Passive microwave response to vegetation and soil moisture on agricultural fields

B. Miller; Paul R. Bullock

doi:10.1117/12.2067282

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11 October 2014 Passive microwave response to vegetation and soil moisture on agricultural fields

B. Miller, Paul R. Bullock

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Proceedings Volume 9239, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology XVI; 923903 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2067282
Event: SPIE Remote Sensing, 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

The SMAPVEX12 (Soil Moisture Active/Passive Validation Experiment) was carried out over the summer of 2012 in Manitoba, Canada. The goal of the project was to improve the accuracy of satellite based remote sensing of soil moisture. Data were gathered during a 42-day field campaign with surface measurements on 55 different agricultural fields in south-western Manitoba. The extended duration of the campaign, contrast in soil textures, and variety of crop types over the study region provided an excellent range of soil moisture and vegetation conditions. The study fields ranged from bare to fully vegetated, with volumetric soil moisture levels spanning almost 50%. Remotely sensed data were collected on 17 days by aircraft at 1.4 Ghz with a microwave radiometer at two different resolutions. Observed brightness temperatures from the radiometer showed a typical inverse relationship to the near simultaneous soil moisture measurements from the field. This study will focus on improving existing models for passive microwave retrieval of soil moisture using a more extensive data set of field-measured soil temperature, soil moisture and vegetation biomass from a wider range of crops than has been available in previous studies. The extensive ground data collected will allow for both a validation of the high-resolution passive soil moisture estimate, as well as an analysis on the effect of scaling to a lower resolution passive measurement.

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B. Miller and Paul R. Bullock "Passive microwave response to vegetation and soil moisture on agricultural fields", Proc. SPIE 9239, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology XVI, 923903 (11 October 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2067282

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