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Remote Sensing of Land Surface Temperature: Retrieval, Modeling, and Applications

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Atmospheric Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 2084

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Artificial Intelligence, Anhui University, Hefei, China
Interests: thermal remote sensing; urban thermal environment; land surface temperature
School of Resources and Environment, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
Interests: thermal remote sensing; land surface temperature; retrieval and validation

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Guest Editor
College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, China
Interests: thermal remote sensing; urban thermal environment

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Guest Editor
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Campus Nord, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Interests: thermal remote sensing; land surface temperature; temperature cycle modelling; retrieval and validation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Land surface temperature (LST) plays a central role in many research fields, including climatology, urban studies, hydrology, ecology and biophysical chemistry. In recent years, the rapid development of remote sensing technology has provided unprecedented opportunities for deriving LST with high precision and spatio-temporal resolution. However, the particular technique used to sample satellites, the variability of atmospheric conditions, the intricate surface characteristics present and the intrinsic complexity of the coupled surface–atmosphere system continues to pose significant challenges to the accurate retrieval, modelling and application of LST.

The aim of this Special Issue is to review the latest developments and challenges in LST retrieval, modelling and applications. In particular, it will address the following topics: enhancing the accuracy of LST retrieval in complex surface environments, especially in highly heterogeneous urban areas; improving the spatial and temporal resolution of LST products through the application of advanced physical models and statistical and learning models; and expanding the potential applications of LST in diverse fields, including urban climate, urban planning, climate change, vegetation monitoring, weather forecasting, drought monitoring, agricultural monitoring, and carbon cycle and balance.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • LST retrieval;
  • LST modelling;
  • All-weather LST production;
  • Temporal and spatial downscaling approach;
  • Reasonable validation method;
  • Physical model;
  • Machine learning model;
  • Deep learning model;
  • Urban heat island;
  • Urban warming;
  • Heatwave and heat stress;
  • Phenology monitoring;
  • Weather forecasting;
  • Drought monitoring;
  • Agricultural monitoring;
  • Carbon cycle and balance.

Dr. Zihan Liu
Dr. Jin Ma
Dr. Kangning Li
Dr. Lluís Pérez-Planells
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thermal infrared remote sensing
  • land surface temperature (LST)
  • urban thermal environment
  • climate change
  • urbanization
  • agriculture application

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

33 pages, 17428 KiB  
Article
Assessing Spatial Correlations Between Land Cover Types and Land Surface Temperature Trends Using Vegetation Index Techniques in Google Earth Engine: A Case Study of Thessaloniki, Greece
by Aikaterini Stamou, Anna Dosiou, Aikaterini Bakousi, Eleni Karachaliou, Ioannis Tavantzis and Efstratios Stylianidis
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(3), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17030403 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 655
Abstract
The Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon, combined with reduced vegetation and heat generated by human activities, presents a major environmental challenge for many European urban areas. The UHI effect is especially concerning in hot and temperate climates, like the Mediterranean region, during the [...] Read more.
The Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon, combined with reduced vegetation and heat generated by human activities, presents a major environmental challenge for many European urban areas. The UHI effect is especially concerning in hot and temperate climates, like the Mediterranean region, during the summer months as it intensifies the discomfort and raises the risk of heat-related health issues. As a result, assessing urban heat dynamics and steering sustainable land management practices is becoming increasingly crucial. Analyzing the relationship between land cover and Land Surface Temperature (LST) can significantly contribute to achieving this objective. This study evaluates the spatial correlations between various land cover types and LST trends in Thessaloniki, Greece, using data from the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) program and advanced vegetation index techniques within Google Earth Engine (GEE). Our analysis revealed that there has been a gradual increase in average surface temperature over the past five years, with a more pronounced increase observed in the last two years (2022 and 2023) with mean annual LST values reaching 26.07 °C and 27.09 °C, respectively. By employing indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and performing correlation analysis, we further analyzed the influence of diverse urban landscapes on LST distribution across different land use categories over the study area, contributing to a deeper understanding of UHI effects. Full article
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27 pages, 15817 KiB  
Article
Optimizing the Vegetation Health Index for Agricultural Drought Monitoring: Evaluation and Application in the Yellow River Basin
by Qinghou Hang, Hao Guo, Xiangchen Meng, Wei Wang, Ying Cao, Rui Liu, Philippe De Maeyer and Yunqian Wang
Remote Sens. 2024, 16(23), 4507; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16234507 - 1 Dec 2024
Viewed by 901
Abstract
The ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin in China is characterized by drought, which has been exacerbated by global warming. It is critical to keep accurate track of the region’s agricultural drought conditions. To enhance the vegetation health index (VHI), the optimal [...] Read more.
The ecological environment of the Yellow River Basin in China is characterized by drought, which has been exacerbated by global warming. It is critical to keep accurate track of the region’s agricultural drought conditions. To enhance the vegetation health index (VHI), the optimal time scale for the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was determined by using the maximum correlation coefficient method, and the calculation method for VHI was optimized. The contributions of the vegetation condition index (VCI) and the temperature condition index (TCI) to the VHI were scientifically optimized, leading to the development of the optimal VHI (VHIopt). Soil moisture anomaly (SMA) and the SPEI were employed for assessing the performance of VHIopt. Furthermore, the temporal and spatial evolution of agricultural drought in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) was analyzed using VHIopt. The results indicate the following: (1) In the YRB, the optimal contribution of the VCI to the VHI is lower than that of the TCI. (2) The drought monitoring accuracy of VHIopt in forests, grasslands, croplands, and other vegetation types exceeds that of the original VHI (VHIori). Additionally, it demonstrates a high level of consistency with the SMA and the SPEI03 regarding spatial and temporal characteristics. (3) Agricultural drought in the YRB is gradually diminishing; however, significant regional differences remain. Generally, the findings of this study highlight that VHIopt is better suited to the specific climate and vegetation conditions of the Yellow River Basin, enhancing its effectiveness for agricultural drought monitoring in this region. Full article
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