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Title: Problems in the Application of Thermal-based Energy Balance Models with Significant Sub-Pixel Variability

Author
item Kustas, William - Bill
item Li, Fuqin
item Anderson, Martha
item AGAM, NURIT - BARD POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW

Submitted to: American Geophysical Union
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2006
Publication Date: 12/11/2006
Citation: Kustas, W.P., Li, F., Anderson, M.C., Agam, N. 2006. Problems in the application of thermal-based energy balance models with significant sub-pixel variability [abstract]. EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 87(52),Fall Meeting Supplements, Abstract H31G-06.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A thermal infrared (TIR)-based two-source (soil + vegetation) energy balance (TSEB) model has been applied and validated using remotely sensed imagery at a variety of resolutions. TSEB model validation issues, potential model errors and inability to discriminate fluxes for diverse land cover types when using TIR data with significant sub-pixel variability will be discussed. A methodology for sharpening TIR data from coarser resolutions as a means of obtaining higher resolution thermal imagery will also be described. The results suggest that if there is no Earth observing TIR satellite system having resolutions similar to Landsat, TSEB modeling of surface fluxes, water use and crop/vegetation stress for distinct land cover types will be severely limited, model performance will deteriorate and validation will be unreliable using flux tower observations.