A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based Data

Satellite retrieval and land surface models have become the mainstream methods for monitoring soil moisture (SM) over large regions; however, the uncertainty and coarse spatial resolution of these products limit their applications at the regional and local scales. We proposed a hybrid approach combi...

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Main Authors: Wenting Ming, Xuan Ji, Mingda Zhang, Yungang Li, Chang Liu, Yinfei Wang, Jiqiu Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-04-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/7/1744
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author Wenting Ming
Xuan Ji
Mingda Zhang
Yungang Li
Chang Liu
Yinfei Wang
Jiqiu Li
author_facet Wenting Ming
Xuan Ji
Mingda Zhang
Yungang Li
Chang Liu
Yinfei Wang
Jiqiu Li
author_sort Wenting Ming
collection DOAJ
description Satellite retrieval and land surface models have become the mainstream methods for monitoring soil moisture (SM) over large regions; however, the uncertainty and coarse spatial resolution of these products limit their applications at the regional and local scales. We proposed a hybrid approach combining the triple collocation (TC) and the long short-term memory (LSTM) network, which was designed to generate a high-quality SM dataset from satellite and modeled data. We applied the proposed approach to merge SM data from Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Global Land Data Assimilation System-Noah (GLDAS-Noah), and the land component of the fifth generation of European Reanalysis (ERA5-Land), and we then downscaled the merged SM data from 0.36° to 0.01° resolution based on the relationship between the SM data and auxiliary environmental variables (elevation, land surface temperature, vegetation index, surface albedo, and soil texture). The merged and downscaled SM results were validated against in situ observations. The results showed that: (1) the TC-based validation results were consistent with the in situ-based validation, indicating that the TC method was reasonable for the comparison and evaluation of satellite and modeled SM data. (2) TC-based merging was superior to simple arithmetic average merging when the parent products had large differences. (3) Downscaled SM of the TC-based merged product had better performance than that of the parent products in terms of ubRMSE and bias values, implying that the fusion of satellite and model-based SM data would result in better downscaling accuracy. (4) Downscaled SM of TC-based merged data not only improved the representation of the SM spatial variability but also had satisfactory accuracy with a median of R (0.7244), ubRMSE (0.0459 m<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>3</sup>), and bias (−0.0126 m<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>3</sup>). The proposed approach was effective for generating a SM dataset with fine resolution and reliable accuracy for wide hydrometeorological applications.
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spelling doaj.art-1685fae2eb25482e848d20e90cd887112023-11-30T23:58:23ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-04-01147174410.3390/rs14071744A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based DataWenting Ming0Xuan Ji1Mingda Zhang2Yungang Li3Chang Liu4Yinfei Wang5Jiqiu Li6Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, ChinaYunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, ChinaYunnan Climate Center, Yunnan Meteorological Bureau, Kunming 650034, ChinaYunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, ChinaInstitute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, ChinaInstitute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, ChinaInstitute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, ChinaSatellite retrieval and land surface models have become the mainstream methods for monitoring soil moisture (SM) over large regions; however, the uncertainty and coarse spatial resolution of these products limit their applications at the regional and local scales. We proposed a hybrid approach combining the triple collocation (TC) and the long short-term memory (LSTM) network, which was designed to generate a high-quality SM dataset from satellite and modeled data. We applied the proposed approach to merge SM data from Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Global Land Data Assimilation System-Noah (GLDAS-Noah), and the land component of the fifth generation of European Reanalysis (ERA5-Land), and we then downscaled the merged SM data from 0.36° to 0.01° resolution based on the relationship between the SM data and auxiliary environmental variables (elevation, land surface temperature, vegetation index, surface albedo, and soil texture). The merged and downscaled SM results were validated against in situ observations. The results showed that: (1) the TC-based validation results were consistent with the in situ-based validation, indicating that the TC method was reasonable for the comparison and evaluation of satellite and modeled SM data. (2) TC-based merging was superior to simple arithmetic average merging when the parent products had large differences. (3) Downscaled SM of the TC-based merged product had better performance than that of the parent products in terms of ubRMSE and bias values, implying that the fusion of satellite and model-based SM data would result in better downscaling accuracy. (4) Downscaled SM of TC-based merged data not only improved the representation of the SM spatial variability but also had satisfactory accuracy with a median of R (0.7244), ubRMSE (0.0459 m<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>3</sup>), and bias (−0.0126 m<sup>3</sup>/m<sup>3</sup>). The proposed approach was effective for generating a SM dataset with fine resolution and reliable accuracy for wide hydrometeorological applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/7/1744soil moisturemergingspatial downscalingtriple collocationlong short-term memory
spellingShingle Wenting Ming
Xuan Ji
Mingda Zhang
Yungang Li
Chang Liu
Yinfei Wang
Jiqiu Li
A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based Data
Remote Sensing
soil moisture
merging
spatial downscaling
triple collocation
long short-term memory
title A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based Data
title_full A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based Data
title_fullStr A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based Data
title_full_unstemmed A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based Data
title_short A Hybrid Triple Collocation-Deep Learning Approach for Improving Soil Moisture Estimation from Satellite and Model-Based Data
title_sort hybrid triple collocation deep learning approach for improving soil moisture estimation from satellite and model based data
topic soil moisture
merging
spatial downscaling
triple collocation
long short-term memory
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/7/1744
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