SMEX03 Airborne L-Band Brightness Temperatures from 2D-STAR Radiometer

Dual-polarized L-band brightness temperatures were measured by the Two-Dimensional Synthetic Aperture Radiometer (2D-STAR) instrument flown over Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma during the Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 (SMEX03). The dataset was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Data collection occurred in 2003, with metadata last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating soil moisture retrieval models using L-band brightness temperature measurements.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of microwave emissions over different land cover types in the southeastern United States.
• Studying the relationship between dual-polarized (H and V) brightness temperatures and surface geophysical properties.
• Supporting the development and testing of synthetic aperture radiometer technology for future Earth observation missions.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled NASA field experiment (SMEX03) designed for soil moisture studies.
• Provides dual-polarized (horizontal and vertical) L-band measurements, a key frequency for soil moisture sensing.
• Covers three distinct regions (Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma) allowing for comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Documentation was provided solely by Principal Investigators and not reviewed by NSIDC, limiting support.
• Critical metadata such as row count, column names, and file size are unavailable from all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2003-07-02 vs. 2026-03-12), indicating potential metadata inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Airborne measurements collected by the Two-Dimensional Synthetic Aperture Radiometer (2D-STAR) instrument.

Time Range

2003

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:18:34.719147

Geography

Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma, USA