Open AccessMeasuring soil moisture
Author(s) -
Showstack Randy
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/eo083i033p00358-05
Subject(s) - environmental science , remote sensing , water content , synthetic aperture radar , radar , altitude (triangle) , microwave , meteorology , geology , geography , engineering , geotechnical engineering , aerospace engineering , telecommunications , geometry , mathematics
A recent aerial field experiment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration carried out above farmland near Ames, Iowa, could help scientists to develop a remote global soil moisture observing system over most of the Earth's non‐forested and unfrozen regions. During the experiment, which lasted from 25 June to 8 July scientists and engineers measured soil moisture content with remote sensing techniques that included a passive and active L‐ and S‐band microwave instrument about 1.1 kilometers above ground, and an airborne synthetic aperture radar flying at an altitude of about 7.9 kilometers.