GEOG researchers have published the first global, gap-free, hourly land surface temperature (LST) data on Earth System Science Data (ESSD). While satellites are producing multiple global LST products, they are often limited by data gaps caused by cloud cover, which seriously restricts their applications. Additionally, there are few products that provide gap-free global hourly LST. In this study, researchers  Aolin Jia, Shunlin Liang, Dongdong Wang, Lei Ma, Zhihao Wang, and Shuo Xu produced global hourly, 5 km, all-sky LST data from 2011 to 2021 using both geostationary and polar-orbiting satellite data. Based on their assessment using global in-situ measurements, this dataset has high accuracy and can be used to estimate various environmental variables that depend on accurate temperature measurements, including evapotranspiration and drought.

This dataset could be particularly useful for agricultural applications, where accurate temperature data is essential for predicting crop yields. Furthermore, it has great potential to be used for analyzing the circadian rhythm responses of plants to heatwaves and other environmental conditions. It represents a significant advancement in the field of remote sensing and has important implications for a range of applications in environmental science and beyond.