Microwave-derived soil moisture over Mediterranean land uses: from ground-based radiometry to SMOS data
Abstract
This communication will present the main results of a series of airborne and ground-based experiments conducted
at the Valencia Anchor Station (VAS) site for the implementation of the SMOS emission model L-MEB (L-band
Microwave Emission model of the Biosphere, Wigneron et al., 2007), and will evaluate the performance of
L-MEB against SMOS measurements.
The L-MEB model has been implemented in the context of the SMOS mission and through numerous ra-
diometry experiments over different land uses. Within L-MEB, each land use is characterised by model
parameterisations that are used to describe the radiative transfer at L-band. They describe, for instance, the
attenuation properties of different canopies, or the effect of soil roughness on the surface emission.
In recent years, the Valencia Anchor Station site (VAS) has hosted various radiometry experiments. These
were performed at different scales, from the plot scale to the regional scale (up to 50 km), using ground-based
and airborne-based radiometry. The main results are discussed in this communication, and some preliminary
comparisons with SMOS measurements are presented