What does the Microwave Geophysics Group do?

Significant uncertainties in near-term climate and weather prediction are caused by errors in the modeled energy and moisture fluxes between the land and the atmosphere. These fluxes are highly dependent upon the moisture in the soil, snow, and vegetation that is available to the atmosphere through evaporation or 
transpiration. Microwave radiometry is sensitive to the quantity and distribution of water on the surface of the Earth. We are developing Land Surface Process / Radiobrightness (LSP/R) models which link the surface fluxes of energy and moisture to soil moisture and to the microwave brightness observed by ground-based radiometers - and ultimately by satellite instruments.

 

Since 1992, we have also conducted a series of field experiments called Radiobrightness Energy Balance Experiments (REBEXs) in Michigan, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Alaska. These experiments were conducted using our Tower-Mounted Radiometer System (TMRS1 and TMRS2) and our new 
Truck-Mounted Radiometer System (TMRS) and independent Micro-Meteorological Station (MMS), all designed and assembled by members of our group. The goal of future field experiments will be to extend our knowledge of ground-based radiometry in acquiring soil moisture and land surface process data to future satellite-based radiometry, particularly in the arctic.

 
Our group also works on the development of microwave remote sensing technology. EASE-Grid software is a standard reference system for direct digital comparison and interuse of remote sensing data sets on varying spatial and temporal scales. The first L-band Direct-Sampling Digital Radiometer represents a new generation of low-power, lightweight, and cost-effective satellite radiometers. STAR-Light, an airborne L-band radiometer for use in the arctic, is scheduled to fly in 2003.