Remote Sensing of the Land Surface Radiation Budget

The land surface radiation budget (SRB), describing the radiation balance between the incoming radiation and outgoing radiation in both shortwave and longwave spectra domains at the surface, is essential to any land surface models that characterize hydrological, ecological, and biogeochemical processes. Major components of the land surface radiation budget are surface net radiation, heat conduction (i.e., soil heat flux), and turbulent heat flux components (i.e., sensible and latent heating). It has been proven that remote sensing is a valuable data source to accurately map the long-term SRB components at various spatial and temporal resolutions. In particular, many space agencies and organizations around the world have already released various SRB climate data record (CDR) products. However, current existing SRB products are of insufficient accuracy for some applications. The spatial pattern and temporal trend inconsistency are frequently reported in the current satellite derived SRB products. Moreover, the spatial coverage and spatial–temporal resolutions of SRB products also need to be improved. an Open Access Journal by MDPI