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Title: COMPARISON OF LAND SURFACE EMISSIVITY AND TEMPERATURE DERIVED FROM MODIS AND ASTER

Author
item PETITCOLIN, F. - ACRI-ST
item JACOB, FREDERIC - VISITING SCIENTIST HRSL
item VERMOTE, E. - UNIVERSITY OF MD
item Schmugge, Thomas
item French, Andrew

Submitted to: European Geophysical Society Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/14/2002
Publication Date: 4/22/2002
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The NASA TERRA platform is carrying two instruments, ASTER and MODIS, operating in the thermal infrared. Land surface emissivity and temperature are derived from both instruments using different methods at 90m and 1km resolution. The Temperature-Emissivity Separation (TES) method is applied on ASTER data, either at USDA/ARS/HRSL or through the "on request" processing facility. Land surface emissivity and temperature derived from MODIS data are the result of a separation scheme developed at Goddard Space Flight Center and based on Temperature Independent Spectral Indices of Emissivity (TISIE) indices. Comparisons are performed with data acquired over the Jornada New Mexico test site on May 12, 2001 and over central Africa on November 23, 2000. Land surface temperature comparisons are generally in good agreement, within 1 degree Kelvin. Importance of accurate atmospheric corrections is emphasized. Spectral emissivity shows also reasonable agreement in general, and rather good in the 8.5 microns atmospheric window for bare soils. Associated with ASTER validation campaigns, such comparisons provide vicarious calibrations for the MODIS thermal products and open new perspectives in the understanding of scaling mechanisms in thermal infrared remote sensing.