Evaluation of the Tau-Omega Model Over a Dense Corn Canopy at P- and L-Band

As an emerging technique, P-band (0.3-1 GHz) may improve soil moisture remote sensing compared to L-band (1.4 GHz) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) missions, because of its greater moisture retrieval depth resulting from its longer wavelength. Consequently, a number of tower-based experiments were under-taken in VIC, Australia, to understand and quantify potential improvements. The study reported here has extended the evaluation of the tau-omega model to a scenario with a dense corn canopy whose vegetation water content (VWC) reached similar to 20 kg/m(2), and compared the soil moisture retrieval performance at P-and L-band. Based on the locally calibrated parameters, the results from both the single-channel algorithm (SCA) and dual-channel algorithm (DCA) approaches presented a clear reduction in vegetation impact at the P-band compared to L-band. While the root-mean-square error (RMSE) for the P-band did not achieve the 0.04-m(3)/m(3) target accuracy of SMOS and SMAP, i.e., 0.054 m(3)/m(3 )for the SCA and 0.074 m(3)/m(3 )for the DCA, this performance can be regarded as acceptable considering the extremely high VWC. In comparison, the RMSEs at L-band were larger than 0.1 m(3)/m(3) for both the SCA and the DCA approaches. Additionally, DCA performed better in correlation coefficient and unbiased RMSE, while SCA performed better in RMSE at the P-band due to the larger bias when using DCA. Moreover, the calibrated vegetation parameters at the P-band were found to apply to broader conditions than those at the L-band, likely due to the reduced vegetation impact.

Automated summary

This study compared the performance of soil moisture remote sensing at P-band and L-band, and found that P-band showed a clear reduction in vegetation impact compared to L-band. Although P-band did not achieve the target accuracy, it can still be considered acceptable considering the high vegetation water content. Additionally, the calibrated vegetation parameters at P-band were found to apply to broader conditions.