FIFE: Helicopter-Borne Surface Radiant Temperature (1989)

NASA's Surface Radiant Temperature dataset was collected over six days in July and August 1989 as part of the FIFE project. It provides average and standard deviation measurements of land surface radiant temperature using an Everest Series 4000 Infrared Thermometer mounted on a Bell UH-1B helicopter. The data served to characterize thermal conditions at FIFE study sites and validate the thermal band of a concurrent Multiband Modular Radiometer.

Use Cases

• Validating thermal band data from the Barnes Multiband Modular Radiometer (MMR) based on concurrent helicopter measurements.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal variability of land surface temperature within the FIFE study area.
• Calibrating or verifying satellite-derived land surface temperature products using in-situ radiant temperature data.
• Studying surface energy balance and atmospheric interactions using precise point measurements of radiant temperature.

Strengths

• Data collection involved precise instrumentation, including an Everest Series 4000 Infrared Thermometer mounted on a NASA helicopter.
• Provides both average and standard deviation of radiant temperature for individual sites, indicating measurement of variability.
• Collected as part of the established FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) project, suggesting a structured scientific context.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing or conflicting: column names and row counts are unknown, and the last update date conflicts between 1989 and a future 2026 date.
• The dataset's age (1989) limits its utility for contemporary analysis without complementary modern data.
• Documentation appears sparse, with no detailed column descriptions provided across platforms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measurements taken with a helicopter-borne Everest Series 4000 Infrared Thermometer while hovering over sites.

Time Range

July-August 1989 (six specific days)

Freshness

1989-08-11 23:59:59.999000

Geography

FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) study area