Maria Piles

Downscaling SMOS-Derived Soil Moisture Using MODIS Visible/Infrared Data

A downscaling approach to improve the spatial resolution of Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) soil moisture estimates with the use of higher resolution visible/infrared (VIS/IR) satellite data is presented. The algorithm is based on the so-called “universal triangle” concept that relates VIS/IR parameters, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Land Surface Temperature (Ts), to the soil moisture status. It combines the accuracy of SMOS observations with the high spatial resolution of VIS/IR satellite data into accurate soil moisture estimates at high spatial resolution. In preparation for the SMOS launch, the algorithm was tested using observations of the UPC Airborne RadIomEter at L-band (ARIEL) over the Soil Moisture Measurement Network of the University of Salamanca (REMEDHUS) in Zamora (Spain), and LANDSAT imagery. Results showed fairly good agreement with ground-based soil moisture measurements and illustrated the strength of the link between VIS/IR satellite data and soil moisture status. Following the SMOS launch, a downscaling strategy for the estimation of soil moisture at high resolution from SMOS using MODIS VIS/IR data has been developed. The method has been applied to some of the first SMOS images acquired during the commissioning phase and is validated against in situ soil moisture data from the OZnet soil moisture monitoring network, in South-Eastern Australia. Results show that the soil moisture variability is effectively captured at 10 and 1 km spatial scales without a significant degradation of the root mean square error.

A Downscaling Approach for SMOS Land Observations: Evaluation of High-Resolution Soil Moisture Maps Over the Iberian Peninsula

The ESAs Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission is the first satellite devoted to measure the Earths surface soil moisture. It has a spatial resolution of ~ 40 km and a 3-day revisit. In this paper, a downscaling algorithm is presented as a new ability to obtain multiresolution soil moisture estimates from SMOS using visible-to-infrared remotely sensed observations. This algorithm is applied to combine 2 years of SMOS and MODIS Terra/Aqua data over the Iberian Peninsula into fine-scale (1 km) soil moisture estimates. Disaggregated soil moisture maps are compared to 0-5 cm ground-based measurements from the REMEDHUS network. Three matching strategies are employed: 1) a comparison at 40 km spatial resolution is undertaken to ensure SMOS sensitivity is preserved in the downscaled maps; 2) the spatio-temporal correlation of downscaled maps is analyzed through comparison with point-scale observations; and 3) high-resolution maps and ground-based observations are aggregated per land-use to identify spatial patterns related with vegetation activity and soil type. Results show that the downscaling method improves the spatial representation of SMOS coarse soil moisture estimates while maintaining temporal correlation and root mean squared differences with ground-based measurements. The dynamic range of in situ soil moisture measurements is reproduced in the high-resolution maps, including stations with different mean soil wetness conditions. Downscaled maps capture the soil moisture dynamics of general land uses, with the exception of irrigated crops. This evaluation study supports the use of this downscaling approach to enhance the spatial resolution of SMOS observations over semi-arid regions such as the Iberian Peninsula.

Extended triple collocation: Estimating errors and correlation coefficients with respect to an unknown target

Calibration and validation of geophysical measurement systems typically require knowledge of the true value of the target variable. However, the data considered to represent the true values often include their own measurement errors, biasing calibration, and validation results. Triple collocation (TC) can be used to estimate the root-mean-square-error (RMSE), using observations from three mutually independent, error-prone measurement systems. Here, we introduce Extended Triple Collocation (ETC): using exactly the same assumptions as TC, we derive an additional performance metric, the correlation coefficient of the measurement system with respect to the unknown target, rho(t,Xi). We demonstrate that rho(2)(t,Xi) is the scaled, unbiased signal-to-noise ratio and provides a complementary perspective compared to the RMSE. We apply it to three collocated wind data sets. Since ETC is as easy to implement as TC, requires no additional assumptions, and provides an extra performance metric, it may be of interest in a wide range of geophysical disciplines.

Spatial-Resolution Enhancement of SMOS Data: A Deconvolution-Based Approach

A deconvolution-based model has been developed in an attempt to improve the spatial resolution of future soil moisture and ocean salinity (SMOS) data. This paper is devoted to the analysis and evaluation of different algorithms using brightness temperature images obtained from an upgraded version of the SMOS end-to-end performance simulator. Particular emphasis is made on the use of least-square-derived Lagrangian methods on the Fourier and wavelet domains. The possibility of adding suitable auxiliary information in the reconstruction process has also been addressed. Results indicate that, with these techniques, it is feasible to enhance the spatial resolution of SMOS observations by a factor of 1.75 while preserving the radiometric sensitivity simultaneously.

Uncertainty Analysis of Soil Moisture and Vegetation Indices Using Aquarius Scatterometer Observations

Simple functions of radar backscatter coefficients have been proposed as indices of soil moisture and vegetation, such as the radar vegetation index, i.e., RVI, and the soil saturation index, i.e., ms. These indices are ratios of noisy and potentially miscalibrated radar measurements and are therefore particularly susceptible to estimation errors. In this study, we consider uncertainty in satellite estimates of RVI and ms arising from two radar error sources: noise and miscalibration. We derive expressions for the variance and bias in estimates of RVI and ms due to noise. We also derive expressions for the sensitivity of RVI and ms to calibration errors. We use one year (September 1, 2011 to August 31, 2012) of Aquarius scatterometer observations at three polarizations ( σHH, σVV, and σHV) to map predicted error estimates globally, using parameters relevant to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Soil Moisture Active and Passive satellite mission. We find that RVI is particularly vulnerable to errors in the calibration offset term over lightly vegetated regions, resulting in overestimates of RVI in some arid regions. ms is most sensitive to calibration errors over regions where the dynamic range of the backscatter coefficient is small, including deserts and forests. Noise induces biases in both indices, but they are negligible in both cases; however, it also induces variance, which is large for highly vegetated regions (for RVI) and areas with low dynamic range in backscatter values (for ms). We find that, with appropriate temporal and spatial averaging, noise errors in both indices can be reduced to acceptable levels. Areas sensitive to calibration errors will require masking.

