DIURNAL BEHAVIOR OF LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE IN LUT DESERT

Abstract

analyses and thermal infrared channels 4 and 5 NOAA- AVHRR images. <br />This research was carried out in Lut Desert located in center of sub-tropical divergence dominant in' Iranian <br />plateau. The physical and thermal properties of the various desert surfaces have been determined using <br />correlation relationships between the desert variables including: dark sand, normal sand, marl, saline soil, soil <br />depth (10 cm), wet and dry bulb temperature in daytimes with the interval of two hours from 6 AM to 20 P.M <br />within 15 days. <br />The result shows that thermal conductivity, thermal capacity, physico-chemical properties of the studied <br />materials and other thermal properties, are the most important factors affecting correlation coefficients. The <br />highest correlation obtained around the sunrise (6 AM) and especially before and after the sunset (18, 20 <br />P.M). Minimum correlations were obtained around the noon at soil depth and the best fitted models are linear <br />for light sand and marl in 18, 20 P.M and non-linear for soil depth and marl in 18 P.M. Therefore it is generally <br />concluded that the study of diurnal behavior of land surface temperatures might be useful for thermal image <br />interpretation.