Land Surface Temperature

Background

Land Surface Temperature (LST) is the temperature of the Earth’s surface “skin,” representing how hot the land surfaces are at a given moment. It is measured frequently by satellites, capturing daily temperature variations and detecting extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires. LST is a key indicator of the surface energy budget, influencing the net radiation balance and supporting important fields like hydrology, meteorology, and climatology. These measurements are essential for monitoring crop and vegetation health, assessing thermal stress, and understanding energy exchanges between the land and atmosphere. LST data are widely used in agriculture, water resource management, and energy planning, and can be assimilated into models to improve estimates of heat fluxes. Long-term LST records from satellites also provide valuable insights into climate variability and change. Recognized as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), LST is critical for global climate monitoring and analysis.

Example of the Land Surface Temperature (LST) product as generated by the GOES-R Land Surface Temperature algorithm June 22, 2025.

Product Description

The Land Surface Temperature (LST) product is derived from GOES-R ABI longwave infrared channels. It is operationally available from both GOES-East and GOES-West satellites. Data can be accessed through NOAA’s CLASS and AWS platforms. The product is generated every hour for Full Disk (FD) coverage, the Continental United States (CONUS), and two Mesoscale sectors. Its spatial resolution is approximately 2 km at the satellite nadir. The product includes associated data quality flags and statistics regarding the LST retrieval.

Improvements and Benefits

GOES-R enhances LST observations by providing near-real-time, high-frequency measurements with improved spatial and temporal resolution. This enables more precise monitoring of surface temperature dynamics and faster detection of environmental extremes like heatwaves and droughts. The frequent updates support better weather forecasting, agriculture management, and water monitoring by supplying timely data on soil moisture and plant stress. GOES-R LST’s accurate, continuous data stream improves environmental monitoring, disaster response, and climate studies, strengthening applications that rely on up-to-date surface temperature information.

How does it work? - Algorithm

The GOES-R LST algorithm is based on a split-window approach that combines brightness temperatures from ABI bands 14 (11.2 µm) and 15 (12.3 µm) to minimize atmospheric interference, especially from water vapor. It applies an empirical regression model with coefficients derived from radiative transfer simulations across a broad range of atmospheric conditions, surface types, and satellite viewing angles. The algorithm uses key inputs including observed brightness temperatures, satellite viewing geometry, surface emissivity, and atmospheric water vapor content from both GOES-R data and numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. LST is retrieved for pixels classified as clear, probably clear, or probably cloudy, based on cloud mask outputs, and each retrieval is accompanied by quality flags indicating confidence levels. This approach enables rapid and reliable surface temperature estimates, optimized for the high temporal resolution of the GOES-R satellite system.

See the GOES-R ATBD page for all ATBDs.

How are the results compared to existing data?
Calibration and Validation

ABI LST products are routinely monitored and validated using both ground-based and satellite-based observations, enabling comparisons between satellites as well as between satellite data and ground-based in situ measurements. In situ validation relies on high-quality data from the Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD), the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program, and the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Products from both currently operational GOES satellites exceed the mission’s accuracy and precision requirements by a significant margin. Cross-satellite comparisons between GOES-East and GOES-West are conducted daily. The latest validation and comparison results are available on NOAA’s Land Product Development Team website.