Calibration of Roughness Parameters Using Rainfall–Runoff Water Balance for Satellite Soil Moisture Retrieval

Abstract

Soil moisture is an important component in hydrologic and meteorologic processes. Remote sensing devices, such as satellite radiometers, are useful tools to obtain soil moisture information over a large region. However, effective “ground truth” calibration data for satellite sensors are lacking. This paper presents a new approach on the basis of rainfall and river runoff hydrologic data to estimate satellite-based soil moisture. The catchment water storage change from the rainfall and river runoff has a strong link with the soil moisture information and the parameterization of the surface roughness parameters