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Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center
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Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2020) | Viewed by 54775

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Justino Martínez

Website
Guest Editor
BEC & Institute of Marine Science/CSIC, Pg. Maritim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Veronica Gonzalez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BEC & Institute of Marine Science/CSIC, Pg. Maritim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Carolina Gabarro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BEC & Institute of Marine Science/CSIC, Pg. Maritim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Estrella Olmedo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
BEC & Institute of Marine Science/CSIC, Pg. Maritim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Barcelona Expert Centre (BEC) (http://bec.icm.csic.es) is a joint initiative between the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). It was created in 2007 to provide support to the Spanish SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) mission activities. Nowadays, BEC activities cover a wide variety of topics:  

  • Improvements on calibration, image reconstruction and stability of radiometric data
  • Synergy of observations from different sensors and data sources
  • Retrieval of geophysical variables: forward modeling and non-linear inversion
  • Validation and quality control
  • Assimilation into atmospheric and ocean models
  • Generation of added-value products at Levels 3 and 4

This Special Issue is mainly dedicated to publishing papers on new scientific results covering topics, such as:

  • Microwave radiometry, scatterometry, SAR, GNSS-R
  • Sensor calibration
  • Image reconstruction
  • Ocean Remote Sensing: salinity, winds, sea ice, currents, temperature, etc.
  • Soil Moisture
  • Retrieval algorithms

Dr. Justino Martínez
Dr. Veronica Gonzalez
Dr. Carolina Gabarro
Dr. Estrella Olmedo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Radiometry
  • Scatterometry
  • SAR
  • GNSS-R
  • Sensor calibration
  • Image reconstruction
  • Ocean Remote Sensing
  • Soil Moisture
  • Cryosphere
  • Retrieval algorithms

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 183 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial for the Special Issue: “Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center”
by Justino Martínez, Verónica González-Gambau, Carolina Gabarró and Estrella Olmedo
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(15), 2425; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12152425 - 29 Jul 2020
Viewed by 1553
Abstract
This book celebrates the ten year anniversary of the Barcelona Expert Center by presenting recent contributions related to the topics on which the team has been working during those years. The Barcelona Expert Center’s expertise covers a wide variety of remote sensing fields, [...] Read more.
This book celebrates the ten year anniversary of the Barcelona Expert Center by presenting recent contributions related to the topics on which the team has been working during those years. The Barcelona Expert Center’s expertise covers a wide variety of remote sensing fields, but the main focus of the research is on the SMOS data processing and its ocean, land, and ice applications. This book contains 14 scientific papers addressing topics that go from the description of the new data processing algorithms that are implemented in the last version of the operational SMOS level 1 processor to scientific applications derived from SMOS: results on the sea-surface salinity assimilation in coastal models, synergies of the sea-surface salinity with temperature and chlorophyll and their impact on the better retrieval of ocean surface currents, quality assessment of SMOS-derived sea ice thickness, sea-surface salinity, and soil moisture products, among others. Moreover, one of the papers verifies the potential of the future Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) mission within the CMEMS sea-surface salinity (SSS) operational production after the SMOS era. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Other

