→ esa’s water mIssIon smos newsletter

Issue 6 | December 2013

In this issue:

Highlights Data and Processors Upcoming meetings & Publications SMOS satellite Data access launched on 2 November 2009 PhD and post-doc positions

Highlights Stay up-to-date with the ESA SMOS web portal DomeCair campaign data is now available University of Denmark (DTU). Figure 1 shows http://earth.esa.int/smos online the measured brightness temperature at DOMECair is an ESA funded airborne campaign nadir for vertical (left panel) and horizontal The ESA SMOS web portal provides a comprehensive over DOME C, Antarctica, where the EMIRAD (right panel) polarization over 11 tracks that access point for all SMOS related information. Users L-Band radiometer was flown in a 350 km by were acquired over the test area. The data set are encouraged to visit the SMOS portal for an - 350 km area over the Concordia station in is freely available and interested users should nouncements, updates on ground segment operations January 2013. Fully polarimetric (i.e. 4 Stokes) submit a request to the ESA EO campaigns and scientific mission achievements. brightness temperatures at L-band were data at https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/cam - Recent SMOS newsletters are available on the ESA measured, and are now available on request, paigns to gain access. web portal: along with the final report from the Technical https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions/esa- operational-eo-missions/smos/newsletter .

Figure 1: DOMECair nadir brightness temperatures. Left panel vertical polarization measurements, right panel horizontal polarization measurements. Scale in Kelvin. Credits DTU. smos newsletter Issue 6 | December 2013

super storms tracked by smos speed that has been applied on the SMOS centres to improve tracking capability and Strong winds over the oceans affect the data acquired over the recent forecasting storm strength. The effect of the microwave radiation emitted by the sea “Phailin”, active in the Gulf of and super storms when they hit land is also surface. The change in the emitted radiation typhoons “Nari” and “Wipha” in the east tracked by SMOS data. Figure-3 shows areas can be used to retrieve information on the Pacific close to Philippines and Guam in that experienced extreme flooding caused by strength of the wind over sea. The French October 2013. The Figure-2 shows the wind heaving rainfall and overflowing rivers due to Research Institute for Exploration of the Sea speed retrieved from SMOS data along the the cyclone “Phailin”. For further information (IFREMER) and Collect Localisation Satellites, track of the three super storms. Winds speeds see: (CLS) within ESA’s Earth Observation Support up of to 140 Km/h have been recorded. http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observi - to Science Element programme have developed Such valuable information can be used by ng_the_Earth/SMOS/SMOS_sees_triple_su - an algorithm to measure surface sea wind researchers and operational meteorological perstorms

Figure 2: SMOS’s microwave radiometer captured wind speed readings from three different typhoons during 10–15 October 2013. The image shows wind speeds up to 140 km/h (dark red) for Cyclone Phailin (left), (middle) and (right). Credits ESA-IFREMER-CLS.

Figure 3: SMOS reading of soil moisture in southern Asia when Cyclone Phailin hit land in October 2013. Wetter soils are shown in blue with drier soils in yellow and orange, due to the passage of the storm and the intense rain falls it causes. Credits ESA-CESBIO-CATDS.

smos data reprocessing new information and tools available on line SMOS operational processors . For more infor - The 2 nd mission reprocessing is planned for A new version (1.6.5) of the SMOS Data mation and to download the tool, go to: 2014 with Level 1 data being reprocessed by Viewer (SDV) is available for the user com - https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/data- spring 2014 and reprocessed Level 2 soil munity. This version of the tool includes a reader-software-7633 moisture and ocean salinity data being avail - new visualization functionality for the Ocean able by summer 2014. Details on the im - Target Transformation auxiliary data files provements in the new Level 1 and 2 (AUX_OTT) and can be used for visualization processors can be found in the section on of the SMOS products that will be generated “data and processors”. by the next baseline version V6xx of the

2 smos newsletter Issue 6 | December 2013

Using G-PoD for processing smos data: [http://gpod.eo.esa.int ] for conducting Earth G-POD SMOS proposals need to be submitted reminder for call for proposals Science research activities. directly onto the following Web site: ESA would like to remind the SMOS user G-POD is offered by ESA’s Research and Service http://eopi.esa.int/G-POD . This is an open call, community of the availability of the Grid Support [ http://wiki.services.eoportal.org/tiki- i.e. proposals can be submitted at any time. Processing-on-Demand (G-POD) service custom_home.php ].

