Soil moisture retrieval from airborne L-band passive microwave using high resolution multispectral data

For the soil moisture retrieval from passive microwave sensors, such as ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and the NASA Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) mission, a good knowledge about the vegetation characteristics is indispensable. Vegetation cover is a principal factor in the attenuation, scattering and absorption of the microwave emissions from the soil; and has a direct impact on the brightness temperature by way of its canopy emissions. Here, brightness temperatures were measured at three altitudes across the TERENO (Terrestrial Environmental Observatories) Rur catchment site in Germany to achieve a range of spatial resolutions using the airborne Polarimetric L-band Multibeam Radiometer 2 (PLMR2). The L-band Microwave Emission of the Biosphere (L-MEB) model which simulates microwave emissions from the soil–vegetation layer at L-band was used to retrieve surface soil moisture for all resolutions. A Monte Carlo approach was developed to simultaneously estimate soil moisture and the vegetation parameter b’ describing the relationship between the optical thickness τ and the Leaf Area Index (LAI). LAI was retrieved from multispectral RapidEye imagery and the plant specific vegetation parameter b′ was estimated from the lowest flight altitude data for crop, grass, coniferous forest, and deciduous forest. Mean values of b’ were found to be 0.18, 0.07, 0.26 and 0.23, respectively. By assigning the estimated b′ to higher flight altitude data sets, a high accuracy soil moisture retrieval was achieved with a Root Mean Square Difference (RMSD) of 0.035 m³ m⁻³ when compared to ground-based measurements.     

机载L波段主被动一体化微波探测仪辐射计定标

遥感试验是进行遥感原理的验证、遥感模型与反演方法的发展、遥感产品的真实性检验,推动卫星计划的论证实施及其观测在地球系统科学中应用的重要途径.在闪电河流域水循环与能量平衡遥感综合试验中,利用机载L波段主被动一体化微波探测仪开展了以土壤水分为首要目标的大型航空遥感试验.其中,被动探测部分即微波辐射计采用微带天线,辅以机械扫...     

AMSR微波遥感数据进行土壤湿度的计算机反演

为了有效解决大尺度区域土壤水分时、空间变化监测的问题,在总结了被动微波遥感反演土壤湿度规律的基础上,基于先进的AMSR星载被动微波遥感数据,提出了利用双谱模型计算土壤表面发射率的计算机算法。首先需要由双站散射系数计算反射率和发射率,然后应用人工神经网络反演土壤湿度,实现了在随机粗糙面状况下基于被动微波遥感的土壤表面水分反演,并在实验区进行了成功的应用。     

Large area soil moisture estimation and mapping using space-borne multi-frequency passive microwave data

The paper reports the estimation of surface soil moisture (SM) using surface wetness Index (SWI) retrieved from multi-frequency passive microwave radiometer. A change detection algorithm was followed which transforms SWI variations in to SM variations using per pixel soil property of field capacity and air-dry status. Estimated soil moisture was compared with the point measurements made at the Monmouth and De Kalb sites of Illinois (USA) for the validation. Sensitivity of the SWI to the variations of rainfall at various vegetation fractions is analyzed. RMS error of volumetric soil moisture is found to be in the range of 6.35 to 8.85 %. The method works well up to the vegetation fraction of 40 %. Applications of the technique are demonstrated by the spatio-temporal analysis of estimated soil moisture maps for India. Characteristic increase in soil moisture was observed with the progress of monsoon from 25 to 32 week in northern India and 46 to 52 week in the costal parts of Tamil Nadu in south.     

Characterization of errors in vector wind retrievals from satellite-based polarimetric microwave radiometer measurements

We present a method for evaluating characteristics of wind vector retrieval errors from polarimetric radiometer measurements. We focus on wind direction errors due to ambiguous solutions.     

基于被动微波遥感的地表粗糙度及土壤水分反演研究

被动微波遥感具有监测面积大、重复周期短、对土壤水分更为敏感等优点,成为反演土壤水分最有潜力的方式.论文针对地表粗糙度和植被覆盖变化对土壤水分反演过程中带来的误差和不确定性展开研究,发展更适合大区域土壤水分反演的算法.     

