Quality assessment and validation of the MODIS global land surface temperature

TLDR

The study evaluates the Earth Observing System MODIS thermal infrared bands and the status of land surface temperature version‑3 products retrieved from Terra MODIS data. The authors validated daily MODIS LST products against in‑situ measurements from over 20 clear‑sky field campaigns conducted between 2000 and 2002. The validation shows MODIS LST accuracy better than 1 °C across −10 to 50 °C, and incorporating both Terra and Aqua data enhances product quality and diurnal representation, prompting refinements to the generation code. The work was supported by NASA contract NAS5‑31370.

Abstract

Abstract 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. Acknowledgment This work was supported by research contract NAS5-31370 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.