Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data
The sensitivity of Earth’s wetlands to observed shifts in global precipitation and temperature patterns and their ability to produce large quantities of methane gas are key global change questions. We present a microwave satellite-based approach for mapping fractional surface water (FW) globally at...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2015-12-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/7/12/15843 |
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| author | Ronny Schroeder Kyle C. McDonald Bruce D. Chapman Katherine Jensen Erika Podest Zachary D. Tessler Theodore J. Bohn Reiner Zimmermann |
| author_facet | Ronny Schroeder Kyle C. McDonald Bruce D. Chapman Katherine Jensen Erika Podest Zachary D. Tessler Theodore J. Bohn Reiner Zimmermann |
| author_sort | Ronny Schroeder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The sensitivity of Earth’s wetlands to observed shifts in global precipitation and temperature patterns and their ability to produce large quantities of methane gas are key global change questions. We present a microwave satellite-based approach for mapping fractional surface water (FW) globally at 25-km resolution. The approach employs a land cover-supported, atmospherically-corrected dynamic mixture model applied to 20+ years (1992–2013) of combined, daily, passive/active microwave remote sensing data. The resulting product, known as Surface WAter Microwave Product Series (SWAMPS), shows strong microwave sensitivity to sub-grid scale open water and inundated wetlands comprising open plant canopies. SWAMPS’ FW compares favorably (R2 = 91%–94%) with higher-resolution, global-scale maps of open water from MODIS and SRTM-MOD44W. Correspondence of SWAMPS with open water and wetland products from satellite SAR in Alaska and the Amazon deteriorates when exposed wetlands or inundated forests captured by the SAR products were added to the open water fraction reflecting SWAMPS’ inability to detect water underneath the soil surface or beneath closed forest canopies. Except for a brief period of drying during the first 4 years of observation, the inundation extent for the global domain excluding the coast was largely stable. Regionally, inundation in North America is advancing while inundation is on the retreat in Tropical Africa and North Eurasia. SWAMPS provides a consistent and long-term global record of daily FW dynamics, with documented accuracies suitable for hydrologic assessment and global change-related investigations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:49:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b18b035ee0684b9899d006616c98a12e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:49:13Z |
| publishDate | 2015-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-b18b035ee0684b9899d006616c98a12e2022-12-21T19:25:36ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922015-12-01712166881673210.3390/rs71215843rs71215843Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing DataRonny Schroeder0Kyle C. McDonald1Bruce D. Chapman2Katherine Jensen3Erika Podest4Zachary D. Tessler5Theodore J. Bohn6Reiner Zimmermann7Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, CUNY Environmental CrossRoads Initiative and NOAA-CREST Institute, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USADepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, CUNY Environmental CrossRoads Initiative and NOAA-CREST Institute, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USADepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, CUNY Environmental CrossRoads Initiative and NOAA-CREST Institute, The City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USACUNY Advanced Science Research Center, Environmental CrossRoads Initiative, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USASchool of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USAInstitute of Botany, University of Hohenheim, 70593 Stuttgart, GermanyThe sensitivity of Earth’s wetlands to observed shifts in global precipitation and temperature patterns and their ability to produce large quantities of methane gas are key global change questions. We present a microwave satellite-based approach for mapping fractional surface water (FW) globally at 25-km resolution. The approach employs a land cover-supported, atmospherically-corrected dynamic mixture model applied to 20+ years (1992–2013) of combined, daily, passive/active microwave remote sensing data. The resulting product, known as Surface WAter Microwave Product Series (SWAMPS), shows strong microwave sensitivity to sub-grid scale open water and inundated wetlands comprising open plant canopies. SWAMPS’ FW compares favorably (R2 = 91%–94%) with higher-resolution, global-scale maps of open water from MODIS and SRTM-MOD44W. Correspondence of SWAMPS with open water and wetland products from satellite SAR in Alaska and the Amazon deteriorates when exposed wetlands or inundated forests captured by the SAR products were added to the open water fraction reflecting SWAMPS’ inability to detect water underneath the soil surface or beneath closed forest canopies. Except for a brief period of drying during the first 4 years of observation, the inundation extent for the global domain excluding the coast was largely stable. Regionally, inundation in North America is advancing while inundation is on the retreat in Tropical Africa and North Eurasia. SWAMPS provides a consistent and long-term global record of daily FW dynamics, with documented accuracies suitable for hydrologic assessment and global change-related investigations.http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/7/12/15843SWAMPSwetlandsinundationmicrowavebackscatterGIEMS |
| spellingShingle | Ronny Schroeder Kyle C. McDonald Bruce D. Chapman Katherine Jensen Erika Podest Zachary D. Tessler Theodore J. Bohn Reiner Zimmermann Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data Remote Sensing SWAMPS wetlands inundation microwave backscatter GIEMS |
| title | Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data |
| title_full | Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data |
| title_fullStr | Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data |
| title_short | Development and Evaluation of a Multi-Year Fractional Surface Water Data Set Derived from Active/Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data |
| title_sort | development and evaluation of a multi year fractional surface water data set derived from active passive microwave remote sensing data |
| topic | SWAMPS wetlands inundation microwave backscatter GIEMS |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/7/12/15843 |
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