Measurements of short-term thermal responses of coniferous forest canopies using thermal scanner data

Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) data were collected over a coniferous forest in western Oregon. Concurrent radiosonde measurements of atmospheric profiles of air temperature and moisture provided inputs to LOWTRAN6 for atmospheric radiance corrections of the TIMS data. Surface temperature differences measured by the TIMS over time between flight lines were combined with surface radiative energy balance estimates to develop thermal response numbers (TRN). These numbers characterized the thermal response of the diffent surface types. Barren surfaces had the lowest TRN, whereas the forested surfaces had the highest.