24 pages, 16511 KiB  
Article
SMOS Third Mission Reprocessing after 10 Years in Orbit
by Roger Oliva, Manuel Martín-Neira, Ignasi Corbella, Josep Closa, Albert Zurita, François Cabot, Ali Khazaal, Philippe Richaume, Juha Kainulainen, Jose Barbosa, Gonçalo Lopes, Joseph Tenerelli, Raul Díez-García, Veronica González-Gambau and Raffaele Crapolicchio
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(10), 1645; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12101645 - 20 May 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2676
Abstract
After more than 10 years in orbit, the SMOS team has started a new reprocessing campaign for the SMOS measurements, which includes the changes in calibration and image reconstruction that have been made to the Level 1 Operational Processor (L1OP) during the past [...] Read more.
After more than 10 years in orbit, the SMOS team has started a new reprocessing campaign for the SMOS measurements, which includes the changes in calibration and image reconstruction that have been made to the Level 1 Operational Processor (L1OP) during the past few years. The current L1 processor, version v620, was used for the second mission reprocessing in 2014. The new version, v724, is the one run in the third mission reprocessing and will become the new operational processor. The present paper explains the major changes applied and analyses the quality of the data with different metrics. The results have been obtained with numerous individual tests that have confirmed the benefits of the evolutions and an end-to-end processing campaign involving three years of data used to assess the improvements of the SMOS measurements quantitatively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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18 pages, 6805 KiB  
Article
Deriving VTEC Maps from SMOS Radiometric Data
by Roselena Rubino, Nuria Duffo, Verónica González-Gambau, Ignasi Corbella, Francesc Torres, Israel Durán and Manuel Martín-Neira
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(10), 1604; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12101604 - 18 May 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2212
Abstract
In this work, a new methodology is proposed in order to derive vertical total electron content (VTEC) maps from the radiometric measurements of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission as an alternative approach to those based on external databases and models. [...] Read more.
In this work, a new methodology is proposed in order to derive vertical total electron content (VTEC) maps from the radiometric measurements of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission as an alternative approach to those based on external databases and models. This approach uses spatiotemporal filtering techniques with optimized filters to be robust against the thermal noise and image reconstruction artifacts present in SMOS images. It is also possible to retrieve the Faraday rotation angle from the recovered VTEC maps in order to correct the effect that it causes in the SMOS brightness temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

18 pages, 3589 KiB  
Article
Real-time Reconstruction of Surface Velocities from Satellite Observations in the Alboran Sea
by Jordi Isern-Fontanet, Emilio García-Ladona, José Antonio Jiménez-Madrid, Estrella Olmedo, Marcos García-Sotillo, Alejandro Orfila and Antonio Turiel
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(4), 724; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12040724 - 22 Feb 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3132
Abstract
Surface currents in the Alboran Sea are characterized by a very fast evolution that is not well captured by altimetric maps due to sampling limitations. On the contrary, satellite infrared measurements provide high resolution synoptic images of the ocean at high temporal rate, [...] Read more.
Surface currents in the Alboran Sea are characterized by a very fast evolution that is not well captured by altimetric maps due to sampling limitations. On the contrary, satellite infrared measurements provide high resolution synoptic images of the ocean at high temporal rate, allowing to capture the evolution of the flow. The capability of Surface Quasi-Geostrophic (SQG) dynamics to retrieve surface currents from thermal images was evaluated by comparing resulting velocities with in situ observations provided by surface drifters. A difficulty encountered comes from the lack of information about ocean salinity. We propose to exploit the strong relationship between salinity and temperature to identify water masses with distinctive salinity in satellite images and use this information to correct buoyancy. Once corrected, our results show that the SQG approach can retrieve ocean currents slightly better to that of near-real-time currents derived from altimetry in general, but much better in areas badly sampled by altimeters such as the area to the east of the Strait of Gibraltar. Although this area is far from the geostrophic equilibrium, the results show that the good sampling of infrared radiometers allows at least retrieving the direction of ocean currents in this area. The proposed approach can be used in other areas of the ocean for which water masses with distinctive salinity can be identified from satellite observations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

