Context and objectives
WAVETRAX seeks to improve climate monitoring by advancing our understanding of active microwave remote sensing responses to rapid sub-daily land-atmosphere interactions. The project will investigate the interactions of microwaves with Essential Climate Variables (ECVs), including surface and rootzone soil moisture, vegetation optical depth, snow water equivalent, and land evaporation. By capturing these dynamic interactions, WAVETRAX will address gaps in satellite data interpretation, enhancing the accuracy of climate monitoring. Key objectives include:
- designing radar sensors and field experiments to observe sub-daily processes such as the redistribution of water from soil to plant and atmosphere, dew formation, rainfall interception, and snow metamorphism;
- developing and testing algorithms for accurate retrieval of soil, vegetation and snow properties, using both physics-based models and machine learning;
- supporting space agencies by providing ground-based support for the science goals of potential future satellite missions, including NISAR, ROSE-L, SLAINTE, Hydroterra, and TSMM.
Project outcome
Expected scientific results
- A comprehensive dataset of sub-hourly RADAR backscatter measurements and corresponding in situ measurements of soil, vegetation and snow properties.
- Evaluation of algorithms for the retrieval of soil moisture, SWE, biomass and evaporation based on RADAR data.
- Enhanced understanding of microwave scattering interactions in soil, vegetation and snow across L-, C- and Ku-bands.
Societal and Environmental relevance
WAVETRAX will enhance our knowledge on microwave scattering interactions in soil, vegetation and snow, which may contribute to an improved monitoring of essential climate variables. This can benefit water resources management, agricultural management, renewable energy production (e.g., hydropower), and climate change adaptation. The project also supports current (e.g., Sentinel-1) and prospective (e.g., SLAINTE, Hydroterra, TSMM) satellite missions in the evaluation of science goals.
Expected products and services
- A public dataset of tower-RADAR measurements along with in situ measurements of soil, vegetation and snow properties, to support the development of RTM and retrieval models.
- A methodological framework for RADAR-based ECV monitoring adaptable for research and operational applications.
Potential users
Space agencies (ESA, NASA), weather forecasting centers (ECMWF, NOAA), climate researchers, hydrological modelers, agriculture and forestry sectors, water resource managers, and environmental conservation organizations.
| Project leader(s): | UGent - Hydro-Climate Extremes Lab (H-CEL) | |||||
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| Website: | http://www.belspo-wavetrax.be/ | |||||