AirMOSS P-Band SAR Radar Backscatter Data for Soil Moisture

Level 1 polarimetric radar backscattering coefficient data were collected by the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface instrument over the Tonzi Ranch site in California. The dataset contains calibrated and georeferenced P-band synthetic aperture radar measurements designed for retrieving root-zone soil moisture. Flight campaigns occurred at least twice per year from 2012 to 2015 across 10 study sites in North America, with data produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Retrieving root-zone soil moisture using calibrated polarimetric radar backscatter coefficients (sigma-0).
• Investigating seasonal and inter-annual variability in soil moisture across North American study sites.
• Analyzing relationships between subsurface soil moisture and continental-scale carbon fluxes.
• Developing or validating algorithms for P-band synthetic aperture radar data processing.

Strengths

• Data is polarimetrically calibrated and georeferenced, providing a foundation for quantitative analysis.
• Covers a multi-year time series with at least biannual flights from 2012 to 2015, enabling temporal trend analysis.
• Collected across 10 distinct study sites in North America, offering spatial diversity for continental-scale studies.
• Uses a specialized P-band (420-440 MHz) radar designed for penetrating vegetation to sense subsurface soil moisture.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2026-03 13 and another 2015-05-31.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on one platform and null on another.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Acquired via the AirMOSS P-band synthetic aperture radar instrument flown on a NASA Gulfstream-III aircraft.

Time Range

2012 to 2015

Freshness

2026-03-13 18:52:37.727204

Geography

Tonzi Ranch, California, and 9 other study sites across North America.