Data and Processors

Data availability Data quality processor during the period July 2013 – The SMOS instrument – MIRAS – is operating A monthly report summarising significant December 2013. Therefore, the algorithm nominally with the exception of some well- events in the SMOS flight and ground baseline and data quality are as reported for known on-board anomalies [see description of segment and the SMOS data quality status the SMOS newsletter #3 issued in October 2012. anomalies https://earth.esa.int/c/document_li - can be found on: brary/get_file?folderId=118493&name=DLFE- https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/data- Further information on the SMOS data quality 5407.pdf] . The cumulative data loss due quality-7059 can be found in the products read-me-first to instrument unavailability since the notes available on the web page: beginning of the routine operations phase in Since the issue of newsletter #6, no new https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions - May 2010 amounts to 0.11% and the anomaly has been identified in the level 1 and /esa-operational-eo-missions/smos/con - degraded data amounts to 1.42%. A detailed level 2 data generated by the Data Processing tent?p_r_p_564233524_assetIdentifier=dat list of instrument anomalies is compiled Ground Segment. a-processors-7632 . on a weekly basis and is available on https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions - Updates on operational processors The SMOS data users are invited to consult the read-me-first note before using the SMOS /esa-operational-eo-missions/smos/con - The current versions of the operational data for their research activities. tent?p_r_p_564233524_assetIdentifier=mi processors installed in the SMOS ground ssion-status-7060 . segment are:

No data loss has occurred during the acquisition of MIRAS raw data at the ground Processor Current version In operations since stations since the beginning of the routine operations phase in May 2010. This result has Level 1A V5.04 14 November 2011 been achieved by implementing an on-board data recording overlap strategy. Level 1B V5.04 14 November 2011

Instrument Calibration Level 1C V5.05 21 March 2012 Several calibration activities are regularly Near Real Time processor (NRTP) V5.05 7 March 2012 performed on board and an overview on the calibration strategy implemented for the Level 2 soil moisture V5.51 24 April 2012 MIRAS instrument can be found on Level 2 ocean salinity V5.50 15 December 2011 https://earth.esa.int/c/document_library/get_ file?folderId=118493&name=DLFE-1732.pdf . During calibration activities, science data are not available hence data users should consult Below are further details on the current summary of improvements to level 1 and 2 the calibration plan, available on versions of the operational processors: processors for 2 nd mission reprocessing https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions/esa (planned to be deployed in the operational -operational-eo-missions/smos/available- Level 1/ NRTP: No new version has been chain over the course of 2014) data-processing for data availability. implemented in the Level 1 processor during the Level 1 period July 2013 – December 2013. Therefore, Since the issue of newsletter #6, calibration The next version of the SMOS Operational the algorithm baseline and data quality are activities were performed in accordance with Processor (baseline V6xx) will be deployed in as reported for the SMOS newsletter #3 the routine calibration plan and calibration the ground segment in the first half of 2014. issued in October 2012. results are within the nominal range. The The foreseen major improvements for the next Flat Target Response (FTR) will be L1OP are the following: Level 2 Soil Moisture: No change has been acquired, for monitoring purposes, close to implemented in the Level 2 Soil Moisture the next winter solstice. • Better RFI flagging of the level 1C data processor during the period July 2013 – based on: The evolution of the calibration parameters December 2013. Therefore, the algorithm • an RFI detection algorithm that uses both since the beginning of the mission is available baseline and data quality are as reported for the NIR brightness temperature and system in the SMOS quality reports accessible on the SMOS newsletter #3 issued in October 2012. temperature measurements to signal the following web page: presence of the RFI in the data https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/data- Level 2 Ocean Salinity: No change has been • improved maps of potential RFI detected quality-7059 implemented in the Level 2 Ocean Salinity on the Earth surface to signal the presence

3 smos newsletter Issue 6 | December 2013

of the RFI at the level of the discrete orbit, and improved utilization of these data Content (VTEC) for the descending passes ground grid point. in the L2SM processor and usage in the retrieval of the sea surface • Better radiometric stability, in particular long • Enhancement of soil moisture retrieval in salinity (ascending passes still use the term, of the brightness temperature on an - forest areas predicted VTEC value from IGS) tenna frame (level 1C data) • Enhancement in the computation of the RFI • Better RFI detection and flagging, including • Improved spatial bias after several im - probability, used to adjust radiometric use of cumulative RFI probability to adjust provements at calibration and image recon - uncertainty in the retrieval of the soil radiometric accuracy struction level moisture, by using most recent SMOS • Improved roughness model 3 • Improved accuracy in the computation of the observations instead of historical data 3rd and 4 th Stokes parameters by a full • Improvements to UDP reported fields, Further information on the improvements cross-polarization data processing approach including enhanced reporting for modelled achieved with this processor baseline V6xx TB at 42.5°, reporting the distance of the will be provided in the software release note The same improvements will be introduced, observed target from the satellite track, and of the operational processors and in the data simultaneously, in the near real time products several bug fixes with minor impacts on release note that will be available just after disseminated in BUFR format to the opera - reported values. the deployment of the processors in the tional meteorological centres. operational ground segment. For the L2 sea surface salinity operational For the Level 2 soil moisture operational processor the foreseen major improvements radio Frequency Interference (rFI) processor the foreseen major improvements are the following: Illegal RFI sources operating in the L-band are the following: • Ocean Target Transformation correction adversely affect the SMOS measurements, • Better characterization of the auxiliary files applied on daily basis to better track level 1 making affected SMOS data products largely generated by the post-processor by splitting radiometric drift and spatial biases unusable for scientific applications. Users can the values of Tau, Roughness and RFI • Estimation through level 1C Stokes 3 check whether data are corrupted by RFI by probability for ascending and descending measurements of the Vertical Total Electron using the quality flags, available in the SMOS

Figure 4: Probability of sustained RFI occurrences during the period 6 - 20 November 2013 for ascending passes. Credits CESBIO, CATDS.

Figure 5: Weekly average of the 4 th Stokes parameter over the Ocean during the period 11 – 18 November 2013. Areas affected by strong RFI show a 4 th Stokes parameter above 10K in absolute value as shown in the map, for example, for the west Indian Ocean close to the Madagascar coast. Credits ESA.

4 smos newsletter Issue 6 | December 2013

data products, as indicators. A detailed inspect the map to identify areas with strong November 2013. The map for example description of these flags was included in the RFI presence over land. identifies the presence of a strong RFI over SMOS newsletter #1 issued in May 2012. the west Indian Ocean. The user can visually Additional information with regard to RFI The 3 rd and 4 th Stokes parameter can also be inspect the map to identify areas with possible contamination can be found on the RFI used to detect RFI. Nominal values for the 3 rd RFI presence over Sea (i.e. 3 rd and 4 th Stokes probability maps, generated fortnightly by and 4 th Stokes parameters are expected to be parameters above 10 K in absolute value). CESBIO and available on the SMOS blog very small for natural targets at L-band. Weekly maps of 3 rd and 4 th Stokes parameter [http://www.cesbio.ups-tlse.fr/SMOS_blog/smos_rfi/ ]. Hence a larger deviation in the 3 rd and 4 th are presented in the SMOS Monthly QC Re - Stokes parameter, i.e. beyond a few Kelvin, port available on the following web page: The figure-4 shows an example of the map would indicate the presence of RFI. Figure-5 https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/-/data- generated for the period centred on 13 shows an example of the weekly map of the quality-7059 . November 2013. Thus the user can visually 4th Stokes parameter for the week of 11 - 18

Upcoming meetings & Publications ocean sciences meeting, 23 –28 February soil moisture datasets. The main aim of this special section in the Journal of Geophysical 2014, Honolulu, Hawaii, Usa workshop is to bring satellite soil moisture research (oceans): deadline for paper See http://www.sgmeet.com/osm2014/de - users and developers together and focuses submission extended fault.asp for further details. on the derivation of soil moisture from both The call for papers for a special section passive and active microwave satellite mis - entitled Early scientific results from the european Geoscience Union (eGU) General sions. Deadline for abstracts submission is salinity measuring satellites Aquarius/SAC-D assembly 2014, 27 april – 2 may, Vienna, 31 March 2014 , workshop website will be and SMOS, has been extended to 28 February austria available soon. 2014. The call is accessible on the Wiley A dedicated session on ‘SMOS continuing to Online website: IGarss 2014, 13 –18 July, Québec, Canada provide global soil moisture and ocean salinity’ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1 - has been organized. This session will address A dedicated SMOS session has been organised, 0.1002/%28ISSN%292169-9291/home - major scientific achievements based on data please see details on page/call_for_papers.htm . provided by the SMOS mission so far. The http://www.igarss2014.org/Papers/Submissi - session will also put an emphasis on new on.asp?SessionType=Invited&ID=2054 . special issue in the remote sensing open applications with potential for operational Deadline for abstract submission is 13 access Journal services, which start to emerge given the January 2014. The call for papers for a special section availability of multi-annual, high quality data. entitled Earth Observation for water resource A detailed description of the programme and meeting on sea surface salinity at UK management in Africa” is accessible on the organization is available here: metoffice following website: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU20 A dedicated meeting focussing on sea surface http://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/s - 14/session/15052 . salinity is planned for late November 2014 at pecial_issues/water_management_in_africa . Deadline for abstract submission is 16 the UK Metoffice in connection with the STSE The deadline for manuscript submission is January 2014. SOS study. Further details will be announced 31 March 2014 . over coming months. soil moisture validation and application workshop, amsterdam, 10 –11 July 2014. 2nd smos workshop The objective of the workshop is to further The 2 nd SMOS workshop is planned to take explore the methodological advances in the place at the beginning of 2015. Further details validation and application of global satellite will be announced over coming months.

Data access

If you wish to access science data, please see (NRT) “Light” (BUFR) products via EUMETSAT’s Earth Observation Portal: the following link for instructions: EUMETCast service (by a standard Digital https://eoportal.eumetsat.int/userMgmt/ [https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions - Video Broadcast technology to acquire data If you wish to access near-real time data /esa-operational-eo-missions/smos/con - over the European region) see http://www.eu - “Full” (BUFR) or “Light” (BUFR) product by tent?p_r_p_564233524_assetIdentifier=how metsat.int/Home/Main/DataAccess/EUMET - network over the entire Earth region, please -to-obtain-data-7329 ]. Cast/index.htm?l=en send an email to SMOS registered users will be granted access to [email protected] . If you wish to access SMOS Near Real Time the service after registration on the EUMETSAT

5 smos newsletter Issue 6 | December 2013

PhD and post-doc positions

PhD (or post-doc) fully funded position on Environmental and Remote Sensing Center can be converted to a Post-Doc if there is no sea ice data assimilation at nersC: apply (NERSC) is opening one position in the qualified PhD candidate available. For further until 22 December 2013 modelling and data assimilation department details see In the frame of the new Nordic Center of of the Mohn-Sverdrup Center. The position is http://www.nersc.no/news/yet-another-phd- Excellence on Ensemble Based Monitoring and fully funded for a period of three years and in post-doctoral-position-open-nansen-center Forecasting of the Environment, the Nansen principle intended for a PhD candidate, but

Figure 6: Postdoc and PhD advertisement FOR2131 initiative.

Postdoctoral position in biogeochemistry successful candidate will join a LOCEAN Applicants should submit a CV, a letter of and salinity remote sensing at LoCean/ team which has a lead expertise in salinity interest and the names (email and telephone IPsL remote sensing and air-sea CO2 fluxes. numbers) of three references to J. Boutin The Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat Applicants should have a background in ocean ([email protected] ; tel: 33 1 44 27 47 – Expérimentation et Approches Numériques biogeochemistry, and preferentially in ocean 65). (LOCEAN)/ Institut Pierre Simon Laplace remote sensing. They should have significant (IPSL) invites applications for a 15 months, experience in data processing. Postdoc and PhD scholarship positions on possibly renewable, postdoctoral position. data assimilation: apply until 1 January The position is opened in the frame of the EU The position starts in January 2014 and is 2014 FP7 Carbochange ( carbochange.b.uib.no ) and located at UPMC-PARIS 6 University. The net For further details see the advertisement in of the European Space Agency SMOS+SOS monthly salary is about 1900 euros per Figure 6. (http://www.smos-sos.org ) projects. The month, commensurate with experience.

6