HR: 0800h
AN: H51C-03    [Abstracts]
TI: How well does AMSR-E capture soil moisture over Australia?
AU: Draper, C S
EM: c.draper@bom.gov.au
AF: University of Melbourne, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
AU: Draper, C S
EM: c.draper@bom.gov.au
AF: Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, GPO Box 1289 , Melbourne, VIC 3001,
AU: * Walker, J P
EM: j.walker@unimelb.edu.au
AF: University of Melbourne, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
AU: Steinle, P J
EM: p.steinle@bom.gov.au
AF: Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, GPO Box 1289 , Melbourne, VIC 3001,
AB: Studies in several regions have indicated that data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) onboard Aqua, can provide useful information regarding surface soil moisture content. Such information could be useful in a range of applications, including atmospheric modelling. Consequently, this paper presents an assessment of AMSR-E derived surface soil moisture over Australia, using the C-band (6.92 GHz) soil moisture product developed at the Free University of Amsterdam. The AMSR-E soil moisture is assessed by comparing time-series of individual pixels with in-situ data from soil moisture networks in the Goulburn River and Murrumbidgee River basins in south-east Australia, over 2005. The broad spatial behaviour of the AMSR-E soil moisture is also assessed through comparison to observed precipitation over Australia. Australia is well suited to testing AMSR-E soil moisture products, since frozen cover and vegetation are sparse across the country. Furthermore, radio frequency interference is not a significant problem over Australia, as it is in Europe and north America.
DE: 1855 Remote sensing (1640)
DE: 1866 Soil moisture
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly