Estimation of daytime land surface temperature from space radiometer under thin cirrus cloudy skies

Because of the complex influences of cirrus clouds on the estimation of Land Surface Temperature (LST), the traditional LST retrieval algorithms can only be used for clear-sky conditions and there is no LST when the pixel is identified as clouds by cloud mask algorithm. To retrieve LST under cirrus clouds, a three-channel algorithm what is dependent on cirrus optical depth (COD) and effective radius was proposed. The simulated data showed that the daytime LST could be retrieved using the three-channel algorithm with a root mean square error of less than 3.0 K when COD (at 12 μm) was less than 0.7 and viewing zenith angle was less than 60°. Compared with the results of the traditional clear-sky two-channel LST retrieval algorithm, where the maximum RMSE was 17.8 K, the algorithm proposed in this study could significantly improve the accuracy of the daytime LST retrieved using satellite thermal-infrared data.