18 pages, 4675 KiB  
Article
Assessment with Controlled In-Situ Data of the Dependence of L-Band Radiometry on Sea-Ice Thickness
by Pablo Sánchez-Gámez, Carolina Gabarro, Antonio Turiel and Marcos Portabella
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(4), 650; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12040650 - 15 Feb 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2464
Abstract
The European Space Agency (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) missions are providing brightness temperature measurements at 1.4 GHz (L-band) for about 10 and 4 years respectively. One of [...] Read more.
The European Space Agency (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) missions are providing brightness temperature measurements at 1.4 GHz (L-band) for about 10 and 4 years respectively. One of the new areas of geophysical exploitation of L-band radiometry is on thin (i.e., less than 1 m) Sea Ice Thickness (SIT), for which theoretical and empirical retrieval methods have been proposed. However, a comprehensive validation of SIT products has been hindered by the lack of suitable ground truth. The in-situ SIT datasets most commonly used for validation are affected by one important limitation: They are available mainly during late winter and spring months, when sea ice is fully developed and the thickness probability density function is wider than for autumn ice and less representative at the satellite spatial resolution. Using Upward Looking Sonar (ULS) data from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), acquired all year round, permits overcoming the mentioned limitation, thus improving the characterization of the L-band brightness temperature response to changes in thin SIT. State-of-the-art satellite SIT products and the Cumulative Freezing Degree Days (CFDD) model are verified against the ULS ground truth. The results show that the L-band SIT can be meaningfully retrieved up to 0.6 m, although the signal starts to saturate at 0.3 m. In contrast, despite the simplicity of the CFDD model, its predicted SIT values correlate very well with the ULS in-situ data during the sea ice growth season. The comparison between the CFDD SIT and the current L-band SIT products shows that both the sea ice concentration and the season are fundamental factors influencing the quality of the thickness retrieval from L-band satellites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 5947 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Multi-Scale SMOS and SMAP Soil Moisture Products across the Iberian Peninsula
by Gerard Portal, Thomas Jagdhuber, Mercè Vall-llossera, Adriano Camps, Miriam Pablos, Dara Entekhabi and Maria Piles
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(3), 570; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12030570 - 08 Feb 2020
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4905
Abstract
In the last decade, technological advances led to the launch of two satellite missions dedicated to measure the Earth’s surface soil moisture (SSM): the ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) launched in 2009, and the NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) launched [...] Read more.
In the last decade, technological advances led to the launch of two satellite missions dedicated to measure the Earth’s surface soil moisture (SSM): the ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) launched in 2009, and the NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) launched in 2015. The two satellites have an L-band microwave radiometer on-board to measure the Earth’s surface emission. These measurements (brightness temperatures TB) are then used to generate global maps of SSM every three days with a spatial resolution of about 30–40 km and a target accuracy of 0.04 m3/m3. To meet local applications needs, different approaches have been proposed to spatially disaggregate SMOS and SMAP TB or their SSM products. They rely on synergies between multi-sensor observations and are built upon different physical assumptions. In this study, temporal and spatial characteristics of six operational SSM products derived from SMOS and SMAP are assessed in order to diagnose their distinct features, and the rationale behind them. The study is focused on the Iberian Peninsula and covers the period from April 2015 to December 2017. A temporal inter-comparison analysis is carried out using in situ SSM data from the Soil Moisture Measurements Station Network of the University of Salamanca (REMEDHUS) to evaluate the impact of the spatial scale of the different products (1, 3, 9, 25, and 36 km), and their correspondence in terms of temporal dynamics. A spatial analysis is conducted for the whole Iberian Peninsula with emphasis on the added-value that the enhanced resolution products provide based on the microwave-optical (SMOS/ERA5/MODIS) or the active–passive microwave (SMAP/Sentinel-1) sensor fusion. Our results show overall agreement among time series of the products regardless their spatial scale when compared to in situ measurements. Still, higher spatial resolutions would be needed to capture local features such as small irrigated areas that are not dominant at the 1-km pixel scale. The degree to which spatial features are resolved by the enhanced resolution products depend on the multi-sensor synergies employed (at TB or soil moisture level), and on the nature of the fine-scale information used. The largest disparities between these products occur in forested areas, which may be related to the reduced sensitivity of high-resolution active microwave and optical data to soil properties under dense vegetation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

