Using global land surface emissivity as soil moisture indicator

H. Norouzi, M. Temimi, R. Khanbilvardi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Soil moisture is one of the most uncertain variables in hydrologic models, especially in large watersheds. Direct measurement of this parameter at these large scales is not straightforward. The main objective of this work is to demonstrate the potential of using land microwave emissivity as a surrogate for soil moisture. First, an instantaneous global microwave land emissivity product has been developed using AMSR-E observations. This retrieval utilizes all AMSR-E frequencies and infrared-based data for physical skin temperature. Data sets provided by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) were used. Moreover, information on water vapour and air temperature obtained from the ISCCP database (TOVS data) was used to calculate the upwelling and downwelling atmospheric brightness temperatures, as well as the atmospheric transmission. A monthly composited map was developed for each frequency. The analysis of the obtained maps has shown an acceptable agreement with the global pattern of land use/land cover. The difference between V and H polarization, as well as the difference between day and night in emissivity retrievals, showed an acceptable consistency with soil moisture. Fraction of surface water was developed in global scale using land surface emissivity with reasonable agreement with soil moisture except in highly vegetated area.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRemote Sensing and Hydrology
Pages46-49
Number of pages4
StatePublished - 2012
EventRemote Sensing and Hydrology Symposium - Jackson Hole, WY, United States
Duration: 27 Sep 201030 Sep 2010

Publication series

NameIAHS-AISH Publication
Volume352
ISSN (Print)0144-7815

Conference

ConferenceRemote Sensing and Hydrology Symposium
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityJackson Hole, WY
Period27/09/1030/09/10

Keywords

  • Fraction of water surface
  • Land surface emissivity
  • Passive microwave
  • Soil moisture

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