WindSat passive microwave polarimetric observations of soil moisture and land variables

Jinyang Du; Thomas J. Jackson; Rajat Bindlish; M. H. Cosh; Li Li

doi:10.1117/12.730684

12 October 2007 WindSat passive microwave polarimetric observations of soil moisture and land variables

Jinyang Du, Thomas J. Jackson, Rajat Bindlish, M. H. Cosh, Li Li

Proceedings Volume 6677, Earth Observing Systems XII; 66771I (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.730684
Event: Optical Engineering + Applications, 2007, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

WindSat is a spaceborne multi-frequency polarimetric microwave radiometer and has the potential of contributing to the retrieval of land variables and complementing efforts directed at the Aqua AMSR-E. In this study, a previously established algorithm was applied to WindSat data to estimate global soil moisture. Comprehensive validation was performed by comparing the retrievals with in situ soil moisture observations from networks located at four soil moisture validation sites. The overall standard error of estimate for surface soil moisture was 0.038 m3/m3. This analysis shows that the WindSat soil moisture retrievals are reasonable and fall within the generally accepted error bounds of 0.04 m3/m3. Larger scale qualitative assessments were performed by analysis of the spatial distribution of soil moisture, which were found to be consistent with the known global climatology. There are other soil moisture algorithms under investigation, however, these result show the potential of the WindSat sensor for soil moisture as well as future operational satellite instruments.

Citation Download Citation

Jinyang Du, Thomas J. Jackson, Rajat Bindlish, M. H. Cosh, and Li Li "WindSat passive microwave polarimetric observations of soil moisture and land variables", Proc. SPIE 6677, Earth Observing Systems XII, 66771I (12 October 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.730684

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