HR: 0800h
AN: A21D-0894    [Abstracts]
TI: The Variations of Satellite-Derived Diurnal Temperature Range Over the United States
AU: * Sun, D
EM: dsun@gmu.edu
AF: George Mason University, MS: 5C3 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030
AU: Kafatos, M
EM: mkafatos@gmu.edu
AF: George Mason University, MS: 5C3 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030
AB: Diurnal temperature range (DTR) is an important climate change indicator. Most information on this parameter comes from observations of shelter air temperature, which are sparse and unevenly distributed. In this study, five years of GOES-8 based estimates of land surface temperature (LST) are used to evaluate this parameter. For the first time, we show the distribution of satellite derived diurnal range of surface skin temperature over the United States. Satellite derived DTR show geographical difference and the western and central U.S. has larger DTR than the eastern U.S. and the Pacific Northwest. Over the western U. S., DTR is the smallest in winter, and starts to increase from spring till fall. Over the eastern part, DTR is larger in spring and fall than in summer and winter. Moreover, it was observed that urban areas are characterized by DTR smaller than those of forests, cropland, grassland, and bare ground.
DE: 1640 Remote sensing (1855)
DE: 1855 Remote sensing (1640)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005