Articles | Volume 25, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5029-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5029-2021
Research article
 | 
17 Sep 2021
Research article |  | 17 Sep 2021

Information-based uncertainty decomposition in dual-channel microwave remote sensing of soil moisture

Bonan Li and Stephen P. Good

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscience Communication (GC).
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Cited articles

Al-Yaari, A., Wigneron, J.-P., Kerr, Y., Rodriguez-Fernandez, N., O'Neill, P. E., Jackson, T. J., De Lannoy, G. J. M., Al Bitar, A., Mialon, A., Richaume, P., Walker, J. P., Mahmoodi, A., and Yueh, S.: Evaluating soil moisture retrievals from ESA's SMOS and NASA's SMAP brightness temperature datasets, Remote Sens. Environ., 193, 257–273, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.03.010, 2017. 
Babaeian, E., Sadeghi, M., Jones, S. B., Montzka, C., Vereecken, H., and Tuller, M.: Ground, Proximal, and Satellite Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture, Rev. Geophys., 57, 530–616, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000618, 2019. 
Bassiouni, M., Good, S. P., Still, C. J., and Higgins, C. W.: Plant Water Uptake Thresholds Inferred From Satellite Soil Moisture, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL087077, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087077, 2020. 
Bell, J. E., Palecki, M. A., Baker, C. B., Collins, W. G., Lawrimore, J. H., Leeper, R. D., Hall, M. E., Kochendorfer, J., Meyers, T. P., Wilson, T., and Diamond, H. J.: U.S. Climate Reference Network Soil Moisture and Temperature Observations, J. Hydrometeorol., 14, 977–988, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-12-0146.1, 2013. 
Bell, J. E., Leeper, R. D., Palecki, M. A., Coopersmith, E., Wilson, T., Bilotta, R., and Embler, S.: Evaluation of the 2012 Drought with a Newly Established National Soil Monitoring Network, Vadose Zone J., 14, vzj2015.02.0023, https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2015.02.0023, 2015. 
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We found that satellite retrieved soil moisture has large uncertainty, with uncertainty caused by the algorithm being closely related to the satellite soil moisture quality. The information provided by the two main inputs is mainly redundant. Such redundant components and synergy components provided by two main inputs to the satellite soil moisture are related to how the satellite algorithm performs. The satellite remote sensing algorithms may be improved by performing such analysis.
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