ECOSTRESS Project: Plant Temperature and Water Stress Measurements from ISS

The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) mission measures plant temperature to understand water needs and stress responses. It collects data globally between 52 degrees N and 52 degrees S from the International Space Station, providing at-sensor calibrated radiance for five thermal infrared bands and digital numbers for a shortwave infrared band. The data product is provided as swath data without geolocation, requiring a separate file for georeferencing.

Use Cases

• Modeling plant water stress and evapotranspiration based on thermal infrared radiance measurements.
• Analyzing global vegetation health patterns within the 52-degree latitude band based on the mission's coverage.
• Investigating data anomalies and instrument performance over time based on the documented acquisition gaps and reprocessing events.

Strengths

• Provides calibrated radiance values for five specific thermal infrared bands between 8 and 12.5 microns.
• Collects data over a defined and significant global latitudinal range between 52 degrees N and 52 degrees S.
• Data is openly available under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

Limitations

• The specific data product described (ECO1BRAD Version 1) was decommissioned on May 21, 2025, directing users to newer versions.
• The data product lacks geolocation information, requiring a separate file (ECO1BGEO) for spatial reference.
• Known data acquisition gaps exist due to instrument anomalies, affecting certain bands and periods.

Provenance

Source

NASA

Collection Method

Collected by the ECOSTRESS instrument attached to the International Space Station.

Time Range

Science operations began after launch on June 29, 2018, with data acquisition continuing through at least April 28, 2023 for the described approach.

Freshness

The dataset is actively maintained, with a Version 1 product decommissioned in 2025 and users directed to newer Version 2 products.

Geography

Global coverage between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south latitude.