Mapping freeze/thaw boundaries with SMMR data

Abstract Nimbus 7 SMMR data are used to map daily freeze/thaw patterns in the upper Midwest for the fall of 1984. The combination of a low 37 GHz radiobrightness and a negative 10.7, 18 and 37 GHz spectral gradient, ∂T b ∂f , appears to be an effective discriminant for classifying soil as frozen or thawed. The 37 GHz emissivity is less sensitive to soil moisture than are the lower frequency emissivities so that the 37 GHz radiobrightness appears to track soil surface temperature relatively well. The negative gradient for frozen ground is a consequence of volume scatter darkening at shorter microwave wavelengths. This shorter wavelength darkening is not seen in thawed moist soils.