A new approach of dynamic monitoring of 5‐day snow cover extent and snow depth based on MODIS and AMSR‐E data from Northern Xinjiang region

Taking the Northern Xinjiang region as an example, we develop a snow depth model by using the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer‐Earth Observing System (AMSR‐E) horizontal and vertical polarization brightness temperature difference data of 18 and 36 GHz bands and in situ snow depth measurements from 20 climatic stations during the snow seasons November–March) of 2002–2005. This article proposes a method to produce new 5‐day snow cover and snow depth images, using Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily snow cover products and AMSR‐E snow water equivalent and daily brightness temperature products. The results indicate that (1) the brightness temperature difference (Tb_18h–Tb_36h) provides the most accurate and precise prediction of snow depth; (2) the snow, land and overall classification accuracies of the new images are separately 89.2%, 77.7% and 87.2% and are much better than those of AMSR‐E or MODIS products (in all weather conditions) alone; (3) the snow classification accuracy increases as snow depth increases; and (4) snow accuracies for different land cover types vary as 88%, 92.3%, 79.7% and 80.1% for cropland, grassland, shrub, and urban and built‐up, respectively. We conclude that the new 5‐day snow cover–snow depth images can provide both accurate cloud‐free snow cover extent and the snow depth dynamics, which would lay a scientific basis for water management and prevention of snow‐related disasters in this dry and cold pastoral area. After validations of the algorithms over other regions with different snow and climate conditions, this method would also be used for monitoring snow cover and snow depth elsewhere in the world. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

融入土壤湿度指标的青藏高原近地表土壤冻融机器学习监测算法

青藏高原作为中低纬度地区最大的高山冻土区,多年冻土和季节冻土广泛分布。高精度的地表冻融监测结果对研究该区域的水热交换、碳氮循环和土壤冻融侵蚀非常重要。本文基于4个青藏高原典型地区的土壤温湿度观测网数据,开展利用LightGBM算法和随机森林算法进行土壤冻融循环监测的研究。在构建土壤冻融监测模型的过程中,发现土壤湿度是影响冻融判别的一个关键因子。使用AMSR2亮温数据和ERA5-Land土壤湿度数据,基于两种机器学习算法判别地表冻融状态,将结果与传统冻融判别式算法进行对比分析。结果表明：相比冻融判别式算法,LightGBM算法在白天和夜间的总体判对率提高了12.09%;14.45%,随机森林算法在白天和夜间的总体判对率提高了13.23%和14.96%。近80%的错分样本分布在-4.0℃～4.0℃之间,说明2个机器学习算法能够识别出稳定的土壤冻结状态和融化状态。另外,LightGBM算法和随机森林算法得到的日冻融转换天数的平均RMSE降低了112.82和117.00;冻结天数的平均RMSE降低了47.87和53.96;融化天数的平均RMSE降低了37.10和39.80。同时,基于随机森林算...     

Correction of the effect of relative wind direction on wind speed derived by advanced microwave scanning radiometer

The sea surface wind speed (SSWS) derived by a microwave radiometer can be contaminated by changes of the brightness temperature owing to the angle between the sensor azimuth and the wind direction (Relative Wind Direction effect: RWD effect). We attempt to apply the method proposed by Konda and Shibata (2004) to the SSWS derived by Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) on Advanced Earth Observing Satellite II (ADEOS-II), in order to correct for the RWD effect. The improvement of accuracy of the SSWS estimation amounts to roughly 60% of the error caused by the RWD effect. Comparison with in situ observation at the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) array shows that the root mean square error of the corrected SSWS is 1.1 ms⁻¹. It is found that the impact of the RWD effect on the estimation of the latent heat flux can amount to about 30 Wm⁻² on average. We applied the method to the SSWS derived by AMSR for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) and obtained a similar result.     

Effect of air-sea temperature difference on ocean microwave brightness temperature estimated from AMSR,SeaWinds, and buoys

The effect of air-sea temperature differences on the ocean microwave brightness temperature (Tb) was investigated using the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) aboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II) during a period of seven months. AMSR Tb in the global ocean was combined with wind data supplied by the scatterometer SeaWinds aboard ADEOS-II and air temperature given by a weather forecast model. Tb was negatively correlated with air-sea temperature difference, its ratio lying around −0.4K/°C at the SeaWinds wind speed of 14 m/s for the 6 GHz vertical polarization. Tb of AMSR-E aboard AQUA during 3.5 years was combined with ocean buoy data, and similar results were obtained.     

