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Comparison of 2.8- and 21-cm microwave radiometer observations over soils with emission model calculationsAn airborne experiment was conducted under NASA auspices to test the feasibility of detecting soil moisture by microwave remote sensing techniques over agricultural fields near Phoenix, Arizona at midday of April 5, 1974 and at dawn of the following day. Extensive ground data were obtained from 96 bare, sixteen hectare fields. Observations made using a scanning (2.8 cm) and a nonscanning (21 cm) radiometer were compared with the predictions of a radiative transfer emission model. It is shown that (1) the emitted intensity at both wavelengths correlates best with the near surface moisture, (2) surface roughness is found to more strongly affect the degree of polarization than the emitted intensity, (3) the slope of the intensity-moisture curves decreases in going from day to dawn, and (4) increased near surface moisture at dawn is characterized by increased polarization of emissions. The results of the experiment indicate that microwave techniques can be used to observe the history of the near surface moisture. The subsurface history must be inferred from soil physics models which use microwave results as boundary conditions.
Document ID
19790038189
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Burke, W. J.
(Regis College Weston, Mass., United States)
Schmugge, T.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Md., United States)
Paris, J. F.
(Houston, University Clear Lake City, Tex., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
January 20, 1979
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 84
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Accession Number
79A22202
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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