The MODIS Land Surface Temperature layer shows the temperature of the land surface in Kelvin (K). This measurement differs from air temperature measurements as it provides the temperature of whatever is on the surface of the earth for example, bare sand in the desert, ice and snow covered area, a leaf covered tree canopy and even the temperature of man-made buildings and roads. Land Surface Temperature is useful for monitoring changes in weather and climate patterns and used in agriculture to allow farmers to evaluate water requirements for wheat, or determine frost damage in orange groves.

The MODIS Land Surface Temperature product is available from both Terra (MOD11) and Aqua (MYD11) satellites. The sensor and imagery resolution is 1 km, and the temporal resolution is daily.

References: NASA Earth Observations - Land Surface Temperature; ICESS - MODIS Land Surface Temperature Group; MODIS - ATBD MOD11; LP DAAC - MYD11L2; LP DAAC - MOD11L2.