A New Linear Relation for Estimating Surface Broadband Emissivity in Arid Regions Based on FTIR and MODIS Products

Broadband emissivity is a crucial parameter for calculating the radiation budget, still, it adopts a constant value in land surface models due to a lack of adequate observations. Arid regions have complex underlying surfaces and estimations of the broadband emissivity in such areas suffer from high spatial variation and uncertainty. Here, we propose a novel method for estimating broadband emissivity in the 8-14 mu m range based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) observations, moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) emissivity, the leaf area index (LAI) and reflectance products. The proposed method exploits FTIR observations, MODIS single-channel emissivity, reflectance and the LAI to fit a linear regression of the broadband emissivity, so the optimal equation includes emissivity, reflectance and the LAI, with an R-2 and root-mean-squared error of 0.942 and 0.08. Then we used the proposed method to generate a broadband emissivity map of Northwest of China, the broadband emissivity estimated by the method showed higher variations and finer distribution in arid areas and sparsely vegetated regions compared to data from the global land surface satellite and land model. An analysis of the relationship between the broadband emissivity, land-use type and soil moisture found an existing but not linear relationship, which indicated that the relationship was complicated under the inhomogeneous surface of wetness and vegetation. In conclusion, our results suggest that the proposed method can accurately estimate the broadband emissivity in arid regions. In future research, we will test the data in a land model.

Automated summary

The study proposes a new method for estimating broadband emissivity in arid regions using FTIR observations, MODIS emissivity, LAI, and reflectance products, which showed higher variations and finer distribution compared to global satellite and land model data. The proposed method accurately estimates broadband emissivity in arid regions and reveals a complex relationship between emissivity, land-use type, and soil moisture under an inhomogeneous surface. Future research will focus on testing the data in a land model.