L-Band Radiometry for Assessing Water Cycle: Recent Advances and Way Forward

• Main Authors: Kerr, Yann H., Bindlish, R., Yueh, Simon H., Entekhabi, Dara, Rodriguez‐Fernandez, Nemesio, Lee, Tong, Wigneron, Jean-Pierre, Lagerloef, Gary S. E., Boutin, Jacqueline, Escorihuela, Maria-José, Anterrieu, Eric
• Other Authors: Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère (CESBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology and Research (GESTAR), Universities Space Research Association (USRA)-NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), MIT Parsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Écologie fonctionnelle et physique de l'environnement (EPHYSE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Processus et interactions de fine échelle océanique (PROTEO), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL (FR_636)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU), isardSAT, AGU
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: 1655 Water cycles; GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 1816 Estimation and forecasting; HYDROLOGYDE: 1847 Modeling; HYDROLOGYDE: 1855 Remote sensing; HYDROLOGY; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02395211

International audience The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was launched in November 2009 and is still fully operational. The Aquarius Radiometer on board SAC-D was launched in June 2011 and operated until July 2015. Finally the Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) mission was launched in January 2015 and its radiometer has been fully operational. These three missions have a unique feature in common, that is an L band radiometer. For the first time - with SMOS - the globe was operationally covered with such measurement. L band measurements have enabled direct and "absolute" measurements of both soil moisture and sea surface salinity, opening up a wealth of new science venues and applications. L-band sea surface salinity data have significantly improved the knowledge of many ocean processes that were not well-understood before, such as river plumes, cross-shelf exchanges, mesoscale salinity fronts and eddies, and salinity signature of and contribution to tropical instability waves. They have greatly facilitated the studies of the linkages of the ocean with the water cycle. They have elucidated the relationships of ocean salinity with climate variability. Over land soil moisture measurements enabled to get access to root zone soil moisture, yield forecasts, flood risks, drought monitoring, improvement of rainfall estimates, etc…It is worthwhile noting that recently significant progresses were made in vegetation optical depth retrievals using SMOS paving the way to a new and very powerful vegetation index. Also worth mentioning is that the various disaggregation approaches providing typically 1 km spatial resolutions and very useful for pest control or irrigation management. Moreover, L-band measurements have also proved to have many other potential applications such as thin sea ice estimate (up to 50-100 cm) as well as freeze thaw dates, and potentially snow density and liquid water content. After all these successes it is crucial to carry on such measurements, key elements of teh water cycle. ...