L-Band RFI Detected by SMOS and Aquarius

• Published in: IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing Vol. 55; no. 7; pp. 4220 - 4235
• Main Authors: Soldo, Yan, Le Vine, David M., de Matthaeis, Paolo, Richaume, Philippe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Goddard Space Flight Center IEEE 01-07-2017; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Climate; Climatology; Earth; Earth Resources And Remote Sensing; Hydrologic cycle; Hydrological cycle; Instruments; Interference; L-band; Microwave imagery; Microwave radiometry; Moisture; Observatories; Parameters; Radio; Radio frequency; Radio frequency interference; Radiometers; remote sensing; Salinity; Salinity effects; Sea measurements; Sea surface; Soil; Soil moisture; Weather; Remote Sensing; Microwave Radiometry; Interference
• ISSN: 0196-2892; 1558-0644
• DOI: 10.1109/TGRS.2017.2690406

Ocean salinity and soil moisture are key parameters for understanding the global water cycle, weather, and climate. These parameters are being measured with spaceborne radiometers operating in the L-band window at 1400-1427 MHz. Although man-made activity in this band is prohibited, radio frequency interference (RFI) is still a problem over significant portions of the earth. This paper reports a comparison of the RFI environment in this window as observed by two L-band radiometer systems, Aquarius and Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity. The observed RFI environment depends on the sources and also on the characteristics of the instrument. Comparing the observations provides insight into the extent of the problem (actual sources), the influence of the instrument on the observation of RFI, and on potential ways of mitigating the effects. As this report shows, the global distribution of RFI is largely consistent between the two instruments, but the details, especially at low levels of RFI, depend on the characteristics of the instrument.