AMSR‐E algorithm for snowmelt onset detection in sub‐arctic heterogeneous terrain

The onset of snowmelt in the upper Yukon River basin, Canada, can be derived from brightness temperatures (T_b) obtained by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR‐E) on NASA's Aqua satellite. This sensor, with a resolution of 14 × 8 km² for the 36·5 GHz frequency, and two to four observations per day, improves upon the twice‐daily coverage and 37 × 28 km² spatial resolution of the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I). The onset of melt within a snowpack causes an increase in the average daily 36·5 GHz vertically polarized T_b as well as a shift to high diurnal amplitude variations (DAV) as the snow melts during the day and re‐freezes at night. The higher temporal and spatial resolution makes AMSR‐E more sensitive to sub‐daily T_b oscillations, resulting in DAV that often show a greater daily range compared to SSM/I. Therefore, thresholds of T_b > 246 K and DAV > ± 10 K developed for use with SSM/I have been adjusted for detecting the onset of snowmelt with AMSR‐E using ground‐based surface temperature and snowpack wetness relationships. Using newly developed thresholds of T_b > 252 K and DAV > ± 18 K, AMSR‐E derived snowmelt onset correlates well with SSM/I observations in the small subarctic Wheaton River basin through the 2004 and 2005 winter/spring transition. In addition, the onset of snowmelt derived from AMSR‐E data gridded at a higher resolution than the SSM/I data indicates that finer‐scale differences in elevation and land cover affect the onset of snowmelt and are detectable with the AMSR‐E sensor. On the basis of these observations, the enhanced resolution of AMSR‐E is more effective than SSM/I at delineating spatial and temporal snowmelt dynamics in the heterogeneous terrain of the upper Yukon River basin. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

大面积水体上空星载微波辐射计的干扰识别

卫星微波仪器接收的来自地气系统的被动热辐射与主动传感器发射的信号相混合,被称为无线电频率干扰 (RFI),在主动及被动微波遥感探测领域已成为越来越严重的问题。海洋表面反射的静止通讯、电视卫星下发信号是干扰海洋上星载被动微波辐射计观测的主要来源。该文以先进的微波扫描辐射计AMSR-E为例,采用双主成分分析方法对美国陆地上大面积水体、附近洋面和中国海岸线附近的RFI进行识别,研究表明:美国附近洋面区域星载微波辐射计18.7 GHz通道观测主要受静止电视卫星DirecTV的干扰,由于海表反射引起的RFI非常依赖于静止卫星和星载被动仪器的相对几何位置,只有当闪烁角θ(观测视场镜面反射的静止电视卫星信号方向与视场到星载仪器方向之间的夹角) 较小时卫星观测易受到污染。美国海洋区域较强RFI分布在五大湖区域,离内陆越近RFI越强,东西海岸RFI较强,而整个南海岸干扰相对较弱。中国海岸线附近AMSR-E 6.925 GHz通道观测受RFI影响,而18.7 GHz通道观测未受到干扰。     

利用AMSR2和MODIS数据的土壤冻融相变水量降尺度方法

本文基于站点实测土壤温度和土壤湿度数据分析,发现温度指数TI(Temperature Index)和土壤冻融相变水量呈现幂函数关系,温度指数能够反映相变水量的变化。使用MODIS地表温度产品计算温度指数,在AMSR2卫星观测尺度上与相变水量建立了关系,从而对土壤冻融相变水量进行了降尺度研究。采用CTP-SMTMN数据采集仪观测网络上的站点观测到土壤水分对土壤冻融相变水量降尺度结果进行了验证。结果表明,土壤冻融相变水量降尺度结果与实测值较为接近,在土壤相变水量大于0.01(m³/m³)时,RMSE为0.0085(m³/m³),MAE为0.0059(m³/m³)。这种通过温度指数对土壤相变水量进行降尺度的方法具有简便,可行,可靠的优势,适合在冻融交替期计算较湿润土壤在冻融过程中产生的相变水量。同时,这种降尺度方法能够生成小尺度上的相变水量产品,实现了热红外遥感和被动微波遥感的优势整合,对研究地气水热平衡,气候变化,土壤冻结强度以及冻融侵蚀强度等具有重要意义。     

Uncertainty of snow water equivalent retrieved from AMSR‐E brightness temperature in northeast Asia

