Relating microwave satellite radiometer observations to land surface parameters: a physical approach

A physically based algorithm relating microwave satellite radiometer brightness temperatures to land surface parameters is developed, through integrating physical algorithms previously developed at Aerojet for the scattering, absorption, and emission characteristics of land surface and atmosphere components. Numerical simulations based on the algorithm showed how the radiometer observations are influenced by the atmosphere. They also revealed some factors limiting the radiometer ability in monitoring the variation in soil moisture along the canopy depth