Developing an improved soil moisture dataset by blending passive and active microwave satellite-based retrievals

Abstract. Combining information derived from satellite-based passive and active microwave sensors has the potential to offer improved estimates of surface soil moisture at global scale. We develop and evaluate a methodology that takes advantage of the retrieval characteristics of passive (AMSR-E) and active (ASCAT) microwave satellite estimates to produce an improved soil moisture product. First, volumetric soil water content (m3 m−3) from AMSR-E and degree of saturation (%) from ASCAT are rescaled against a reference land surface model data set using a cumulative distribution function matching approach. While this imposes any bias of the reference on the rescaled satellite products, it adjusts them to the…

• ES
  European Space Agency
• EC
  European Commission

  Award: 226701
• CS
  Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
• UO
  University of New South Wales