双矩阵算法的L波段多角度玉米微波辐射参数化模型

双矩阵MD(Matrix-Doubling)算法是辐射传输方程的一种数值解,考虑了植被层内的多次散射信号,具有较高的模拟精度。但受限于算法的复杂性,很难直接应用到地表参数的反演中。本文以玉米覆盖地表为研究对象,基于MD算法的模拟数据,发展了一种L波段多角度微波辐射参数化模型。基于模拟数据的对比结果表明,参数化模型具有与理论模型相当的精度,两者之间的发射率误差不超过0.004(V极化)和0.007(H极化)。同时,结合黑河流域的地面实测数据,利用本论文中发展的参数化模型模拟了纯玉米像元的辐射亮温。该模拟结果与相同像元尺度上机载L波段微波辐射计(PLMR)观测亮温之间的差异基本在10 K以内。     

Considering combined or separated roughness and vegetation effects in soil moisture retrievals

For more than six years, the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission has provided multi angular and full-polarization brightness temperature (TB) measurements at L-band. Geophysical products such as soil moisture (SM) and vegetation optical depth at nadir (τ_nad) are retrieved by an operational algorithm using TB observations at different angles of incidence and polarizations. However, the quality of the retrievals depends on several surface effects, such as vegetation, soil roughness and texture, etc. In the microwave forward emission model used in the retrievals (L-band Microwave Emission Model, L-MEB), soil roughness is modelled with a semi-empirical equation using four main parameters (Q_r, H_r, N_rp, with p = H or V polarizations). At present, these parameters are calibrated with data provided by airborne studies and in situ measurements made at a local scale that is not necessarily representative of the large SMOS footprints (43 km on average) at global scale. In this study, we evaluate the impact of the calibrated values of N_rp and H_r on the SM and τ_nad retrievals based on SMOS TB measurements (SMOS Level 3 product) over the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) network located in North America over five years (2011–2015). In this study, Q_r was set equal to zero and we assumed that N_rH = N_rV. The retrievals were performed by varying N_rp from −1 to 2 by steps of 1 and H_r from 0 to 0.6 by steps of 0.1. At satellite scale, the results show that combining vegetation and roughness effects in a single parameter provides the best results in terms of soil moisture retrievals, as evaluated against the in situ SM data. Even though our retrieval approach was very simplified, as we did not account for pixel heterogeneity, the accuracy we obtained in the SM retrievals was almost systematically better than those of the Level 3 product. Improved results were also obtained in terms of optical depth retrievals. These new results may have key consequences in terms of calibration of roughness effects within the algorithms of the SMOS (ESA) and the SMAP (NASA) space missions.     

A comparison of ASCAT and SMOS soil moisture retrievals over Europe and Northern Africa from 2010 to 2013

A comparison between ASCAT/H-SAF and SMOS soil moisture products was performed in the frame of the EUMETSAT H-SAF project. The analysis was extended to the whole H-SAF region of interest, including Europe and North Africa, and the period between January 2010 and November 2013 was considered. Since SMOS and ASCAT soil moisture data are expressed in terms of absolute and relative values, respectively, different approaches were adopted to scale ASCAT data to use the same volumetric soil moisture unit. Effects of land cover, quality index filtering, season and geographical area on the matching between the two products were also analyzed. The two satellite retrievals were also compared with other independent datasets, namely the NCEP/NCAR volumetric soil moisture content reanalysis developed by NOAA and the ERA-Interim/Land soil moisture produced by ECMWF. In situ data, available through the International Soil Moisture Network, were also considered as benchmark. The results turned out to be influenced by the way ASCAT data was scaled. Correlation between the two products exceeded 0.6, while the root mean square difference did not decrease below 8%. ASCAT generally showed a fairly good degree of correlation with ERA, while, as expected considering the different kinds of measurement, the discrepancies with respect to local in situ data were large for both satellite products.     

A particle swarm optimized kernel-based clustering method for crop mapping from multi-temporal polarimetric L-band SAR observations

Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) data, thanks to their specific characteristics such as high resolution, weather and daylight independence, have become a valuable source of information for environment monitoring and management. The discrimination capability of observations acquired by these sensors can be used for land cover classification and mapping. The aim of this paper is to propose an optimized kernel-based C-means clustering algorithm for agriculture crop mapping from multi-temporal PolSAR data. Firstly, several polarimetric features are extracted from preprocessed data. These features are linear polarization intensities, and several statistical and physical based decompositions such as Cloude-Pottier, Freeman-Durden and Yamaguchi techniques. Then, the kernelized version of hard and fuzzy C-means clustering algorithms are applied to these polarimetric features in order to identify crop types. The kernel function, unlike the conventional partitioning clustering algorithms, simplifies the non-spherical and non-linearly patterns of data structure, to be clustered easily. In addition, in order to enhance the results, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to tune the kernel parameters, cluster centers and to optimize features selection. The efficiency of this method was evaluated by using multi-temporal UAVSAR L-band images acquired over an agricultural area near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, during June and July in 2012. The results demonstrate more accurate crop maps using the proposed method when compared to the classical approaches, (e.g. 12% improvement in general). In addition, when the optimization technique is used, greater improvement is observed in crop classification, e.g. 5% in overall. Furthermore, a strong relationship between Freeman-Durden volume scattering component, which is related to canopy structure, and phenological growth stages is observed.     