20 pages, 3355 KiB  
Article
Assimilation of Satellite Salinity for Modelling the Congo River Plume
by Luke Phillipson and Ralf Toumi
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(1), 11; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12010011 - 18 Dec 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3281
Abstract
Satellite salinity data from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was recently enhanced, increasing the spatial extent near the coast that eluded earlier versions. In a pilot attempt we assimilate this data into a coastal ocean model (ROMS) using variational assimilation [...] Read more.
Satellite salinity data from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was recently enhanced, increasing the spatial extent near the coast that eluded earlier versions. In a pilot attempt we assimilate this data into a coastal ocean model (ROMS) using variational assimilation and, for the first time, investigate the impact on the simulation of a major river plume (the Congo River). Four experiments were undertaken consisting of a control (without data assimilation) and the assimilation of either sea surface height (SSH), SMOS and the combination of both, SMOS SSH. Several metrics specific to the plume were utilised, including the area of the plume, distance to the centre of mass, orientation and average salinity. The assimilation of SMOS and combined SMOS SSH consistently produced the best results in the plume analysis. Argo float salinity profiles provided independent verification of the forecast. The SMOS or SMOS SSH forecast produced the closest agreement for Argo profiles over the whole domain (outside and inside the plume) for three of four months analysed, improving over the control and a persistence baseline. The number of samples of Argo floats determined to be inside the plume were limited. Nevertheless, for the limited plume-detected floats the largest improvements were found for the SMOS or SMOS SSH forecast for two of the four months. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

14 pages, 2543 KiB  
Article
Quantifying Tidal Fluctuations in Remote Sensing Infrared SST Observations
by Cristina González-Haro, Aurélien Ponte and Emmanuelle Autret
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(19), 2313; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11192313 - 04 Oct 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3057
Abstract
The expected amplitude of fixed-point sea surface temperature (SST) fluctuations induced by barotropic and baroclinic tidal flows is estimated from tidal current atlases and SST observations. The fluctuations considered are the result of the advection of pre-existing SST fronts by tidal currents. They [...] Read more.
The expected amplitude of fixed-point sea surface temperature (SST) fluctuations induced by barotropic and baroclinic tidal flows is estimated from tidal current atlases and SST observations. The fluctuations considered are the result of the advection of pre-existing SST fronts by tidal currents. They are thus confined to front locations and exhibit fine-scale spatial structures. The amplitude of these tidally induced SST fluctuations is proportional to the scalar product of SST frontal gradients and tidal currents. Regional and global estimations of these expected amplitudes are presented. We predict barotropic tidal motions produce SST fluctuations that may reach amplitudes of 0.3 K. Baroclinic (internal) tides produce SST fluctuations that may reach values that are weaker than 0.1 K. The amplitudes and the detectability of tidally induced fluctuations of SST are discussed in the light of expected SST fluctuations due to other geophysical processes and instrumental (pixel) noise. We conclude that actual observations of tidally induced SST fluctuations are a challenge with present-day observing systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

