Presented at the North Dakota GIS Hub Users Conference, September 19-20, 2017, Bismarck, ND

1. Estimate Water Surface Temperature from the Landsat 8 TIR bands
using the Split Window Algorithm: A Case Study for Devils Lake
Afshin Shabani and Xiaodong Zhang
Earth System Science and Policy Department

2. Lake water temperature
http://www.fondriest.com/environmental-
measurements/parameters/water-quality/dissolved-oxygen/#8
Effect of Water Temperature
▪ Solubility of dissolved oxygen
▪ Rate of plant growth
▪ Metabolic rate of organism
▪ Chemical reaction

3. Devils Lake
http://www.perchpatrol.com/fishery.htm
Largest natural water body in North Dakota
Area: 810 km2
Perch capital of the
word

4. Split window algorithm
𝑇𝑆=𝐴0+𝐴1 𝑇10 − 𝐴2 𝑇11
Water surface
temperature Brightness temperature
Coefficients determined by atmospheric
transmittance and WSE in both TIRS band
Qin et al. (2001) WSE= 0.98

5. Developing a software tool using Python and GDAL
Landsat Image
Brightness temperature
Mask water
MODIS water
vapor
MODTRAN
Comparison against observation
Water temperature

6. Devils Lake water surface temperature

7. Validation using buoy data

8. Hydrology and hydrodynamic models
SWAT CE-QUAL-W2

9. Calibrated Streamflow
R2 > 0.52
PBIAS < ± 23%
ENS >0.51

10. Hourly water temperature
Devils Lake 2008-2014Devils Lake 2008-2014

11. Calibrated Water Temperature

12. Conclusion
Satellite image
• Provide skin temperature
• Quick with high spatial
resolution
• Does not require field data
Hydrodynamic model
• Provide profile temperature
• High temporal resolution
• High accuracy

13. Acknowledgment
• This research has been supported by
National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
and North Dakota Water Resource Research Institute (NIWR)

14. Thank you