机载GPS反射信号土壤湿度测量技术

随着全球导航定位系统反射信号(GNSS-R)技术的发展, 近年来提出了利用GPS地表反射信号遥感土壤湿度的新方法, 该方法利用地表反射率与土壤介电常数以及介电常数与土壤湿度之间的关系来建立反演模型。为了可以快速方便的利用DMR实测数据反演得到土壤湿度, 本文根据Wang和Schmugge模型建立了土壤介电常数与湿度之间的分段模型, 实现了从原始反射数据到土壤湿度结果的整个反演流程。为了验证反演的可行性, 利用NASA等机构联合进行的SMEX02试验机载数据反演得到的结果表明, GPS反射信号能够有效地反演     

Intercomparison of deep convective cloud fractions from passive infrared and microwave radiance measurements

The common method to detect deep convective clouds is from satellite infrared (IR) measurements, which is based on thresholds of cloud-top temperatures. However, thick cirrus clouds with high cloud tops are difficult to screen out using IR methods, resulting in an overestimation of deep convective cloud fractions. Two aircraft cases with simultaneous Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer, Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor, and ER-2 Doppler radar measurements during the Convection and Moisture Experiment 3 in August 1998 are analyzed to investigate the influence of high thick cirrus clouds on two previously developed IR methods. In contrast, a microwave method based on the brightness temperature differences between the three water vapor channels around 183.3 GHz of the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B) (183.3/spl plusmn/1,183.3/spl plusmn/3, and 183.3/spl plusmn/7 GHz) can screen out high thick cirrus clouds efficiently. The tropical deep convective cloud fractions (30/spl deg/S-30/spl deg/N) estimated by the IR methods and the AMSU-B method are compared. Although their geographical distributions are in well agreement with each other, the total fractions detected by the IR methods are about 2-3.5 times greater than that detected by the AMSU-B method. Moreover, the overestimation of deep convective cloud fractions by the IR method (11-/spl mu/m brightness temperature less than 215 K) can result in a displacement in the detected location of the deep convective clouds. The average thick cirrus clouds cover 2.5 times the area of the deep convective clouds that generates them.     

两种星载微波辐射计被动亮温数据的交叉定标

针对两种不同星载微波辐射计在长时间序列的变化探测研究中存在时空间差异问题,应用时空匹配交叉定标方法,选取亚马逊雨林作为高亮温地面观测目标和格陵兰地区为低亮温地面观测目标,采用原始轨道扫描数据对微波成像仪和先进微波扫描辐射计的时空上相匹配的5通道水平和垂直极化亮度温度数据进行交叉定标。研究结果表明,校正决定系数都在0.99以上,均方根误差均小于1.3K,定标系数精确度高,匹配数据拟合程度非常好。精确的交叉定标系数,对于我国FY3号以及后续卫星等微波定标参数确定、同国外卫星的长时间序列衔接以及数据质量的评估等具有重要意义。     

Assessment of water vapor retrievals from a GPS receiver network

We present an assessment of a GPS receiver operational network to produce accurate integrated precipitable water vapour (IPWV) during a two-week field experiment carried out in Central Italy around the city of Rome, where different instruments were operative. This experimental activity provided an excellent opportunity to compare the GPS products with independent measurements provided by ground-based and space-based sensors and to evaluate their quality in terms of absolute accuracy of IPWV, analyzing also the spatial scale of GPS estimates. For instance, the assimilation into Numerical Weather Prediction models of IPWV provided by a GPS network or its exploitation in space geodesy applications to correct tropospheric effects requires an accuracy in the order of 0.1 cm to be ascribed to IPWV observations. In this work, we assessed that the accuracy for GPS IPWV estimates is 0.07 cm. Moreover, this experiment has pointed out strengths and limitations of an operational network for the water vapor estimation, such as a proper receiver distribution to achieve the desired spatial resolution and a coverage of GPS stations in both flat and mountains regions.     

