An improved ICE/SNOW surface temperature retrieval method for Antarctic MODIS data

Ice surface temperature (IST), which can indicates surface melt in polar areas, is one of the key parameters in ice surface monitoring. However, the existing studies about this topic are relatively limited. In this context, this research proposes an effective IST retrieval approach using MODIS data. In this approach, an improved split-window algorithm (SWA) is introduced by combining it with a polynomial fitting for atmospheric transmittance simulation. A comparative study between the satellite-derived ISTs (retrieved IST and MODIS IST product) and automatic weather station data from Zhongshan Station and the Ross Ice Shelf (from 2004 to 2013) was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the proposed method performs better than the existing MOD29 product. The retrieved ISTs have a bias of -0.62 K and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 1.32 K for the Zhongshan Station data, and a bias of -1.62 K and an RMSE of 2.34 K for the Ross Ice Shelf data, respectively.