Data Set Characteristics
Area = ~2330 x 2000 km
Image Dimensions = 2 (~2030x1354 row/column)
Average File Size = 26 MB
Resolution = 1 kilometer at nadir
Projection = None (swath data)
Land Surface Temperature (LST) Data Type = 16-bit Unsigned Integer
Emissivity Data Type = 8-bit Unsigned Integer
Data Format = HDF-EOS
Science Data Sets (SDS) = 9
Product Description
The MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST/E) products provide per-pixel temperature and emissivity values. Averaged temperatures are extracted in Kelvin with a day/night LST algorithm applied to a pair of MODIS daytime and nighttime observations. This method yields 1 K accuracy for materials with known emissivities, and view angle information is included in each LST/E product. Emissivities in bands 20, 22, 23, 29, and 31-32 are estimates derived from applying algorithm output to database information. The LST/E algorithms use MODIS data as input, including geolocation, radiance, cloud masking, atmospheric temperature, water vapor, snow, and land cover.
The MODIS/Terra Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity 5-Min L2 Swath 1km product, MOD11_L2, is derived from the generalized split-window LST algorithm. In addition to temperature, emissivity, quality, view angle and view time information, geolocation data (latitude and longitude) at 5 km resolution are stored in this product.
The false-color MOD11_L2 image shown was retrieved from MODIS data of April 3, 2000 over the southwestern United States and Baja California. MODIS temperature products are key inputs to many of the high level MODIS products and provide data for global temperature mapping and change observation. On land, soil and canopy temperature are among the main determinants of the rate of growth of vegetation and they govern seasonal start and termination of growth. Hydrologic processes such as evapotranspiration and snow and ice melt are highly sensitive to surface temperature fluctuation, which is also an important discriminating factor in classification of land surface types.
NOTE: These products are validated, meaning that product uncertainties are well defined over a range of
representative conditions.�Although there may be later improved versions, these data are ready for use in
scientific publications.
LP DAAC User Services
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS)
47914 252nd Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001