First application of Russian Meteor-M2 satellite for remote sensing of moisture and temperature of the tundra soil

Abstract

This paper presents the results of remote sensing of temperature and moisture of thawed tundra soil on two test sites of the Taimyr Peninsula using polarimetric observations of the brightness temperature at a frequency of 10.7 GHz by the MTVZA-GY radiometer of the Meteor-M2 satellite. The footprints of the MTVZA-GY radiometer were chosen in the areas of Norilsk and Khatanga cities on the Taimyr Peninsula. The study covers the period from January 1 to December 31, 2015. The retrieving method of soil temperature and soil moisture is based on solving an inverse problem by minimizing the norm between observed and calculated values of the brightness temperature. The calculation of the brightness temperature was carried out using a semi-empirical model of microwave emission, the parameters of which were previously calibrated on the test areas of Norilsk and Khatanga cities, as well as using permittivity model of tundra soil with a high content of organic matter. The permittivity model of tundra soil was created in laboratory conditions using methods of dielectric spectroscopy and soil samples, which were taken at a test area close to Norilsk city. The root-mean-square error between the retrieved and measured values of soil temperature (soil moisture) were no more than 6.5 °C (0.06 cm3/cm3). The obtained results indicates the prospect of using polarimetric observations of the brightness temperature at a frequency of 10.7 GHz by the MTVZA-GY radiometer on Russian Meteor-M2 satellite to measure the surface temperature and moisture of the Arctic tundra soil.