Experimental relationship between the sea brightness temperature changes and the GNSS-R delay-Doppler maps: Preliminary results of the albatross field experiments

The sea surface salinity (SSS) retrieval using microwave radiometry is seriously affected by the sea surface roughness. Global Navigation Satellite Signals Reflected (GNSS-R) have been proposed to perform this roughness correction. The selected observable is the volume of the normalized delay-Doppler map (maximum amplitude equal to one) above a threshold. This observable is related to the extension of the glistening zone, which is related to the sea state. Its validity to account for the surface roughness in terms of significant wave height (SWH) was proved during the ALBATROSS 2008 measurement campaign. In the following ALBATROSS 2009 campaign collocated measurements of instantaneous radiometric brightness temperatures and GNSS-R volumes are obtained by two antennas pointing exactly to the same spot with the same beamwidth and beam properties. This work described the preliminary results of these field experiments.

Surface Topography and Mixed Pixel Effects on the Simulated L-band Brightness Temperatures

The impact of topography and mixed pixels on L-band radiometric observations over land has not been properly quantified so far. With this purpose, simulations have been performed with an upgraded version of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) End-to-end Performance Simulator (SEPS). The brightness temperature (TB) generator of SEPS has been improved to include a 100 m-resolution land cover map (21 uses) and a 30 m-resolution digital elevation map of the Catalonian Region (NE Spain). The high resolution TB generator allows to assess the errors in the soil moisture retrieval algorithms due to limited spatial resolution, and to set the basis for the development of pixel disaggregation techniques. Variation of the local incidence angle as seen from SMOS, shadowing, and atmospheric effects (up- and down-welling radiation) due to surface topography have been analyzed. Results are compared to TB values computed under the assumption of an ellipsoidal Earth

A New Soil Moisture Agricultural Drought Index (SMADI) Integrating MODIS and SMOS Products: A Case of Study over the Iberian Peninsula

A new index for agricultural drought monitoring is presented based on the integration of different soil/vegetation remote sensing observations. The synergistic fusion of the surface soil moisture (SSM) from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) derived land surface temperature (LST), and water/vegetation indices for agricultural drought monitoring was tested. The rationale of the approach is based on the inverse relationship between LST, vegetation condition and soil moisture content. Thus, the proposed Soil Moisture Agricultural Drought Index (SMADI) combines the soil and temperature conditions while including the lagged response of vegetation. SMADI was retrieved every eight days at 500 m spatial resolution for the whole Iberian Peninsula (IP) from 2010 to 2014, and a time lag of eight days was used to account for the plant response to the varying soil/climatic conditions. The results of SMADI compared well with other agricultural indices in a semiarid area in the Duero basin, in Spain, and also with a climatic index in areas of the Iberian Peninsula under contrasted climatic conditions. Based on a standard classification of drought severity, the proposed index allowed for a coherent description of the drought conditions of the IP during the study period.

Surface Topography and Mixed-Pixel Effects on the Simulated L-Band Brightness Temperatures

The impact of topography and mixed pixels on L-band radiometric observations over land needs to be quantified to improve the accuracy of soil moisture retrievals. For this purpose, a series of simulations has been performed with an improved version of the soil moisture and ocean salinity (SMOS) end-to-end performance simulator (SEPS). The brightness temperature generator of SEPS has been modified to include a 100-m-resolution land cover map and a 30-m-resolution digital elevation map of Catalonia (northeast of Spain). This high-resolution generator allows the assessment of the errors in soil moisture retrieval algorithms due to limited spatial resolution and provides a basis for the development of pixel disaggregation techniques. Variation of the local incidence angle, shadowing, and atmospheric effects (up- and downwelling radiation) due to surface topography has been analyzed. Results are compared to brightness temperatures that are computed under the assumption of an ellipsoidal Earth.

How Many Parameters Can Be Maximally Estimated From a Set of Measurements

Remote sensing algorithms often invert multiple measurements simultaneously to retrieve a group of geophysical parameters. In order to create a robust retrieval algorithm, it is necessary to ensure that there are more unique measurements than parameters to be retrieved. If this is not the case, the inversion might have multiple solutions and be sensitive to noise. In this letter, we introduce a methodology to calculate the number of (possibly fractional) “degrees of information” in a set of measurements, representing the number of parameters that can be retrieved robustly from that set. Since different measurements may not be mutually independent, the amount of duplicate information is calculated using the information-theoretic concept of total correlation (a generalization of mutual information). The total correlation is sensitive to the full distribution of each measurement and therefore accounts for duplicate information even if multiple measurements are related only partially and nonlinearly. The method is illustrated using several examples, and applications to a variety of sensor types are discussed.