Implementation of satellite based fractional water cover indices in the pan-Arctic region using AMSR-E and MODIS

A new method to assess land surface fractional open water (fw) inundation dynamics was developed using high frequency (89GHz) brightness temperatures (Tb) from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E), with other ancillary inputs from AMSR-E and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). The resulting 89GHz fw (fwWBand) retrievals provide 10-day temporal fidelity and enhanced (5km) resolution relative to other passive microwave sensor based land observations. A look-up table was first established to provide reference microwave emissivities for water and land endmembers under a range of atmosphere and land surface conditions. The fwWBand retrievals were then obtained on a per pixel basis using difference ratio and double difference methods for respective barren and vegetated soil conditions. The resulting fwWBand summer (JJA) seasonal composites correspond favorably (R≥0.86, p