Question: Can a newly developed Normalized Difference Latent heat Index (NDLI) significantly advance the research fields, requiring land surface heat flux?

Background: Latent heat is the energy released or absorbed by a substance through phase change without changing its temperature. Its flux is a crucial element of the hydrological cycle at the land–air interface. Many water-related indexes have been proposed as indicators for latent heat flux extraction from satellite imagery, while the extraction accuracy still remains a space to improve nowadays.

Advancements: A new multiband index, called normalized difference latent heat index (NDLI), is proposed for remote sensing of land surface heat flux. The NDLI is found to be the most sensitive and reliable index outperforming the previously developed indexes to determine the characteristics of water content in different land cover types. It is concluded that NDLI can be used as a good indicator to represent the potential latent heat flux at the earth’s surface.

Citation: Liou, Y.-A.*, M.S. Le, and H. Chien, 2019 (March): Normalized Difference Latent Heat Index for Remote Sensing of Land Surface Energy Fluxes, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 57(3), 1423 - 1433, doi: 10.1109/TGRS.2018.2866555. (SCI, IF=4.662) (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8464042)