Monitoring global temperature change in the environment, across a variety of spatio-temporal scales, is critical for understanding how changes in climate affect natural and human systems and informing projections of future changes so that sustainable management strategies can be developed. The importance of monitoring these changes is particularly acute where temperature deviations may force systems to transfer from a stable state to a more unbalanced situation with strong feedbacks, such as desertification or rapid glacier retreat. As a result of the recognised need to monitor changes in global temperature, several types of Surface Temperature are recognised as Global Climate Observing System Essential Climate Variables.
Thermal infrared measurements from different platforms and sensors enable the retrieval of surface temperature across spatial scales from millimetres to kilometres and across temporal scales from seconds to decades. The higher spatial resolution (metres) of ground based or airborne observations allows surface temperature of complex targets (such as debris covered glaciers or urban areas) to be spatially constrained with high precision, particularly with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Advances in satellite thermal imaging have enabled monitoring changes in surface temperature over large remote areas, providing valuable information to remotely investigate the factors forcing environmental changes. The combined use of surface temperature measurements performed by different platforms at different spatial and temporal scales is also beneficial. For instance, high resolution in situ observations provide validation data for satellite derived surface temperature products, while satellite data can facilitate upscaling of thermal studies to wider areas.
This session provides an opportunity for multi-disciplinary sharing of knowledge, data and expertise for advancing thermal imaging of the environment in the future. Suggested contributions can include, but are not limited to, topics such as:
• Applications of thermal observations to detect environmental changes ‘associated’ with climate change
• Ground based and airborne thermal observations from in situ stations and field campaigns
• Development and validation of satellite surface temperature products
• How to improve remote sensing of surface temperature in different environments
• Nature of errors and uncertainties in surface temperature observations