IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (Jan 2021)
Microwave Radiometry at Frequencies From 500 to 1400 MHz: An Emerging Technology for Earth Observations
- Joel T. Johnson,
- Kenneth C. Jezek,
- Giovanni Macelloni,
- Marco Brogioni,
- Leung Tsang,
- Emmanuel P. Dinnat,
- Jeffrey P. Walker,
- Nan Ye,
- Sidharth Misra,
- Jeffrey R. Piepmeier,
- Rajat Bindlish,
- David M. LeVine,
- Peggy E. OaNeill,
- Lars Kaleschke,
- Mark J. Andrews,
- Caglar Yardim,
- Mustafa Aksoy,
- Michael Durand,
- Chi-Chih Chen,
- Oguz Demir,
- Alexandra Bringer,
- Julie Z. Miller,
- Shannon T. Brown,
- Ron Kwok,
- Tong Lee,
- Yann Kerr,
- Dara Entekhabi,
- Jinzheng Peng,
- Andreas Colliander,
- Steven Chan,
- Joseph A. MacGregor,
- Brooke Medley,
- Roger DeRoo,
- Mark Drinkwater
Affiliations
- Joel T. Johnson
- ORCiD
- ElectroScience Laboratory, The Ohio State University, OH, ColumbusUSA
- Kenneth C. Jezek
- School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Giovanni Macelloni
- ORCiD
- Department of Remote Sensing, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics National Research Council, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Marco Brogioni
- Department of Remote Sensing, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics National Research Council, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Leung Tsang
- ORCiD
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Emmanuel P. Dinnat
- ORCiD
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Jeffrey P. Walker
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Nan Ye
- ORCiD
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Sidharth Misra
- ORCiD
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Jeffrey R. Piepmeier
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Rajat Bindlish
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- David M. LeVine
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Peggy E. OaNeill
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Lars Kaleschke
- Department of Sea Ice Physics, Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Mark J. Andrews
- ORCiD
- ElectroScience Laboratory, The Ohio State University, OH, ColumbusUSA
- Caglar Yardim
- ORCiD
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Mustafa Aksoy
- ORCiD
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
- Michael Durand
- School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Chi-Chih Chen
- ORCiD
- ElectroScience Laboratory, The Ohio State University, OH, ColumbusUSA
- Oguz Demir
- ElectroScience Laboratory, The Ohio State University, OH, ColumbusUSA
- Alexandra Bringer
- ElectroScience Laboratory, The Ohio State University, OH, ColumbusUSA
- Julie Z. Miller
- Earth Observations, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO, USA
- Shannon T. Brown
- ORCiD
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Ron Kwok
- Polar Science Center, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory, Seattle, WA, USA
- Tong Lee
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Yann Kerr
- CNES, CESBIO, Toulouse Cedex 9, France
- Dara Entekhabi
- MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Jinzheng Peng
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Andreas Colliander
- ORCiD
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Steven Chan
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Joseph A. MacGregor
- ORCiD
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Brooke Medley
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Roger DeRoo
- ORCiD
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Mark Drinkwater
- Mission Science Division, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2021.3073286
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14
pp. 4894 – 4914
Abstract
Microwave radiometry has provided valuable spaceborne observations of Earth's geophysical properties for decades. The recent SMOS, Aquarius, and SMAP satellites have demonstrated the value of measurements at 1400 MHz for observing surface soil moisture, sea surface salinity, sea ice thickness, soil freeze/thaw state, and other geophysical variables. However, the information obtained is limited by penetration through the subsurface at 1400 MHz and by a reduced sensitivity to surface salinity in cold or wind-roughened waters. Recent airborne experiments have shown the potential of brightness temperature measurements from 500–1400 MHz to address these limitations by enabling sensing of soil moisture and sea ice thickness to greater depths, sensing of temperature deep within ice sheets, improved sensing of sea salinity in cold waters, and enhanced sensitivity to soil moisture under vegetation canopies. However, the absence of significant spectrum reserved for passive microwave measurements in the 500–1400 MHz band requires both an opportunistic sensing strategy and systems for reducing the impact of radio-frequency interference. Here, we summarize the potential advantages and applications of 500–1400 MHz microwave radiometry for Earth observation and review recent experiments and demonstrations of these concepts. We also describe the remaining questions and challenges to be addressed in advancing to future spaceborne operation of this technology along with recommendations for future research activities.
Keywords
