Soil moisture retrieval and applications from L band radiometry (SMOS)

Yann H. Kerr (1) , Jean-Pierre Wigneron (2) , Philippe Waldteufel (3) , Jean-Christophe Calvet (4)

1 CESBIO - Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère
2 Unité de bioclimatologie
3 IPSL (FR_636) - Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace
4 CNRM - Centre national de recherches météorologiques

This paper discusses the potential of a L-band 2-D microwave interferometric radiometer for monitoring surface variables over land surfaces. The instrument is the payload of the SMOS Mission (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity), selected for phase A studies by the European Space Agency (ESA) in answer to the call for Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions. The L-band radiometer is based on an innovative bi-dimensional aperture synthesis concept. This sensor has new and significant capabilities, especially in terms of multi-angular viewing configurations.

Mots clés: microwaves

Domaines: Traitement du signal et de l'image [eess.SP]

Yann H. Kerr, Jean-Pierre Wigneron, Philippe Waldteufel, Jean-Christophe Calvet. Soil moisture retrieval and applications from L band radiometry (SMOS). International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS). USA., Jul 2001, Sydney, Australia. ⟨hal-02762215⟩