Monitoring of water surface temperature of Eurasian large lakes
using MODIS LST product
Abstract: In this study,
data from MODIS land surface temperature product level 3 (MOD11A2) were
used to investigate the spatiotemporal variation of Eurasian lakes water
surface temperature (LWST) from 2001 to 2015, and to examine the most
influencing factors of that variation. The temperature of most lakes in
the dry climate zone and in the equatorial climatic zone varied from 17
to 31°C and from 23 to 27 °C, respectively. LWSTs in the warm temperate
and cold climatic zones were in the range of 20 to 27 °C and -0.6 and 17
°C, respectively. The average daytime LWST in the polar climate zone was
-0.71°C in the summer. Lakes in high latitude and in the Tibetan Plateau
displayed low LWST, ranging from –11°C to 26°C during the nighttime.
Large spatial variations of diurnal temperature difference (DTD) was
observed in lakes across Eurasia. However, variations in DTDs were small
in lakes located in high latitude and in tropical rainforest regions.
The shallow lakes showed a rapid response of LWST to solar and
atmospheric forcing, while in the large and deep lakes, that response
was sluggish. Results of this study demonstrated the applicability of
remote sensing and MODIS LST products to capture the spatial-temporal
variability of LWST across
continental
scales, in particular for the vast wilderness areas and protected
environment in high latitude regions of the world. The approach can be
used in future studies examining processes and factors controlling large
scale variability of LWST.
Keywords:lake water surface temperature; MODIS LST product; Eurasian lakes;
spatial-temporal variability.