U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                                    Software
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications
- People
- Research Sites
- Pesticide Volatilization
- Watershed Modeling
- Climate Change
- Soil Moisture
- Drought and ET
- HRSL Brochure

Title:   Author  item
                                            REUTER, D. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            RICHARDSON, C. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            PELLERANO, F. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            IRONS, J. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            ALLEN, R.G. - University Of Idahoitem
                                            Anderson, Marthaitem
                                            JHABVALA, M. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            LUNSFORD, A. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            MONTANARO, M. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            SMITH, R. - National Aeronautics And Space Administration (NASA)item
                                            TESFAYE, Z. - Collaborator
  Submitted to: Remote Sensing
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2014
                                    Publication  Date: 1/19/2015
                                    Citation: Reuter, D., Richardson, C., Pellerano, F., Irons, J., Allen, R., Anderson, M.C., Jhabvala, M., Lunsford, A., Montanaro, M., Smith, R., Tesfaye, Z. 2015. The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on Landsat 8: Design overview and pre-launch characterization. Remote Sensing. 7:1135-1153.Interpretive Summary: The Landsat series of satellites has particular utility for agricultural monitoring because it can map at spatial resolutions (30-100m)  smaller than a typical farm field.  Landsat 8 was launched in February of 2013, maintaining continuity in an archive moderate resolution global landsurface imaging that commenced with the launch of Landsat 1 in 1972.  The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on-board Landsat 8 enables routine global monitoring of crop water use (evapotranspiration) and crop stress.   Evaporative cooling of the crop canopy through transpiration results in a thermal signal which is detectable from space.  This paper describes the design of the TIRS instrument, and pre-launch assessment of sensor performance.  An example comparing evapotranspiration estimates generated with the Landsat 7 and new Landsat 8 systems is provided, demonstrating improved water use monitoring capabilities facilitated by TIRS.
                                Technical Abstract: The Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) on Landsat 8 is the latest thermal sensor in that series of missions.  Unlike the previous single channel sensors, TIRS uses two channels to cover the 10-12 micron band.  It is also a pushbroom imager; a departure from the previous whiskbroom approach.  Nevertheless, the instrument requirements are defined such that data continuity is maintained.  This paper describes the design of the TIRS instrument, the results of pre-launch calibration measurements and shows an example of initial on-orbit science performance compared to Landsat 7.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov