Satellite microwave estimates of soil moisture and their application for desertification studies

Based on a series of studies conducted in Botswana and preliminary results from an ongoing study in Spain, developments in microwave remote sensing by satellite which can be used to monitor near real-time surface moisture and also study long term soil moisture climatology are described A progression of methodologies beginning with single polarization studies and leading to both dual polarization and multiple frequency techniques are described Continuing analysis of a nine year data set of satellite-derived surface moisture in Spain is ongoing. Preliminary results from this study appear to provide some evidence of long term desertification in certain parts of this region. The methodologies developed during these investigations can be applied to other regions, and have the potential for providing modellers with extended data sets of independently derived surface moisture for simulation and validation studies, and climate change studies at the global scale.