Soil Moisture Remote Sensing Using Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry: Current Status and Opportunity

Soil moisture (SM), as an important component of global water and energy cycles, plays an essential role in the Earth􀆳s water cycle, energy balance, and climate change. Traditional field measurement methods for SM are difficult to obtain the spatial distribution of large-scale and long-term SM and have high measurement costs. Microwave remote sensing, with its all-weather and penetrating capabilities, is one of the most effective means of obtaining soil moisture at a large scale and long-term manner, particularly the L-band global navigation satellite system-reflectometry (GNSS-R) technology with advantages of both active and passive microwave remote sensing, which has been paying a lot of attention in SM measurements. Based on the investigation and analysis of domestic and international progress, this paper systematically introduces the principle and characteristics of GNSS-R technology for obtaining SM, and gives the specific steps of SM measurement from both forward and backward retrieval aspects, the main faced difficulties, and key issues to be solved. Taking the latest cyclone GNSS (CYGNSS) satellite estimation as the main part, the theoretical model and method based on CYGNSS SM estimation are deeply expounded. In addition, the opportunities and challenges in the development of GNSS-R SM remote sensing are briefly analyzed, aiming to provide a reference for future ground-based, airborne, and satellite-based GNSS-R SM remote sensing observation and application in China.