CLASSES IN THEMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ARID SURFACES USING ASTER DATA

Land surface temperature (LST) and emissivity are powerful thermophysical values critical to modeling and understanding global heat exchange for the purpose of climate and habitat modeling. We introduce a calibrated method developed to accurately map arid surface texture and distribution using Advanced Spacebourne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), thermal infrared (TIR) imagery data at a 90-meter spatial resolution (day and night observations). Previous researches demonstrate that contrasting properties in material composition (rock type), texture (size), and sediment mobility display different thermal characteristics. However, the identification of quantified thermophysical thresholds between bedrock and coarse rocks to fine sediments have not been defined. In this poster, we discuss temperature interface variables and correlations between different surface textures, in order to classify temperature consistence of homogeneous (in size) arid surface sediments. This was done by obtaining both ASTER and in-situ radiated temperature from three distinct areas within the Mojave Desert. The acquired ASTER scene was selected to counterpart ground-based observation dates and was processed to separate and extract temperature with adequate atmospheric corrections. A simple linear regression comparison of temperature was prepared for each distinct area and texture boundary. We expect this approach to provide insight into geomorphic mapping and regional and global land surface heat flux modeling.