ASTER L2 Surface Kinetic Temperature: 90m Resolution Thermal Data

Surface kinetic temperature data derived from five Thermal Infrared bands of the Terra ASTER satellite. The Level 2 product is produced using the Temperature/Emissivity Separation algorithm and has a spatial resolution of 90 meters. Version 4, produced by NASA, integrates MERRA-2 data for improved atmospheric correction.

Use Cases

• Modeling land surface energy budgets based on surface kinetic temperature data.
• Monitoring thermal anomalies for volcanic or wildfire studies based on daytime and nighttime observations.
• Improving climate models with high-resolution temperature retrievals based on the enhanced atmospheric correction.
• Analyzing urban heat island effects using the 90-meter spatial resolution thermal data.

Strengths

• Spatial resolution of 90 meters for the Thermal Infrared bands.
• Atmospheric correction improved by integrating MERRA-2 data in Version 4.
• Includes both daytime and nighttime observations.
• Employs fallback mechanisms with GDAS and climatology data to ensure continuous processing.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Known issue with incorrect bounding coordinates for products on the international date line.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from Terra ASTER satellite Thermal Infrared bands using the Temperature/Emissivity Separation algorithm.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 14:29:13.292679; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite observations.