Field validation of the GLASS land surface broadband emissivity database using pseudo-invariant sand dune sites in northern China

The land surface broadband emissivity (LSBE) is a key parameter for estimating surface radiation, and there have been many studies of the LSBE at global or local scales. However, few studies have validated the surface emissivity database with multi-point field measurement data using infrared radiometry, especially in China. In this study, we focus on the validation of the emissivity product of the global land surface satellite (GLASS) LSBE database for northern China for the period from 2006 to 2011. Specifically, we have employed an eight-day averaged, gridded emissivity product in the 8–13.5 µm spectral range produced at a spatial resolution of 1000 m from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer albedo product using a new algorithm. The GLASS LSBE database was validated over bare surfaces with field measurement data from sand samples collected at many pseudo-invariant sand dune sites located in western and northwestern China. By comparing measured emissivity for different land surface types at different sites and different times, it was shown that the results were consistent and that the accuracy of the field measurements was reliable. The results of the validation of GLASS LSBE with these field emissivity data showed very good agreement.     

Estimating global land surface broadband thermal-infrared emissivity using advanced very high resolution radiometer optical data

An algorithm for retrieving global eight-day 5 km broadband emissivity (BBE) from advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) visible and near-infrared data from 1981 through 1999 was presented. Land surface was divided into three types according to its normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values: bare soil, vegetated area, and transition zone. For each type, BBE at 8–13.5 µm was formulated as a nonlinear function of AVHRR reflectance for Channels 1 and 2. Given difficulties in validating coarse emissivity products with ground measurements, the algorithm was cross-validated by comparing retrieved BBE with BBE derived through different methods. Retrieved BBE was initially compared with BBE derived from moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) albedos. Respective absolute bias and root-mean-square error were less than 0.003 and 0.014 for bare soil, less than 0.002 and 0.011 for transition zones, and ?0.002 and 0.005 for vegetated areas. Retrieved BBE was also compared with BBE obtained through the NDVI threshold method. The proposed algorithm was better than the NDVI threshold method, particularly for bare soil. Finally, retrieved BBE and BBE derived from MODIS data were consistent, as were the two BBE values.     

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) after fifteen years: Review of global products

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a 15-channel imaging instrument operating on NASA’s Terra satellite. A joint project between the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, ASTER has been acquiring data for 15 years, since March 2000. The archive now contains over 2.8 million scenes; for the majority of them, a stereo pair was collected using nadir and backward telescopes imaging in the NIR wavelength. The majority of users require only a few to a few dozen scenes for their work. Studies have ranged over numerous scientific disciplines, and many practical applications have benefited from ASTER’s unique data. A few researchers have been able to mine the entire ASTER archive, that is now global in extent due to the long duration of the mission. Six examples of global products are described in this contribution: the ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM), the most complete, highest resolution DEM available to all users; the ASTER Emissivity Database (ASTER GED), a global 5-band emissivity map of the land surface; the ASTER Global Urban Area Map (AGURAM), a 15-m resolution database of over 3500 cities; the ASTER Volcano Archive (AVA), an archive of over 1500 active volcanoes; ASTER Geoscience products of the continent of Australia; and the Global Ice Monitoring from Space (GLIMS) project.