Retrieval of Hourly Records of Surface Hydrometeorological Variables Using Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

Abstract A new algorithm is formulated for retrieving hourly time series of surface hydrometeorological variables including net radiation, sensible heat flux, and near-surface air temperature aided by hourly visible images from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and in situ observations of mean daily air temperature. The algorithm is based on two unconventional, recently developed methods: the maximum entropy production model of surface heat fluxes and the half-order derivative–integral model that has been tested previously. The close agreement between the retrieved hourly variables using remotely sensed input and the corresponding field observations indicates that this algorithm is an effective tool in remote sensing of the earth system.