VNP21: VIIRS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity Swath Data

NASA/NOAA's Suomi NPP VIIRS Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity (LST&E) Version 1 swath product (VNP21) provides daily, 6-minute retrievals at a 750-meter spatial resolution. The dataset uses a physics-based algorithm combining the ASTER TES technique with Water Vapor Scaling to simultaneously retrieve LST and emissivity for three thermal infrared bands. It was decommissioned on April 8, 2025, with users directed to the improved Version 2 products for continuity.

Use Cases

• Monitoring urban heat island effects based on daily land surface temperature retrievals.
• Validating climate and weather models using the physics-based emissivity and temperature algorithm.
• Analyzing temporal trends in surface thermal properties from the 6-minute swath data.
• Ensuring continuity with MODIS data products for long-term Earth observation studies.

Strengths

• Provides simultaneous retrieval of both land surface temperature and emissivity for three specific VIIRS bands (M14, M15, M16).
• Offers high temporal granularity with data produced in 6-minute increments of satellite acquisition.
• Algorithm is synergistically developed with MODIS LST&E products to ensure mission continuity.

Limitations

• The dataset is deprecated (decommissioned April 8, 2025), limiting its use to historical analysis only.
• Metadata is incomplete; column names and exact data volume are not specified in the provided sources.
• Data has a two-month latency after acquisition due to input processing delays.

Provenance

Source

NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite, processed by LPCLOUD.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), using a physics-based retrieval algorithm.

Time Range

Coverage spans the operational period of the VIIRS Version 1 product until its decommissioning.

Freshness

Last updated metadata dates range from 2024-05-01 to 2026-04-09, but the underlying product is deprecated.

Geography

Global swath coverage from the Suomi NPP satellite's polar orbit.