被动微波辐射特征地形效应模拟与实验

基于地形对被动微波辐射的影响机理研究, 利用AIEM 模型模拟微波辐射的地形效应, 建立实验地貌微 缩景观, 由车载微波辐射计进行观测, 探索影响被动微波辐射特征的地形因子。地基实验表明, 在低频波段本地入 射角对山地倾斜表面的微波辐射有10 K—15 K 的影响, 小于10GHz 的观测频率可以消除地形高度对微波辐射的影响。 同时, 实验验证微波极化受地表形态属性——山体坡向和山体形状的影响显著, 地形坡度对极化信息影响不明显。     

Using multi-polarization C- and L-band synthetic aperture radar to estimate biomass and soil moisture of wheat fields

Biomass and soil moisture are two important parameters for agricultural crop monitoring and yield estimation. In this study, the Water Cloud Model (WCM) was coupled with the Ulaby soil moisture model to estimate both biomass and soil moisture for spring wheat fields in a test site in western Canada. This study exploited both C-band (RADARSAT-2) and L-band (UAVSAR) Synthetic Aperture Radars (SARs) for this purpose. The WCM-Ulaby model was calibrated for three polarizations (HH, VV and HV). Subsequently two of these three polarizations were used as inputs to an inversion procedure, to retrieve either soil moisture or biomass without the need for any ancillary data. The model was calibrated for total canopy biomass, the biomass of only the wheat heads, as well as for different wheat growth stages. This resulted in a calibrated WCM-Ulaby model for each sensor-polarization-phenology-biomass combination. Validation of model retrievals led to promising results. RADARSAT-2 (HH-HV) estimated total wheat biomass with root mean square (RMSE) and mean average (MAE) errors of 78.834 g/m² and 58.438 g/m²; soil moisture with errors of 0.078 m³/m³ (RMSE) and 0.065 m³/m³ (MAE) are reported. During the period of crop ripening, L-band estimates of soil moisture had accuracies of 0.064 m³/m³ (RMSE) and 0.057 m³/m³ (MAE). RADARSAT-2 (VV-HV) produced interesting results for retrieval of the biomass of the wheat heads. In this particular case, the biomass of the heads was estimated with accuracies of 38.757 g/m² (RSME) and 33.152 g/m² (MAE). For wider implementation this model will require additional data to strengthen the model accuracy and confirm estimation performance. Nevertheless this study encourages further research given the importance of wheat as a global commodity, the challenge of cloud cover in optical monitoring and the potential of direct estimation of the weight of heads where wheat production lies.     

土壤湿度微波遥感监测研究进展

土壤湿度是农业生产的重要影响因子,获取土壤湿度信息以制定人工干预调节措施是稳固生产的重要保证,实时、有效地监测土壤墒情显得尤为重要。利用遥感数据反演土壤湿度有多种方法,微波遥感法被认为是目前最佳的监测方法。本文总结了被动、主动微波土壤湿度遥感监测的主要模型、方法及其优缺点和适用范围,分析了雷达遥感监测土壤湿度的最优参数选取等,展望了微波遥感监测土壤湿度的应用前景,以期为土壤湿度微波遥感监测研究提供参考和借鉴。     

基于被动微波遥感技术的玉米冠层叶面积指数反演

基于玉米冠层结构参数实测数据和Matrix-Doubling(MD)模型构建了玉米出苗期至抽穗期的冠层多波段、双极化微波辐射特性模拟数据库;通过对模拟数据的回归分析得到了玉米冠层在各波段的微波发射率及其与透过率之间的经验关系,并将经验关系应用于0阶微波辐射传输模型;结合土壤发射率模型构建了玉米冠层覆盖地表的微波辐射亮温参数化计算模型,并基于该参数化模型、利用玉米样地微波亮温观测试验数据,采用迭代方法进行了玉米叶面积指数(LAI)的反演.研究表明,LAI反演值与实测值的相关系数r＞0.9,说明多波段被动微波遥感数据在植被冠层LAI反演方面具有较大的应用潜力.     

变角度下主被动微波遥感联合降尺度方法

被动微波遥感土壤水分空间分辨率低,无法满足干旱监测、洪水预测以及灌溉管理等区域水利和农业等行业应用需求.中国在民用空间基础设施中规划论证的"陆地水资源卫星"搭载了雷达和辐射计主被动一体化微波载荷,通过主被动联合降尺度可以获取高分辨率(～5 km)的土壤水分,但其采用了一维合成孔径技术,主被动微波传感器观测的地面入射角是...     

Precipitation observed by the airborne advanced microwave moisture sounder (AMMS)

Airborne radiometric measurements at frequencies near 92 GHz and 183 GHz were conducted over two precipitation events near Wallops Island, Virginia during February, 1986. The measured brightness temperatures are compared with those from calculations to estimate the snowfall and rainfall rates for both events. The estimated rates over water surface are within a factor of two of those derived from the concurrent measurements by the SPANDAR radar at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. These estimated rates, however, suggest that both snowfall events are light and close to the threshold of radiometric detection especially over land surface. Observations of additional snowfall events with lower frequency channels are needed to demonstrate the approach and to account for cloud effects.