Transformation of Satellite Data into Air Temperature: A Study in La Rioja, Argentina

This study examines the differences between air temperature (Ta) and land surface temperature (LST), focusing on urban (UA) and non-urban area (NUA) characteristics in La Rioja, Argentina. Urban air temperature (TaUA) data were collected from the National Meteorological Service station at the La Rioja airport (-29.38 S, - 66.79 W). In comparison, rural data (TaNUA) were obtained from a meteorological station 10 km away in a nonurban area (-29.47 S, -66.78 W). LST data were sourced from NASA's MERRA-2 database. Correction methods were developed to transform LST measurements into values comparable to TaUA and TaNUA, enhancing accuracy when analyzing urban heat island effects. The study yielded equations with high correlations (R^2 = 0.87–0.91), which enabled improved characterization of temperature differences across UA and NUA. These methods contribute to better understanding and quantifying the urban heat island phenomenon by addressing discrepancies between surface and atmospheric temperatures. This study not only improves the characterization of temperature differences between UA and NUA in La Rioja, Argentina, but also provides a valuable tool for agriculture, public health, and urban planning by enabling more accurate air temperature (TaUA and TaNUA) estimations from satellite data, particularly in regions with limited ground-based measurements.