SMAP L1B Polarimetric GNSS Reflectometry, Version 1

This product represents the first full polarimetric Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) dataset, derived from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission radar. The main parameters are the normalized Stokes parameters, total power normalized bistatic radar cross section, and reflectivity. The SMAP radar receiver, in bistatic radar configuration, measures the horizontal and vertical components of the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal as it is reflected and scatters from the Earth’s surface. Stokes parameters are computed with these horizontal and vertical polarization measurements. The dataset comprises a full reconstruction of the Earth' surface polarimetric values, with approximately 3,200 observations per day and about 1,200,000 per year.