Cheda et al. (2026) Heat Indices for Europe Derived from Satellite Data: A Proof of Concept

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-02-13
• Authors: Arno Cheda, Anke Tetzlaff, Josh Blannin, Elizabeth Good, Varun Sharma, Isabel F. Trigo, Jonas Schwaab, Aku Riihelä, Christian M. Grams, Marc Schröder
• DOI: 10.3390/rs18040589

Research Groups

EUMETSAT’s Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF)

Short Summary

This study calculates and validates Land Surface Temperature (LST)-based heat indices for Switzerland and Europe using satellite data, demonstrating their high correlation with traditional air temperature indices and revealing significant increases in heat events since 1991.

Objective

• To calculate and validate Summer Days, Tropical Nights, and a novel "Extremely Hot Days" heat index based on long-term satellite Land Surface Temperature (LST) data for Switzerland and Europe.
• To assess the trends and patterns of these LST-based heat indices and their correlation with traditional station-based air temperature indices.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Switzerland and Europe, with specific mention of the Po Valley and Mediterranean coast.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term climate data, with trends analyzed since 1991.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Heat indices (Summer Days, Tropical Nights) defined by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI); novel "Extremely Hot Days index" tailored to satellite LST data; relative indices accounting for clear-sky LST observations.
• Data sources: Long-term Land Surface Temperature (LST) satellite climate data from EUMETSAT’s Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF); station-based air temperature indices for comparison in Switzerland.

Main Results

• LST-based heat indices are highly correlated with station-based air temperature indices in Switzerland, with coefficients of determination (R²) of 0.86, 0.84, and 0.81.
• A strong increase in LST-based heat indices of up to 12 days per decade has been observed since 1991 in parts of Europe, including the Po Valley and the Mediterranean coast.
• The new LST heat indices effectively capture changes in heatwave patterns and trends for clear-sky conditions across Europe with unprecedented spatial resolution.

Contributions

• Proposes and validates novel LST-based heat indices, including an "Extremely Hot Days index," complementing traditional air temperature indices.
• Demonstrates the utility of satellite LST data for monitoring heatwave patterns and trends, especially in regions with sparse ground observations.
• Provides heatwave analysis with unprecedented spatial resolution, enhancing future climate change studies.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Cheda2026Heat,
  author = {Cheda, Arno and Tetzlaff, Anke and Blannin, Josh and Good, Elizabeth and Sharma, Varun and Trigo, Isabel F. and Schwaab, Jonas and Riihelä, Aku and Grams, Christian M. and Schröder, Marc},
  title = {Heat Indices for Europe Derived from Satellite Data: A Proof of Concept},
  journal = {Remote Sensing},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/rs18040589},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18040589}
}