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Title: Two-Dimensional Synthetic Aperture Radiometry Over Land Surface During Soil Moisture Experiment in 2003 (SMEX03)

Author
item Ryu, Dongryeol
item Jackson, Thomas
item BINDLISH, RAJAT - SSAI
item LE VINE, D - NASA
item HAKEN, M - NASA

Submitted to: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2007
Publication Date: 11/1/2007
Citation: Ryu, D., Jackson, T., Bindlish, R., LeVine, D., Haken, M. 2007. Two-Dimensional synthetic aperture radiometry over land surface during Soil Moisture Experiment in 2003 (SMEX2003). In: Proceedings of the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, July 23-27, 2007, Barcelona, Spain. p. 1842-1845.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Microwave radiometry at low frequencies (L-band, 1.4 GHz) has been known as an optimal solution for remote sensing of soil moisture. However, the antenna size required to achieve an appropriate resolution from space has limited the development of spaceborne L-band radiometers. This problem can be addressed by interferometric technology called aperture synthesis. The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission wll apply this technique to monitor global-scale surface parameters in the near future. The first airborne experiment using an aircraft prototype of this approach, the Two-Dimensional Synthetic Aperture Radiometer (2D-STAR), was performed in the Soil Moisture Experiment in 2003 (SMEX03). The L-band brightness temperature data acquired in Alabama by the 2DSTAR was compared with ground-based measurements of soil moisture and with C-band data collected by the Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR). Our results demonstrate a good response of the 2D-STAR brightness temperature to changes in surface wetness, both in agricultural and forest lands. The behavior of the horizontally polarized brightness temperature data with increasing view-angle over the forest area was noticeably different than over bare soil. The results from the comparison of 2D-STAR and PSR indicate a better response of the 2D-STAR to the surface wetness under both wet and dry conditions. Our results have important implications for the performance of the future SMOS mission.