Towards a long-term dataset of ELBARA II measurements assisting SMOS level-3 land product and algorithm validation at the Valencia Anchor Station

This study is a validation of SMOS level 3 data using in situ measurements from the Valencia Anchor Station (VAS) in 2012. ELBARA-II radiometer is placed in the VAS, observing a vineyard field considered as representative of a SMOS footprint. Brightness temperatures (TB) acquired by ELBARA-II have been compared to those observed by SMOS at the same time and date. They were also inverted using the L-MEB model to provide soil moistures (SM), which later on have also been compared to those provided by SMOS.