In this study, the impact of spatial variability due to the heterogeneity of vegetation in the agricultural region on passive microwave signatures available at various scales are explored using the brightness temperature (T_B) observed from ground, air, and space. These observations were conducted during a growing season of corn and soybean in South Fork watershed, Iowa, as part of the NASA-Soil Moisture Active Passive Validation Experiment (SMAPVEX16). Both empirical and physically-based microwave emission models are used to understand the effects of vegetation on T_B for corn and soybean using ground-based T_B observations. The modeled T_B will be upscaled based upon the USDA crop layer map to compare with the T_B observed in the coarse scales. ... Read more