Earth's Land Surface Temperature

This map of the Earth's land surface temperature for the year 2006 was produced using data from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), which flies onboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. MODIS measures the temperature of nearly every square kilometer of the Earth’s surface roughly twice a day. 

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 Unlike conventional observations of surface temperature, which are actually collected by thermometers two meters above the ground, MODIS precisely measures the thermal radiation emitted from the planet’s surface — whether that surface is bare ground, lakes, treetops, or rooftops. This additional detail means farmers can know the temperature of the air around their crops and the temperature of the crops themselves, which helps better estimate things like productivity and water requirements. This data also allows scientists to measure phenomena such as global warming on a planetary scale. 

 Source: ICESS, U.C. Santa Barbara.