ICESS , University of California, Santa Barbara

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Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the key parameters in the physics of land surface processes, combining surface-atmosphere interactions and the energy fluxes between the atmosphere and the ground.

LST is required for a wide variety of scientific studies -- from climatology to hydrology to ecology and biogeology. For example, it is an important factor in modeling large scale hydrological systems, global primary production, and the greenhouse effect. Further, it can be used in agricultural applications (such as evaluating water requirements for wheat and determining frost damage in orange groves).

We will use the data of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites to retrieve LST.