Identification of clay pans from AMSR-E passive microwave observations |
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| Authors: | Mariette Vreugdenhil Richard AM de Jeu Jeffrey P Walker |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Centre for Water Resource Systems , Vienna University of Technology, Karlsplatz 13/222 , A-1040 , Vienna , Austria;2. Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , 1081 HV , Amsterdam , The Netherlands mav@ipf.tuwien.ac.at;4. Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , 1081 HV , Amsterdam , The Netherlands;5. Department of Civil Engineering , Monash University , Clayton , VIC , 3800 , Australia |
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| Abstract: | A new methodology to derive the spatial distribution of clay pans from satellite microwave data is presented. Soil moisture has a different temporal signature in clay pans compared with other soils, which is directly reflected in the satellite-observed brightness temperatures. Three years of Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) 6.9 GHz microwave observations were compiled and analysed over continental Australia to identify clay pans. This led to the development of a brightness temperature variance index (BTVI), which shows a strong spatial correspondence to an existing soil texture map and the ability to map clay pans for semi-arid regions. This simple method emphasizes the potential use of passive microwave remote sensing for soil type mapping. |
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