Flagging the Topographic Impact on the SMOS Signal

Soil moisture retrieval models from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, which is an L-band microwave interferometer, are based on multiangular measurements and make use of the emissivity angular signature. Mountainous areas modify local incidence angles, implying significant impacts on brightness temperatures and, consequently, on soil moisture retrievals. The purpose of this paper is to establish a criterion in quantifying the relevance of topographic impacts at the SMOS scale ( ~ 40 km). The goal is thus to define a method of flagging the pixels according to the relative impact of topography on the brightness temperature. The proposed method uses the variogram of digital elevation model images. As a result, a map of the pixels to be flagged is produced to ensure that no soil moisture retrievals are carried out on pixels that are affected by strong topographic effects. As validation, a model was also used to simulate differences between brightness temperature variations between mountainous areas and flat surfaces.