19 pages, 19285 KiB  
Article
Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) Benefits for the Copernicus Level 4 Sea-Surface Salinity Processing Chain
by Daniele Ciani, Rosalia Santoleri, Gian Luigi Liberti, Catherine Prigent, Craig Donlon and Bruno Buongiorno Nardelli
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(15), 1818; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11151818 - 03 Aug 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4271
Abstract
We present a study on the potential of the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) mission for the global monitoring of Sea-Surface Salinity (SSS) using Level-4 (gap-free) analysis processing. Space-based SSS are currently provided by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil [...] Read more.
We present a study on the potential of the Copernicus Imaging Microwave Radiometer (CIMR) mission for the global monitoring of Sea-Surface Salinity (SSS) using Level-4 (gap-free) analysis processing. Space-based SSS are currently provided by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellites. However, there are no planned missions to guarantee continuity in the remote SSS measurements for the near future. The CIMR mission is in a preparatory phase with an expected launch in 2026. CIMR is focused on the provision of global coverage, high resolution sea-surface temperature (SST), SSS and sea-ice concentration observations. In this paper, we evaluate the mission impact within the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) SSS processing chain. The CMEMS SSS operational products are based on a combination of in situ and satellite (SMOS) SSS and high-resolution SST information through a multivariate optimal interpolation. We demonstrate the potential of CIMR within the CMEMS SSS operational production after the SMOS era. For this purpose, we implemented an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) based on the CMEMS MERCATOR global operational model. The MERCATOR SSSs were used to generate synthetic in situ and CIMR SSS and, at the same time, they provided a reference gap-free SSS field. Using the optimal interpolation algorithm, we demonstrated that the combined use of in situ and CIMR observations improves the global SSS retrieval compared to a processing where only in situ observations are ingested. The improvements are observed in the 60% and 70% of the global ocean surface for the reconstruction of the SSS and of the SSS spatial gradients, respectively. Moreover, the study highlights the CIMR-based salinity patterns are more accurate both in the open ocean and in coastal areas. We conclude that CIMR can guarantee continuity for accurate monitoring of the ocean surface salinity from space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

26 pages, 19720 KiB  
Article
In Situ and Satellite Sea Surface Salinity in the Algerian Basin Observed through ABACUS Glider Measurements and BEC SMOS Regional Products
by Giuseppe Aulicino, Yuri Cotroneo, Estrella Olmedo, Cinzia Cesarano, Giannetta Fusco and Giorgio Budillon
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(11), 1361; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11111361 - 06 Jun 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4052
Abstract
The Algerian Basin is a key area for the general circulation in the western Mediterranean Sea. The basin has an intense inflow/outflow regime with complex circulation patterns, involving both fresh Atlantic water and more saline Mediterranean water. Several studies have demonstrated the advantages [...] Read more.
The Algerian Basin is a key area for the general circulation in the western Mediterranean Sea. The basin has an intense inflow/outflow regime with complex circulation patterns, involving both fresh Atlantic water and more saline Mediterranean water. Several studies have demonstrated the advantages of the combined use of autonomous underwater vehicles, such as gliders, with remotely sensed products (e.g., altimetry, MUR SST) to observe meso- and submesoscale structures and their properties. An important contribution could come from a new generation of enhanced satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) products, e.g., those provided by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. In this paper, we assess the advantages of using Barcelona Expert Center (BEC) SMOS SSS products, obtained through a combination of debiased non-Bayesian retrieval, DINEOF (data interpolating empirical orthogonal functions) and multifractal fusion with high resolution sea surface temperature (OSTIA SST) maps. Such an aim was reached by comparing SMOS Level-3 (L3) and Level-4 (L4) SSS products with in situ high resolution glider measurements collected in the framework of the Algerian Basin Circulation Unmanned Survey (ABACUS) observational program conducted in the Algerian Basin during falls 2014–2016. Results show that different levels of confidence between in situ and satellite measurements can be achieved according to the spatial scales of variability. Although SMOS values slightly underestimate in situ observations (mean difference is −0.14 (−0.11)), with a standard deviation of 0.25 (0.26) for L3 (L4) products), at basin scale, the enhanced SMOS products well represent the salinity patterns described by the ABACUS data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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24 pages, 11686 KiB  
Article
A Synergetic Approach for the Space-Based Sea Surface Currents Retrieval in the Mediterranean Sea
by Daniele Ciani, Marie-Hélène Rio, Milena Menna and Rosalia Santoleri
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(11), 1285; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11111285 - 30 May 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4131
Abstract
We present a method for the remote retrieval of the sea surface currents in the Mediterranean Sea. Combining the altimeter-derived currents with sea-surface temperature information, we created daily, gap-free high resolution maps of sea surface currents for the period 2012–2016. The quality of [...] Read more.
We present a method for the remote retrieval of the sea surface currents in the Mediterranean Sea. Combining the altimeter-derived currents with sea-surface temperature information, we created daily, gap-free high resolution maps of sea surface currents for the period 2012–2016. The quality of the new multi-sensor currents has been assessed through comparisons to other surface-currents estimates, as the ones obtained from drifting buoys trajectories (at the basin scale), or HF-Radar platforms and ocean numerical model outputs in the Malta–Sicily Channel. The study yielded that our synergetic approach can improve the present-day derivation of the surface currents in the Mediterranean area up to 30% locally, with better performances for the the meridional component of the motion and in the western section of the basin. The proposed reconstruction method also showed satisfying performances in the retrieval of the ageostrophic circulation in the Sicily Channel. In this area, assuming the High Frequency Radar-derived currents as reference, the merged multi-sensor currents exhibited improvements with respect to the altimeter estimates and numerical model outputs, mainly due to their enhanced spatial and temporal resolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

