Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2018, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (2): 145-150.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2018.00145

• Articles • Previous Articles    

A method to obtain soil-moisture estimates over bare agricultural fields in arid areas by using multi-angle RADARSAT-2 data

JunZhan Wang1, JianJun Qu1, LiHai Tan1, KeCun Zhang1   

  1. Dunhuang Gobi and Desert Ecology and Environment Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
  • Received:2017-08-14 Revised:2017-12-25 Published:2018-11-22
  • Contact: JunZhan Wang,cani04@163.com E-mail:cani04@163.com
  • Supported by:
    The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41401408 and 41371027) and the Opening Fund of Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Abstract: Soil moisture is an important parameter for agriculture, meteorological, and hydrological studies. This paper focuses on soil-moisture estimation methodology based on the multi-angle high- and low-incidence-angle mode RADARSAT-2 data obtained over bare agricultural fields in an arid area. Backscattering of the high- and low-incidence angles is simulated by using AIEM (advanced integral equation model), with the surface-roughness estimation model built based on the simulated data. Combining the surface-roughness estimation model with the backscattering model of the low-incidence-angle mode, a soil-moisture estimation method is put forward. First, the natural logarithm (ln) of soil moisture was obtained and then the soil moisture calculated. Soil moisture of the study area in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, was obtained based on this method; a good agreement was observed between the estimated and measured soil moisture. The coefficient of determination was 0.85, and the estimation precision reached 4.02% in root mean square error (RMSE). The results illustrate the high potential of the approach developed and RADARSAT-2 data to monitor soil moisture.

Key words: RADARSAT-2, bare soil, soil moisture

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