SMAPVEX19-22: UAVSAR Radar Mosaics for Soil Moisture Validation

Between April and July 2022, daily mosaicked Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) images were collected near Millbrook, New York. The data set consists of terrain-flattened gamma-corrected images at three polarization configurations. It was created by NSIDC_CPRD for the SMAPVEX19-22 field campaign to validate satellite-derived soil moisture estimates in forested areas.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite soil moisture products based on UAVSAR radar backscatter data.
• Analyze radar polarization responses based on the three different polarization configurations.
• Study forested land cover characteristics based on the terrain-flattened gamma imagery.
• Model soil moisture dynamics in forested areas based on the time-series of daily composites.

Strengths

• Data was composited daily, suggesting a consistent time-series for analysis.
• Images are corrected for terrain-flattened gamma, which may improve comparability.
• Focus on a specific land cover type (forested areas) for a targeted validation experiment.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2022-07-25 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

NSIDC_CPRD via nasa_earthdata

Collection Method

Collected via UAVSAR during the SMAPVEX19-22 field campaign.

Time Range

April to July 2022

Freshness

Last updated 2022-07-25 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Vicinity of Millbrook, New York, USA