Applications and Uses of Infrared Radiometers

Infrared Radiometer Applications

About Infrared Radiometers

All objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit electromagnetic radiation. The wavelengths and intensity of radiation emitted are related to the temperature of the object. Infrared radiometers are sensors that measure infrared radiation, which is used to determine surface temperature without touching the surface (when using sensors that must be in contact with the surface, it can be difficult to maintain thermal equilibrium without altering surface temperature). Infrared radiometers are often called infrared thermometers because temperature is the desired quantity, even though the sensors detect radiation.

Typical Applications

Typical applications of infrared radiometers include:

  • phenotyping
  • plant canopy temperature measurement for use in plant water status estimation
  • road surface temperature measurement for determination of icing conditions
  • terrestrial surface (soil, vegetation, water, snow) temperature measurement in energy balance studies
Journal Articles
Agriculture
Crop Canopy Temperature, Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI), Stomatal Conductance (gS), Evapotranspiration (ET), Fruit Temperature Monitoring
Decreases in Stomatal Conductance of Soybean under Open-Air Elevation of [CO2] Are Closely Coupled with Decreases in Ecosystem Evapotranspiration
Bernacchi, C. J., Kimball, B. A., Quarles, D. R., Long, S. P. & Ort, D. R. | Plant Physiol
Remote Sensing of Thermal Water Stress Indicators in Peach
Berni, J. A. J. | Acta Horticulturae
Mapping Canopy Conductance and CWSI in Olive Orchards Using High Resolution Thermal Remote Sensing Imagery
Berni, J. A. J., Zarco-Tejada, P. J., Sepulcre-Cantó, G., Fereres, E. & Villalobos, F. | Remote Sensing of Environment
Automated Measurement of Canopy Stomatal Conductance Based on Infrared Temperature
Blonquist Jr., J. M., Norman, J. M. & Bugbee, B. | Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Surface Aerodynamic Temperature Modeling Over Rainfed Cotton
Chavez, J. L., Howell, T. A., Gowda, P. H., Copeland, K. S. & Prueger, J. H. | Transactions of the ASABE
Simulation of Within-Canopy Radiation Exchange
Flerchinger, G. N., Xiao, W., Sauer, T. J. & Yu, Q. | NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences
Exploring the Limits of Crop Productivity: Beyond the limits of Tipburn in Lettuce
Frantz, J. M., Ritchie, G., Cometti, N. N., Robinson, J. & Bugbee, B. | J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci.
Impact of Kaolin Particle Film and Water Deficit on Wine Grape Water Use Efficiency and Plant Water Relations
Glenn, D. M., Cooley, N., Walker, R., Clingeleffer, P. & Shellie, K. | HortScience
Reductions in Biomass Accumulation, Photosynthesis in situ and net carbon balance are the costs of protecting Vitis vinifera ‘Semillon’ grapevines from heat stress with shade covering
Greer, D. H., Weedon, M. M. & Weston, C. | AoB Plants
IR Radiation from Trees to a Ski Run: A Case Study
Howard, R. & Stull, R. | J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol
Green-light supplementation for enhanced lettuce growth under red- and blue-light-emitting diodes
Kim, H.-H., Goins, G. D., Wheeler, R. M. & Sager, J. C. | HortScience
Stomatal Conductance of Lettuce Grown Under or Exposed to Different Light Qualities
Kim, H.-H., Goins, G. D., Wheeler, R. M. & Sager, J. C. | Ann Bot
Infrared Heater Arrays for Warming Ecosystem Field Plots
Kimball, B. A. et al. | Global Change Biology
Unmanned Aerial Systems and Field Phenotyping Platforms for Assessing the Growth and Development of Cotton
Mikeska1, Rajan1, Shafian1, Valasek2, Cope3, Olsenholler4, Morgan1 & Mott1; 1Soil and Crop Sciences; 2Aerospace Engineering; 3Mechanical Engineering; 4Geography | Texas A&M University
Towards using a thermal infrared index combined with water balance modelling to monitor sugarcane irrigation in a tropical environment
Lebourgeois, V., Chopart, J.-L., Bégué, A. & Le Mézo, L. | Agricultural Water Management
Variable upper and lower crop water stress index baselines for corn and soybean
Payero, J. O. & Irmak, S. | Irrig Sci
Actual evaporation estimation from infrared measurement of soil surface temperature
Pognant, D., Canone, D. & Ferraris, S. | Journal of Agricultural Engineering
Radiation Balance and Evaporation Partitioning in a Narrow-row Soybean Canopy
Sauer, T. J., Singer, J. W., Prueger, J. H., DeSutter, T. M. & Hatfield, J. L. | Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Assessing Canopy PRI for Water Stress Detection with Diurnal Airborne Imagery
