Spatially consistent high-resolution land surface temperature mosaics for thermophysical mapping of the Mojave Desert

Sensors
By: , and 

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Abstract

Daytime and nighttime thermal infrared observations acquired by the ASTER and MODIS instruments onboard the NASA Terra spacecraft have produced a dataset that can be used to map thermophysical properties across large regions, which have implications on surface processes, thermal environments and habitat suitability for desert species. ASTER scenes acquired between 2004 and 2012 are combined using new mosaicking and data-fusion techniques to produce a map of daytime and nighttime land surface temperature with coverage exclusive of the effects of clouds and weather. These data are combined with Landsat 7 visible imagery to generate a consistent map of apparent thermal inertia (ATI), which is related to the presence of exposed bedrock, rocks, fine-grained sediments and water on the surface. The resulting datasets are compared to known geomorphic units and surface types to generate an interpreted mechanical composition map of the entire Mojave Desert at 100 m per pixel that is most sensitive to large clast size distinctions in grain size distribution.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Spatially consistent high-resolution land surface temperature mosaics for thermophysical mapping of the Mojave Desert
Series title Sensors
DOI 10.3390/s19122669
Volume 19
Issue 12
Year Published 2019
Language English
Publisher MDPI
Contributing office(s) Western Ecological Research Center
Description 2669; 17 p.
Country United States
State ARizone, California, Nevada, Utah
Other Geospatial Mojave Desert
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