Articles | Volume 27, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-39-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-39-2023
Research article
 | 
02 Jan 2023
Research article |  | 02 Jan 2023

Estimating leaf moisture content at global scale from passive microwave satellite observations of vegetation optical depth

Matthias Forkel, Luisa Schmidt, Ruxandra-Maria Zotta, Wouter Dorigo, and Marta Yebra

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Cited articles

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Short summary
The live fuel moisture content (LFMC) of vegetation canopies is a driver of wildfires. We investigate the relation between LFMC and passive microwave satellite observations of vegetation optical depth (VOD) and develop a method to estimate LFMC from VOD globally. Our global VOD-based estimates of LFMC can be used to investigate drought effects on vegetation and fire risks.