Land surface temperature and emissivity estimation for Urban Heat Island assessment using medium- and low-resolution space-borne sensors: A review

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon, a typical characteristic on urban landscapes, has been recognised as a key driver to the transformation of local climate. Reliable retrieval of urban and intra-urban thermal characteristics using satellite thermal data depends on accurate removal of the effects of atmospheric attenuations, angular and land surface emissivity. Several techniques have been proposed to retrieve land surface temperature (LST) from coarse resolution sensors. Medium spatial resolution sensors like the Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer and the Landsat series offer a viable option for assessing LST within urban landscapes. This paper reviews the theoretical background of LST estimates from the thermal infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum, LST retrieval algorithms applicable to each of the commonly used medium-resolution sensors and required variables for each algorithm. The paper also highlights LST validation techniques and concludes by stipulating the requirements for LST temporal and spatial configuration.