Suárez, L. et al. | Remote Sensing of Environment
Infrared Thermometry to Estimate Crop Water Stress Index and Water Use of Irrigated Maize in Northeastern Colorado
Taghvaeian, S., Chávez, J. L. & Hansen, N. C. | Remote Sensing
Infrared Canopy Temperature of Early-Ripening Peach Trees under Postharvest Deficit Irrigation
Wang, D. & Gartung, J. | Agricultural Water Management
Hydrology
Snowpack Surface Temperature, Evaporation Estimation, Ground Thaw Monitoring
Open Water / Wet Soil Evaporation from the Rio Grande River
Eichinger, W., et al. | University of Iowa
Mapping of the Evaporative Loss From Elephant Butte Reservoir Using Remote Sensing and GIS Technology
Herting, A. et al.
Actual Evaporation Estimation from Infrared Measurement of Soil Surface Temperature
Pognant, D., Canone, D. & Ferraris, S. | Journal of Agricultural Engineering
Estimating surface energy fluxes using a micro-meteorological model and satellite images.
Sanchez | Journal of Weather and Climate of the Western Mediterranean
Radiation Balance and Evaporation Partitioning in a narrow-row Soybean Canopy
Sauer, T. J., Singer, J. W., Prueger, J. H., DeSutter, T. M. & Hatfield, J. L. | Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
Estimation of Wet Surface Evaporation from Sensible Heat Flux Measurements
Vercauteren, N., Bou-Zeid, E., Huwald, H., Parlange, M. B. & Brutsaert, W. | Water Resour. Res.
Improving Snow Processes in the Noah Land Model
Wang, Z., Zeng, X. & Decker, M. | J. Geophys. Res.
Meteorology
Ground Surface Temperature, Sea Surface Temperature, Road-Weather Information Systems (RWIS), Sky Temperature
Scientific Insights from Four Generations of Lagrangian Smart Balloons in Atmospheric Research
Businger, S., Johnson, R. & Talbot, R. | Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Improving the Noah Land Surface Model in Arid Regions with an Appropriate Parameterization of the Thermal Roughness Length
Chen, Y., Yang, K., Zhou, D., Qin, J. & Guo, X. | Journal of Hydrometeorology
The Oklahoma Mesonet’s Skin Temperature Network
Fiebrich, C. A., Martinez, J. E., Brotzge, J. A. & Basara, J. B. | Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology
Comparison of Large Aperture Scintillometer and Eddy Covariance Measurements: Can Thermal Infrared Data Be Used to Capture Footprint-Induced Differences?
Hoedjes, J. C. B., Chehbouni, A., Ezzahar, J., Escadafal, R. & De Bruin, H. A. R. | Journal of Hyd
The Surface Energy Balance of a Polygonal Tundra Site in Northern Siberia - Part 1: Spring to Fall
M. Langer, S. W. | The Cryosphere
The Surface Energy Balance of a Polygonal Tundra Site in Northern Siberia - Part 2: Winter.
M. Langer, S. W. | The Cryosphere
Other
Wet Slab Instability at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Borgeson, Leif, Hal Hartman, | International Snow Science Workshop
Comparing Aircraft-Based Remotely Sensed Energy Balance Fluxes with Eddy Covariance Tower Data Using Heat Flux Source Area Functions
Chávez, J. L., C. M. U. Neale, L. E. Hipps, J. H. Prueger, W. P. Kustas | Journal of Hydrometeorology
Threshold Values For Early, Non–contact Detection Of Plant Water Stress.
Kacira, M., P. P. Ling, T. H. Short | Transactions of the ASAE
Atmospheric Effects on Signal Propagation in Adverse Environmental Conditions: A Validation of the Advanced Refractive Effects Prediction System
O'Marr, Erin E | Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, Master's Thesis
Carbon Dioxide Dynamics During a Growing Season in Midwestern Cropping Systems
Prueger, J. H., J. L. Hatfield, T. B. Parkin, W. P. Kustas, T. C. Kaspar | Environmental Management
Evaluation of SHAW Model in Simulating Energy Balance, Leaf Temperature, and Micrometeorological Variables within a Maize Canopy.
Xiao, W., Q. Yu, G. N. Flerchinger, Y. Zheng | Agronomy Journal
Biodiesel from Microalgae, Yeast, and Bacteria: Engine Performance and Exhaust Emissions
Wahlen, B., Morgan M.R., McCurdy, A.T., Willis, R.M., Morgan, M.D., Dye, D.J., Bugee, B., Wood, B.D., Seefeldt, L.C. | American Chemist Society
Validating MODIS Land Surface Temperature Products Using Long-term Nighttime Ground Measurmenets
Wang, W., S. Liang, T. Meyers | Remote Sensing of Environment
Fluxes of the Greenhouse Gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O) above a Short-rotation Poplar Plantation after Conversion from Agricultural Land
Zona, D., I.A. Jjanssens, M. Aubinet, B. Gioli, S. Vicca, R. Fichot, R. Ceulemans | Agricultural and Forest Meteorology