Validation of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite soil moisture retrieval in an Arctic tundra environment. Issue 9 (14th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wrona, Elizabeth; Rowlandson, Tracy L.; Nambiar, Manoj; Berg, Aaron A.; Colliander, Andreas; Marsh, Philip
• Is Part Of: Geophysical research letters. Volume 44:Issue 9(2017)
• Page Start: 4152
• Page End: 4158
• Publication Date: 2017-05-14
• Subjects: SMAP -- Arctic tundra -- EASE‐2 grid; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Planets -- Periodicals; Lunar geology -- Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1002/2017GL072946
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-8276

Abstract

Abstract: This study examines the Soil Moisture Active Passive soil moisture product on the Equal Area Scalable Earth‐2 (EASE‐2) 36 km Global cylindrical and North Polar azimuthal grids relative to two in situ soil moisture monitoring networks that were installed in 2015 and 2016. Results indicate that there is no relationship between the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Level‐2 passive soil moisture product and the upscaled in situ measurements. Additionally, there is very low correlation between modeled brightness temperature using the Community Microwave Emission Model and the Level‐1 C SMAP brightness temperature interpolated to the EASE‐2 Global grid; however, there is a much stronger relationship to the brightness temperature measurements interpolated to the North Polar grid, suggesting that the soil moisture product could be improved with interpolation on the North Polar grid. Key Points: Low correlation between SMAP L2 SMP and in situ measurements of soil moisture on EASE‐2 Global grid in Arctic Tundra Modeled Tb show higher correlation to SMAP Tb on EASE‐2 North Polar grid to Global grid, need for grid change for soil moisture processing Users of soil moisture product in high‐latitude regions should do so with caution