ABSTRACT
Except for solar irradiance components, most of the fluxes at the surface/atmosphere interface can only be parameterized through the use of surface temperature. Land surface temperature (LST) can play either a direct role, such as when estimating long wave fluxes, or indirectly as when estimating latent and sensible heat fluxes. Moreover, many other applications rely on the knowledge of LST (geology, hydrology, vegetation monitoring, global circulation models – GCM). Consequently, for many studies, it is crucial to have access to reliable estimates of surface temperature over large spatial and temporal scales.
