Implications of RFI at L-Band on Passive Microwave Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture from Space: Experience with ESTAR During SGP97

Passive microwave remote sensing in the protected band at 1.413 GHz (L-band) is important for monitoring parameters of the ocean and land surface such as soil moisture and sea surface salinity. These parameters are needed for understanding energy exchange between the surface and atmosphere and therefore are important for improving our understanding of weather and climate change. Although the band at 1.413 GHz is protected for passive use, airborne radiometers experience problems with RFI. For example, during the Southern Great Plains Experiment (1997) the ESTAR radiometer experienced significant RFI associated with airports, presumably air traffic control radar. This is a potential problem for future sensors in space planned for remote sensing of the earth surface in this frequency band.