Correcting the FRA Systematic Error in VTEC Maps From SMOS Radiometric Data

Abstract

The Faraday Rotation (FR) is a non-negligible effect at the L-band, which is the operation frequency of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. This effect introduces a rotation in the electromagnetic field polarization when propagating through the ionosphere that must be compensated. Recently, a methodology was developed in order to retrieve the Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) from SMOS radiometric data with the aim to better correct the Faraday rotation effect [1]. In that work, systematic patterns in the retrieved Faraday Rotation Angle (FRA) were detected. In this paper, these systematic patterns are characterized and corrected to improve the quality of the retrieved VTEC maps. These maps can be then re-used in the SMOS level 2 processor for the correction of the FRA in the mission. The impact of using the SMOS-derived VTEC maps instead of the VTEC data from GPS measurements on the ocean brightness temperature measurement has also been analyzed. Results of this analysis show that the usage of those maps allows a significant enhancement in the quality of the brightness temperatures, which will lead to an improvement on salinity retrievals.