17 pages, 2475 KiB  
Article
Wide Field of View Microwave Interferometric Radiometer Imaging
by Ignasi Corbella, Francesc Torres, Nuria Duffo, Israel Duran, Veronica Gonzalez-Gambau and Manuel Martin-Neira
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(6), 682; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs11060682 - 21 Mar 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3197
Abstract
In microwave interferometric radiometers with a large field of view, as for example the Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) onboard the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite, one of the major causes of reconstruction error is the contribution to the [...] Read more.
In microwave interferometric radiometers with a large field of view, as for example the Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) onboard the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite, one of the major causes of reconstruction error is the contribution to the visibility of the brightness temperature outside the fundamental period, defined on the basis of reciprocal grids. A mitigation method consisting of estimating this contribution through the application of a brightness temperature model outside the fundamental period is proposed. The main advantage is that it does not require any a posteriori addition of artificial scenes to the reconstructed image. Additionally, a method to avoid the sophisticated matrix regularization and inversion techniques usually applied in microwave interferometry is presented. Image reconstruction algorithms are implemented on a minimum grid size in order to maximize their numerical efficiency. An improved method to apply an apodization window to the reconstructed image for reducing Gibbs oscillations is also proposed. All procedures are generally described considering the single polarization case and successively implemented applying the MIRAS layout in both its single polarization and full polarimetric modes. Results show similar performance of the proposed algorithm with respect to the nominal one applied by SMOS. All algorithms are implemented in the MIRAS Testing Software and have been successfully used for scientific studies by other teams. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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Graphical abstract

