Improved detection of hotspots using the AVHRR 3.7-μm channel

Abstract

The 3.7-μm channel on-board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) provides the unique capability to detect small, but hot land surface features. The authors present an image-processing technique based on a pixel-by-pixel subtraction of 10.8 μm from 3.7 μm brightness temperatures and develop an automated technique which classifies hotspots based on: 1) the brightness temperatures at 3.7 and 10.8 μm at a given pixel, and 2) a background temperature based on the immediately surrounding pixels. -Authors