thermal
7 articlesMODIS Satellite Data: The Daily, Decades-Long View of Earth
MODIS provides daily global coverage and a 20+ year archive at 250m-1km resolution. Learn what MODIS measures, its key products (NDVI, land surface temperature, active fire), how it trades resolution for frequency, and when coarse-resolution daily data beats high-resolution imagery.
2026-06-20 · 4 min read
The Landsat Program: A Complete Guide to 50+ Years of Earth Observation
Landsat is the longest continuous record of Earth's surface from space, running since 1972. Learn how Landsat 8 and 9 work, what their OLI and TIRS sensors measure, how the 30m archive enables long-term change detection, and how Landsat compares to Sentinel-2.
2026-06-18 · 5 min read
Land Surface Temperature: Measuring Earth's Heat from Space
How thermal infrared satellites measure land surface temperature, the difference between LST and air temperature, and applications from urban heat island studies to volcanic monitoring and wildfire detection.
2026-01-24 · 7 min read
Estimating Evapotranspiration from Satellites: The Invisible Water Flux
How satellite data estimates evapotranspiration — the combined water loss from soil evaporation and plant transpiration. Covers energy balance methods, vegetation index approaches, and applications in irrigation management and water budgets.
2025-10-09 · 9 min read
Urban Heat Islands from Space: Mapping City Temperatures with Thermal Satellites
How satellite thermal infrared data reveals urban heat island patterns, the physics of land surface temperature retrieval, and practical applications for urban planning and public health.
2025-09-16 · 9 min read
Volcanic Eruption Monitoring from Space: Detecting Unrest Before Disaster
How satellites monitor volcanoes using thermal anomaly detection, SO₂ plume tracking, InSAR deformation mapping, and ash cloud monitoring. Covers operational systems and the challenge of monitoring 1,500+ active volcanoes.
2025-09-04 · 8 min read
Irrigation Monitoring from Space: Tracking Water Use Across Farmland
How satellite imagery detects irrigated vs rainfed agriculture, monitors irrigation scheduling, and supports water resource management. Covers optical, thermal, and SAR approaches.
2025-06-24 · 6 min read