Title :
Normalized Residual Scattering Index Applied to Aquarius L-Band Measurements
Author :
Colliander, A. ; Xiaolan Xu
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
Abstract :
A normalized residual scattering index is introduced. This index is based on the relationship between coincident microwave-backscatter and brightness-temperature observations. In this letter, the L-band NRSI is shown to correlate with vegetation cover conditions on a global scale. The interpretation of global observations from the Aquarius satellite is based on Passive Active L-band System airborne data collected during field experiments together with ground truth. The benefit of the method is that it is sensitive to land-cover features affecting both active and passive measurements while being insensitive to surface effects such as soil moisture.
Keywords :
artificial satellites; backscatter; microwave measurement; temperature measurement; terrain mapping; vegetation mapping; Aquarius L-band measurement; Aquarius satellite; L-band NRSI; active L-band measurement; airborne data collection; brightness temperature observation; global observation; global scale; land cover feature; microwave backscatter; normalized residual scattering index; passive L-band measurement; vegetation cover condition; Backscatter; Remote sensing; Scattering; Snow; Soil moisture; Surface topography; Vegetation mapping; Active; Aquarius; European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts; GlobSnow; Global Multiresolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010; microwave; passive; vegetation;
Journal_Title :
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/LGRS.2012.2226559