Remote sensing of land
surface temperature
Lecture 8
Thermal infrared of EM spectrum
Details about thermal remote sensing refers to another lecture
For this lecture and lab, we focus on MODIS LST processing and application

100 m
3.0 m
0.7 m


All objects have a temperature
above absolute zero (0 K) emit
EM energy (in 3.0-100 µm).

Human being has normal
98.6 ºF (37 ºC)
Our eyes are only sensitive to
visible energy (0.4-0.7 µm).
Human sense thermal energy
through touch. while detectors
(sensors) are sensitive to all
EM spectrum.
All objects (vegetation, soil,
rock, water, concrete, etc)
selectively absorb solar shortwavelength energy and radiate
thermal infrared energy.
Brightness temperature,
and physical (surface) temperature

Through radiance recorded by a remote sensor, if we use
the Planck equation, we can get a temperature, which we
call brightness temperature Tb, which is less than the
real physical (or surface) temperature T.
2hc 2
2hc 2
L( , Tb )  5 hc / kTb )
    B ( , T )     5 hc / kT )
 (e
 1)
 (e
 1)
hc
T
k  ln( 1       e hc / kTb )
h, Planck’s constant =6.626 x 10-34 Ws2
T, Kelvin (K)
c, 3 x 108 m/s
k, Boltzmann’s constant=1.38 x 10-23 Ws/K
L or B, radiance (Wm-2μm-1)
c1=2πhc2=3.74 x 10-16 Wm2
c2=ch/k=0.0144 mK
MODIS land surface temperature and
emissivity product led by Dr. Wan
http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/modis/modis-lst.html
Wan et al. 2002
The accuracy of
temperature is better
than 1 K, Wan (2008)
Urban Heat Island of
San Antonio
downtown area
detected by MODIS
temperature product
1:30 am, July 15, 2004
T (K)
X Profile
Y Profile
NW-SE
NE-SW
297
296
295
294
293
292
291
290
289
288
0
20
40
60
80
Distance (pixel)
100
120
140
Xie and Ytuarte, 2005
Dallas-Fort Worth
El Paso/Juarez
Houston
San Antonio
Temperature
San Antonio
Ba
nd
Ba 1
n
Ba d 6
nd
Ba 11
nd
Ba 16
nd
Ba 21
nd
Ba 26
nd
Ba 31
nd
Ba 36
nd
Ba 41
nd
Ba 46
nd
Ba 51
nd
Ba 56
nd
Ba 61
nd
Ba 66
nd
Ba 71
nd
Ba 76
nd
Ba 81
nd
Ba 86
nd
Ba 91
n
Ba d 9
nd 6
Ba 10
nd 1
Ba 10
nd 6
Ba 11
nd 1
Ba 11
nd 6
Ba 12
nd 1
Ba 12
nd 6
Ba 13
nd 1
Ba 13
nd 6
Ba 14
nd 1
Ba 14
nd 6
Ba 15
nd 1
Ba 15
nd 6
Ba 16
nd 1
16
6
nd
Ba 1
n
Ba d 8
nd
Ba 17
nd
Ba 23
nd
Ba 29
nd
Ba 43
nd
Ba 49
nd
Ba 56
nd
Ba 64
nd
Ba 74
nd
Ba 80
nd
Ba 86
n
Ba d 9
nd 3
Ba 10
nd 2
Ba 10
nd 8
Ba 11
nd 4
Ba 12
nd 1
Ba 12
nd 9
Ba 13
nd 5
Ba 14
nd 1
Ba 15
nd 0
Ba 15
nd 8
Ba 16
nd 6
Ba 18
nd 2
Ba 18
nd 8
Ba 19
nd 4
Ba 20
nd 1
Ba 21
nd 0
Ba 21
nd 6
Ba 22
nd 2
Ba 22
nd 8
Ba 23
nd 4
Ba 24
nd 2
24
9
Ba
Temperature
10:30 am
San Antonio Terra Day
Downtown
Inside 410
Inside 1604
Outside 1604
320
315
310
305
300
295
290
285
San Antonio Aqua Day
2000-2008
2002-2008
1:30 pm
Downtown
Inside 410
Inside 1604
Oustide 1604
319
314
309
304
299
294
289
San Antonio
Temperature
2000-2008
Ba
n
Ba d 1
Ba nd
n 6
Ba d 1
n 1
Ba d 1
n 6
Ba d 2
n 1
Ba d 2
n 6
Ba d 3
n 1
Ba d 3
n 8
Ba d 4
n 3
Ba d 4
n 8
Ba d 5
n 3
Ba d 5
n 9
Ba d 6
n 5
Ba d 7
n 0
Ba d 7
n 5
Ba d 8
n 0
Ba d 8
n 6
Ba d 9
1
Ba nd
nd 96
Ba 1
n 01
Ba d 1
n 06
Ba d 1
n 11
Ba d 1
n 16
Ba d 1
n 21
Ba d 1
n 26
Ba d 1
n 31
Ba d 1
n 36
Ba d 1
n 42
Ba d 1
n 47
Ba d 1
n 52
Ba d 1
n 60
Ba d 1
n 65
Ba d 1
n 70
Ba d 1
n 75
Ba d 1
n 80
Ba d 1
nd 86
19
2
Ba
Ba nd
n 2
Ba d 1
n 1
Ba d 2
n 0
Ba d 2
n 9
Ba d 3
n 8
Ba d 4
n 7
Ba d 5
n 6
Ba d 6
n 5
Ba d 7
n 4
Ba d 8
3
Ba nd 9
nd 2
Ba 1
n 01
Ba d 1
n 10
Ba d 1
n 19
Ba d 1
n 28
Ba d 1
n 37
Ba d 1
n 46
Ba d 1
n 55
Ba d 1
n 64
Ba d 1
n 74
Ba d 1
n 83
Ba d 1
n 92
Ba d 2
n 01
Ba d 2
n 11
Ba d 2
n 20
Ba d 2
n 29
Ba d 23
n 8
Ba d 2
n 47
Ba d 2
n 56
Ba d 2
n 65
Ba d 2
n 74
Ba d 2
n 84
Ba d 2
n 93
Ba d 3
n 02
Ba d 3
nd 11
32
0
Temperature
10:30 pm
San Antonio Terra Night
Downtown
Inside 410
Inside 1604
Outside 1604
305
300
295
290
285
280
275
270
San Antonio Aqua Night
1:30 am
2002-2008
Downtown
Inside 410
Inside 1604
Outside 1604
300
295
290
285
280
275
270
Black areas
are no date,
due to cloud
cover. So this
image should
not use
The Delaunay triangulation method is available under ENVI, at
Topographic/Replace Bad Values
David Prado thesis, 2010
Source: Jeff Dozier
Active fire detection:
MODIS fire and thermal anomalies products
http://modis-fire.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.asp
Image caption: Fires in the Bahamas, Florida and Cuba (03 April 2004, 18:30 UTC)
identified using MODIS Aqua and outlined in red on the MODIS 1km corrected
reflectance product