Use of coupled SVAT and microwave emission models for soil moisture estimation in SGP97

An EOS interdisciplinary science hydrology experiment called Southern Great Plains '97 (SGP97) was conducted by NASA and USDA in Oklahoma during June-July, 1997 in order to acquire data at spatial and temporal scales more typical of possible future satellite systems. A core activity of SGP97 involved mapping surface soil moisture with the ESTAR (Electronically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer) airborne L-band microwave radiometer on a daily basis for a month over an 11,000 km/sup 2/ area at 800 m resolution. To provide continuous 24-hour microwave brightness temperature measurements over two representative surface covers (winter wheat and grazed pasture) to complement the once-a-day ESTAR data, the two-frequency truck-mounted passive microwave SLMR (S and L Microwave Radiometer) system was deployed to the Department of Energy's ARM/CART Central Facility site near Lament, Oklahoma in the northern part of the SGP97 test region for the month-long experiment. The detailed diurnal time series data available from the SLMR system permits validation and refinement of coupled energy/water balance models at the point scale before these models are extrapolated to the entire SGP97 test area.