21 pages, 7312 KiB  
Article
Dominant Features of Global Surface Soil Moisture Variability Observed by the SMOS Satellite
by Maria Piles, Joaquim Ballabrera-Poy and Joaquín Muñoz-Sabater
Remote Sens. 2019, 11(1), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11010095 - 08 Jan 2019
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5890
Abstract
Soil moisture observations are expected to play an important role in monitoring global climate trends. However, measuring soil moisture is challenging because of its high spatial and temporal variability. Point-scale in-situ measurements are scarce and, excluding model-based estimates, remote sensing remains the only [...] Read more.
Soil moisture observations are expected to play an important role in monitoring global climate trends. However, measuring soil moisture is challenging because of its high spatial and temporal variability. Point-scale in-situ measurements are scarce and, excluding model-based estimates, remote sensing remains the only practical way to observe soil moisture at a global scale. The ESA-led Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, launched in 2009, measures the Earth’s surface natural emissivity at L-band and provides highly accurate soil moisture information with a 3-day revisiting time. Using the first six full annual cycles of SMOS measurements (June 2010–June 2016), this study investigates the temporal variability of global surface soil moisture. The soil moisture time series are decomposed into a linear trend, interannual, seasonal, and high-frequency residual (i.e., subseasonal) components. The relative distribution of soil moisture variance among its temporal components is first illustrated at selected target sites representative of terrestrial biomes with distinct vegetation type and seasonality. A comparison with GLDAS-Noah and ERA5 modeled soil moisture at these sites shows general agreement in terms of temporal phase except in areas with limited temporal coverage in winter season due to snow. A comparison with ground-based estimates at one of the sites shows good agreement of both temporal phase and absolute magnitude. A global assessment of the dominant features and spatial distribution of soil moisture variability is then provided. Results show that, despite still being a relatively short data set, SMOS data provides coherent and reliable variability patterns at both seasonal and interannual scales. Subseasonal components are characterized as white noise. The observed linear trends, based upon one strong El Niño event in 2016, are consistent with the known El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnections. This work provides new insight into recent changes in surface soil moisture and can help further our understanding of the terrestrial branch of the water cycle and of global patterns of climate anomalies. Also, it is an important support to multi-decadal soil moisture observational data records, hydrological studies and land data assimilation projects using remotely sensed observations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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20 pages, 2467 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Root Zone Soil Moisture Estimations from SMAP, SMOS and MODIS Observations
by Miriam Pablos, Ángel González-Zamora, Nilda Sánchez and José Martínez-Fernández
Remote Sens. 2018, 10(7), 981; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs10070981 - 21 Jun 2018
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6010
Abstract
In this study, six satellite-based root zone soil moisture (RZSM) estimates from March 2015 to December 2016 were evaluated both temporally and spatially. The first two were the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) and the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) L4 RZSM [...] Read more.
In this study, six satellite-based root zone soil moisture (RZSM) estimates from March 2015 to December 2016 were evaluated both temporally and spatially. The first two were the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) and the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) L4 RZSM products. The other four were obtained through the Soil Water Index (SWI) approach, which embedded surface soil moisture (SSM). The SMOS-Barcelona Expert Center (BEC) L4 SSM product and the apparent thermal inertia (ATI)-derived SSM from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data were used as SSM datasets. In the temporal analysis, the RZSM estimates were compared to in situ RZSM from 14 stations of the Soil Moisture Measurements Station Network of the University of Salamanca (REMEDHUS). Regarding the spatial assessment, the resulting RZSM maps of the Iberian Peninsula were compared between them. All RZSM values followed the temporal evolution of the ground-based measurements well, although SMOS and MODIS showed underestimation while SMAP displayed overestimation. The good results obtained from MODIS ATI are notable, notwithstanding they were not estimated through microwave radiometry. A very high agreement was found in terms of spatial patterns for the whole Iberian Peninsula except for the extreme north area, which is dominated by high mountains and dense forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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13 pages, 5312 KiB  
Letter
Synergy between Ocean Variables: Remotely Sensed Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll Concentration Coherence
by Marta Umbert, Sebastien Guimbard, Joaquim Ballabrera Poy and Antonio Turiel
Remote Sens. 2020, 12(7), 1153; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rs12071153 - 03 Apr 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2583
Abstract
The similarity of mesoscale and submesoscale features observed in different ocean scalars indicates that they undergo some common non-linear processes. As a result of quasi-2D turbulence, complicated patterns of filaments, meanders, and eddies are recognized in remote sensing images. A data fusion method [...] Read more.
The similarity of mesoscale and submesoscale features observed in different ocean scalars indicates that they undergo some common non-linear processes. As a result of quasi-2D turbulence, complicated patterns of filaments, meanders, and eddies are recognized in remote sensing images. A data fusion method used to improve the quality of one ocean variable using another variable as a template is used here as an extrapolation technique to improve the coverage of daily Aqua MODIS Level-3 chlorophyll maps by using MODIS SST maps as a template. The local correspondence of SST and Chl-a multifractal singularities is granted due to the existence of a common cascade process which makes it possible to use SST data to infer Chl-a concentration where data are lacking. The quality of the inference of Level-4 Chl-a maps is assessed by simulating artificial clouds and comparing reconstructed and original data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ten Years of Remote Sensing at Barcelona Expert Center)
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