Active microwave measurements for estimating soil moisture in Oklahoma

Previous research has shown that active and passive microwave sensors can be used to estimate near surface soil moisture. An advantage of the active systems is that they have the capability of high spatial resolution from satellite platforms. Most of the previous research has been conducted on agricultural fields. This study examined the use of active microwave data for estimating the average surface soil moisture for several watersheds located near Chicasha, Oklahoma. Data were collected using P, L, and C band scatterometers, mounted on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration C130B aircraft flying at an altitude of 300 m. Soil moisture data were collected in conjunction with three flights during May 1978. Our results indicated that relationships between the scatterometer data and soil moisture do exist and agree with the results obtained at the University of Kansas.