Mapping Surface Broadband Emissivity of the Sahara Desert Using ASTER and MODIS Data

Abstract

the emissivity and reflectance derived from MODIS data. The first regression was used for mapping the broadband emissivity using ASTER data in a 500 km 3 1400 km area of North Africa, which includes Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and western Libya. This emissivity map was used to calibrate the second regression, which was applied to MODIS data and generated a broadband emissivity map over North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The range of the broadband emissivity was found to be between 0.85 and 0.96 for the desert area. The resulting broadband emissivity maps and the methodology for generating them will contribute to future climate modeling studies.