Summary
This paper is focused on the applicability of remotely sensed data of different platforms to determine spatial variability and distribution of soil mositure on a local scale. A plane agricultural test site of ≈ 2 km2 in Central Europe is the basis for a comparison of simultaneously recorded high resolution (<0.2 m) thermal infra-red data with C-band microwave data (<30 m). In situ measurements link the remote sensing data to ground truth. Heterogeneity in landform, soil and vegetative cover are accounted for in a resolution of less than a hectare. Results of this study show that there is no correlation between backscattering coefficients and brightness temperatures over vegetated fields, but brightness temperature indicates a distribution of plant available water in the root zone. Bare fields in dry conditions demand in-situ determination of soil moisture of the top few millimeters to compare remote sensing data to reliable ground truth.
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Wüthrich, M. Thermal infra-red underflights compared to ERS-1 C-band synthetic aperture radar focusing soil moisture distribution. Theor Appl Climatol 53, 69–78 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00866412
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00866412