QUANTIFYING SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITIES OF MICROWAVE BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE OVER THE UNITED-STATES SOUTHERN GREAT-PLAINS

Spatial and temporal variabilities of microwave brightness temperature over the U. S. Southern Great Plains are quantified in terms of vegetation and soil wetness. The brightness temperature (T//B) are the daytime observations from April to October for 5 years (1979 to 1983) by NIMBUS-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) at 6. 6 GHz frequency, horizontal polarization. The spatial and temporal variabilites of vegetation are assessed using visible and near-infrared observations by NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), while an Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) model is used for soil wetness.