A simple parameterization of the L-band microwave emission from rough agricultural soils

A simple model for simulating the L-band microwave emission from bare soils is developed. The model is calibrated on a large set of measurements obtained during a three-month period over seven plots covering a wide range of surface roughness (representing the total range which can be expected on agricultural fields), soil moisture, and temperature conditions. The approach is based on the parameterization of an effective roughness parameter as a function of surface characteristics: surface roughness (standard deviation of height and correlation length) and the surface soil moisture. The parameterizations that are developed are independent of incidence angle and polarization and are valid over a large range in surface roughness conditions, representative of most of typical agricultural bare fields, from very smooth (rolled field after sowing) to very rough surfaces (deeply plowed soil). This approach will enable the use of microwave radiometric observations for soil moisture retrieval over agricultural areas.