Summary Although primarily valued for their suitability for oceanographic applications and soil moisture estimation, microwave remote sensing observations are also sensitive to plant water content (Mw). Since Mw depends on both plant water status and biomass, these observations have the potential to be useful for a range of plant drought response studies. In this paper, we introduce the principles behind microwave remote sensing observations to illustrate how they are sensitive to plant water content and discuss the relationship between landscape‐scale Mw and common stand‐scale metrics, including plant‐scale relative water content, live fuel moisture content and leaf water potential. Lastly, we discuss how various sensor types can be leveraged for specific applications depending on the spatio‐temporal resolution needed.

No abstract

[1] The effect of a tropical cyclone on the variation of phytoplankton biomass in terms of surface chlorophyll-a is brought out based on satellite observations and mixed layer model simulations in the Arabian Sea during 21 May -3 June 2001. Along the cyclone's passage, chlorophyll-a was high with extreme values (5 -8 mg m À3 ) in the blooms of phytoplankton. The model simulations indicate deepening of mixed layer on the southeastern edge of the cyclone. This forced mixed layer deepening, due to intense wind stirring and cyclone-induced divergent geostrophic currents, has lead to the injection of nutrients into the surface layer, resulting in higher chlorophyll-a. This study suggests that the short-lived tropical cyclones would alter the generally prevailing oligotrophic (nutrient depleted) conditions into a productive surface layer in the Arabian Sea during spring intermonsoon. INDEX TERMS: 4532

No abstract