We present a multi-sensor Bayesian passive microwave retrieval algorithm for flood inundation mapping at high spatial and temporal resolutions. The algorithm takes advantage of observations from multiple sensors in optical, short-infrared, and microwave bands, thereby allowing for detection and mapping of the sub-pixel fraction of inundated areas under almost all-sky conditions. The method relies on a nearest-neighbor search and a modern sparsity-promoting inversion method that make use of an a priori dataset in the form of two joint dictionaries. These dictionaries contain almost overlapping observations by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager and Sounder (SSMIS) on board the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F17 satellite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Aqua and Terra satellites. Evaluation of the retrieval algorithm over the Mekong Delta shows that it is capable of capturing to a good degree the inundation diurnal variability due to localized convective precipitation. At longer timescales, the results demonstrate consistency with the ground-based water level observations, denoting that the method is properly capturing inundation seasonal patterns in response to regional monsoonal rain. The calculated Euclidean distance, rank-correlation, and also copula quantile analysis demonstrate a good agreement between the outputs of the algorithm and the observed water levels at monthly and daily timescales. The current inundation products are at a resolution of 12.5 km and taken twice per day, but a higher resolution (order of 5 km and every 3 h) can be achieved using the same algorithm with the dictionary populated by the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) products.
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Constraining Plant Hydraulics With Microwave Radiometry in a Land Surface Model: Impacts of Temporal Resolution
Vegetation water content (VWC) plays a key role in transpiration, plant mortality, and wildfire risk. Although land surface models now often contain plant hydraulics schemes, there are few direct VWC measurements to constrain these models at global scale. One proposed solution to this data gap is passive microwave remote sensing, which is sensitive to temporal changes in VWC. Here, we test that approach by using synthetic microwave observations to constrain VWC and surface soil moisture within the Climate Modeling Alliance Land model. We further investigate the possible utility of sub‐daily observations of VWC, which could be obtained through a satellite in geostationary orbit or combinations of multiple satellites. These high‐temporal‐resolution observations could allow for improved determination of ecosystem parameters, carbon and water fluxes, and subsurface hydraulics, relative to the currently available twice‐daily sun‐synchronous observational patterns. We find that incorporating observations at four different times in the diurnal cycle (such as could be available from two sun‐synchronous satellites) provides a significantly better constraint on water and carbon fluxes than twice‐daily observations do. For example, the root mean square error of projected evapotranspiration and gross primary productivity during drought periods was reduced by approximately 40%, when using four‐times‐daily relative to twice‐daily observations. Adding hourly observations of the entire diurnal cycle did not further improve the inferred parameters and fluxes. Our comparison of observational strategies may be informative in the design of future satellite missions to study plant hydraulics, as well as when using existing remotely sensed data to study vegetation water stress response.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 1942133
- PAR ID:
- 10476057
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Water Resources Research
- Volume:
- 59
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0043-1397
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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