Xiao et al. (2026) Global comparison of different effective scattering albedo and soil roughness parameterization schemes for SMAP soil moisture and L-VOD retrieval

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing of Environment
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-28
• Authors: Yao Xiao, Xiaojun Li, Lei Fan, Andreas Colliander, Ardeshir Mohammad Ebtehaj, Jian Peng, Frédéric Frappart, L. Karthikeyan, Wei Zhao, Gabriëlle J. M. De Lannoy, Patricia de Rosnay, Zanpin Xing, Mengjia Wang, Xiangzhuo Liu, Pariha Helili, Preethi Konkathi, Jean‐Pierre Wigneron
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2026.115590

Research Groups

• Laboratoire de l'Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS)
• Bordeaux Sciences et Technologies (BST) - Institute of Research for Development (IRD)

Short Summary

This study evaluates the performance of soil moisture and L-band vegetation optical depth retrievals using different effective scattering albedo and soil roughness parameterizations, aiming to optimize retrieval algorithms for future microwave remote sensing missions.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of effective scattering albedo and soil roughness on soil moisture and L-band vegetation optical depth retrievals

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global scale with a focus on tropical regions
• Temporal Scale: Long-term (2015-2020) with seasonal variations considered

Methodology and Data

• Models used: τ-ω radiative transfer model, SMAP-INRAE-BORDEAUX algorithm
• Data sources: Satellite data from SMAP and SMOS missions, in situ observations

Main Results

• Soil moisture retrievals using ω from the SMAP single channel algorithm achieved the best performance with a correlation of 23.44% and unbiased root mean square error of 50.42%
• L-VOD retrievals with new ω and H R parameters correlated better with NDVI and CWC than other configurations

Contributions

• This study provides valuable guidance for optimizing SM and L-VOD retrieval algorithms, supporting the development of future microwave remote sensing missions
• The empirical performance comparison highlights the importance of effective scattering albedo and soil roughness parameterizations in retrieval accuracy

Funding

• This research was funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) through the project "SMAP-IB" (ANR-15-IDEX-0003)
• Additional support was provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) through the project "MICROSCOPE" (4000103100/18/NL/MOS)

Citation

@article{Xiao2026Global,
  author = {Xiao, Yao and Li, Xiaojun and Fan, Lei and Colliander, Andreas and Ebtehaj, Ardeshir Mohammad and Peng, Jian and Frappart, Frédéric and Karthikeyan, L. and Zhao, Wei and Lannoy, Gabriëlle J. M. De and Rosnay, Patricia de and Xing, Zanpin and Wang, Mengjia and Liu, Xiangzhuo and Helili, Pariha and Konkathi, Preethi and Wigneron, Jean‐Pierre},
  title = {Global comparison of different effective scattering albedo and soil roughness parameterization schemes for SMAP soil moisture and L-VOD retrieval},
  journal = {Remote Sensing of Environment},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.rse.2026.115590},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115590}
}