Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #215837
Title: WindSat Soil Moisture Algorithm and Validation

Author
item LI, L - NRL
item GAISER, P - NRL
item Jackson, Thomas
item BINDLISH, R - NRL
item DU, J - VISITING SCIENTIST

Submitted to: Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/13/2007
Publication Date: 11/1/2007
Citation: Li, L., Gaiser, P., Jackson, T.J., Bindlish, R., Du, J. 2007. WindSat soil moisture algorithm and validation. In: Proceedings of the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, July 23-27, 2007, Barcelona, Spain. p. 1188-1191.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A WindSat land algorithm that retrieves global soil moisture and vegetation water content simultaneously using the physically-based multi-channel maximum-likelihood estimation was developed and evaluated. The retrievals agree well with soil moisture climatology, and in-situ data collected from a series of large scale Soil Moisture Experiments (SMEX) over diverse soil moisture and vegetation conditions. Spatial patterns of the retrieved soil moisture compare well with precipitation patterns; WindSat retrieved vegetation water contents are also consistent with Green Vegetation Fraction data products derived from the AVHRR. The approach has the potential to satisfying soil moisture science requirements of 6% under low to moderate vegetation conditions.