Forward and inverse modeling of land surface energy balance using surface temperature measurements

Land surface temperature measurements have been widely used to estimate surface energy balance. However, because land surface temperature and energy balance both depend on a complex suite of factors, precise estimation of surface energy exchanges using thermal remote sensing is difficult. In recent years, a variety of methods have been developed that overcome previous limitations and show substantial promise for robust estimation of surface fluxes from remote sensing. This paper reviews recent progress in this domain and describes a two-layer energy balance model designed for use with thermal remote sensing. An important aspect of the model is that it is specifically designed to account for the complex micrometeorology and thermal properties of land surfaces possessing a range of density in vegetation. Further, the physics underlying this model are complementary to the physics of land surface thermal remote sensing. Comparisons between field measurements and modeled fluxes show good agreement, which suggests that the model describes land surface energy balance processes with good realism. More importantly, these results reinforce the conclusions of other recent studies that have demonstrated the compatibility of two-layer energy balance models with remote sensing observations and, by extension, the viability of using thermal remote sensing to model surface energy balance.