daily averages
Summary
Snow is a key component of the Earth’s energy balance, climate, environment, and a major source of freshwater in many regions [1,2]. Seasonal and perennial snow cover affect up to 50% of the Northern. Snow cover plays a critical role in regional to global scale hydrological modeling because rain-on-snow with warm air temperatures (T-air) accelerates rapid snow-melt, which is responsible for the majority of the spring floods that damage property and affect human lives [5]. The snow cover surface temperature is critical in estimating latent and sensible heat fluxes over snow covered areas because incoming and outgoing radiation fluxes from the snow mass and T-air make the snow surface temperature (T-skin) different from the average snowpack temperature [6]. Several climate and hydrological models use T-skin as input. Adequate knowledge of the snow surface and snowpack temperatures can lead to better water resources management
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