Land surface skin temperature climatology: benefitting from the strengths of satellite observations

Surface skin temperature observations (Tskin), as obtained by satellite remote sensing, provide useful climatological information of high spatial resolution and global coverage that enhances the traditional ground observations of surface air temperature (Tair) and so, reveal new information about land surface characteristics. This letter analyzes nine years of moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) skin temperature observations to present monthly skin temperature diurnal, seasonal, and inter-annual variations at a 0.05 deg. latitude/longitude grid over the global land surface and combines these measurements with other MODIS-based variables in an effort to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for Tskin variations. In particular, skin temperature variations are found to be closely related to vegetation cover, clouds, and water vapor, but to differ from 2 m surface Tair in terms of both physical meaning and magnitude. Therefore, the two temperatures (Tskin and Tair) are complementary in their contribution of valuable information to the study of climate change.