Accurate estimation of snow water equivalent (SWE) has been significantly recognized to improve management and analyses of water resource in specific regions. Although several studies have focused on developing SWE values based on remotely sensed brightness temperatures obtained by microwave sensor systems, it is known that there are still a number of uncertainties in SWE values retrieved from microwave radiometers. Therefore, further research for improving remotely sensed SWE values including global validation should be conducted in unexplored regions such as Northeast Asia. In this regard, we evaluated SWE through comparison of values produced by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer Earth Observing System (AMSR‐E) from December 2002 to February 2011 with in situ SWE values converted from snow‐depth observation data from four regions in the South Korea. The results from three areas showed similarities which indicated that the AMSR‐E SWE values were overestimated when compared with in situ SWE values, and their Mean Absolute Errors (MAE) by month were relatively small (1.1 to 6.5 mm). Contrariwise, the AMSR‐E SWE values of one area were significantly underestimated when compared with in situ SWE values and the MAE were much greater (4.9 to 35.2 mm). These results were closely related to AMSR‐E algorithm‐related error sources, which we analyzed with respect to topographic characteristics and snow properties. In particular, we found that snow density data used in the AMSR‐E SWE algorithm should be based on reliable in situ data as the current AMSR‐E SWE algorithm cannot reflect the spatio‐temporal variability of snow density values. Additionally, we derived better results considering saturation effect of AMSR‐E SWE. Despite the demise of AMSR‐E, this study's analysis is significant for providing a baseline for the new sensor and suggests parameters important for obtaining more reliable SWE. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of multiple surface soil moisture for Korean regional flux monitoring network sites: Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer E,land surface model,and ground measurements

In the past few decades, there have been great developments in remotely sensed soil moisture, with validation efforts using land surface models (LSMs) and ground‐based measurements, because soil moisture information is essential to understanding complex land surface–atmosphere interactions. However, the validation of remotely sensed soil moisture has been very limited because of the scarcity of the ground measurements in Korea. This study validated Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer E (AMSR‐E) soil moisture data with the Common Land Model (CLM), one of the most widely used LSMs, and ground‐based measurements at two Korean regional flux monitoring network sites. There was reasonable agreement regarding the different soil moisture products for monitoring temporal trends except National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) AMSR‐E soil moisture, albeit there were essential comparison limitations by different spatial scales and soil depths. The AMSR‐E soil moisture data published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) showed potential to replicate temporal variability patterns (root‐mean‐square errors = 0·10–0·14 m³ m^?3 and wet BIAS = 0·09 ? 0·04 m³ m^?3) with the CLM and ground‐based measurements. However, the NSIDC AMSR‐E soil moisture was problematic because of the extremely low temporal variability and the VUA AMSR‐E soil moisture was relatively inaccurate in Gwangneung site characterized by complex geophysical conditions. Additional evaluations should be required to facilitate the use of recent and forthcoming remotely sensed soil moisture data from Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity and Soil Moisture Active and Passive missions at representative future validation sites. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improvement of multi-layer soil moisture prediction using support vector machines and ensemble Kalman filter coupled with remote sensing soil moisture datasets over an agriculture dominant basin in China

Soil moisture prediction is of great importance in crop yield forecasting and drought monitoring. In this study, the multi-layer root zone soil moisture (0-5, 0-10, 10-40 and 40-100 cm) prediction is conducted over an agriculture dominant basin, namely the Xiang River Basin, in southern China. The support vector machines (SVM) coupled with dual ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) technique (SVM-EnKF) is compared with SVM for its potential capability to improve the efficiency of soil moisture prediction. Three remote sensing soil moisture products, namely SMAP, ASCAT and AMSR2, are evaluated for their performance in multi-layer soil moisture prediction with SVM and SVM-EnKF, respectively. Multiple cases are designed to investigate the performance of SVM, the effectiveness of coupling dual EnKF technique and the applicability of the remote sensing products in soil moisture prediction. The main results are as follows: (a) The efficiency of soil moisture prediction with SVM using meteorological variables as inputs is satisfactory for the surface layers (0-5 and 0-10 cm), while poor for the root zone layers (10-40 and 40-100 cm). Adding SMAP as input to SVM can improve its performance in soil moisture prediction, with more than 47% increase in the R-value and at least 11% reduction in RMSE for all layers. However, adding ASCAT or AMSR2 has no improvement for its performance. (b) Coupling dual EnKF can significantly improve the performance of SVM in the soil moisture prediction of both surface and the root zone layers. The increase in R-value is above 80%, while the reduction in BIAS and RMSE is respectively more than 90% and 63%. However, adding remote sensing soil moisture products as inputs can no further improve the performance of SVM-EnKF. (c) The SVM-EnKF can eliminate the influence of remote sensing soil moisture extreme values in soil moisture prediction, therefore, improve its accuracy.