g49·concept
Land surface temperature (LST)
How hot the actual ground surface is — the soil, pavement, or plant canopy — as seen from above. This is different from the air temperature a weather station reports a couple of meters up.
Land surface temperature (LST)
How hot the actual ground surface is — the soil, pavement, or plant canopy — as seen from above. This is different from the air temperature a weather station reports a couple of meters up.
Why it matters
LST reveals urban heat islands, drought and crop stress, wildfire conditions, and how the land exchanges heat with the air, making it a key input for climate, agriculture, and public-health studies.
Where you’ll meet it
- ECOSTRESS on the ISS measures LST at fine resolution to detect plant water stress.
- MODIS and VIIRS provide daily global LST for long-term monitoring.
- Landsat thermal bands give LST detailed enough to see individual fields and city blocks.
In plain terms
It’s the difference between the air feeling 30°C and the asphalt being hot enough to fry an egg — LST is the temperature of the ground itself, not the air above it.