JPL Logo
A profile photo of Dr. Seungbum Kim

Dr. Seungbum Kim

Scientist

About

Bio

The current research includes modeling, retrieval, and applications of radar observations (soil moisture, precision irrigation, landslide, wild fire, inundation and methane). He has served as members of the science teams of NASA (Aquarius, SMAP, CYGNSS, NISAR, and LACCE) and commercial (Capella, ICEYE, Umbra) missions. He holds joint appointments as a project scientist at UCLA and an adjunct professor at USC.

Education

  • He received the B.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
  • M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University College London, England, in satellite engineering and physics.

Research Interests

Synthetic aperture radar, soil moisture, climate

Experience

Professional Experience

  • Postdoctoral study at JPL was on satellite altimetry applied to physical oceanography and climate science.
  • Was a scientist at Remote Sensing Systems, California, developing the L-band radiometry retrieval of the Aquarius salinity observations.
  • Currently a scientist at JPL Radar Section.

Achievements

Awards & Recognitions

  • Professional Society and External Organization Awards | Korean Society of Remote Sensing, Distinguished Achievement (2024)
  • JPL Voyager Award | NISAR soil moisture algorithm (2020)
  • NASA Award | algorithm, calibration | NASA mission group achievements (2012,2013,2016,2017) (2019)

Publications

  • Antonitano, G., and S. B. Kim (2025), Sensitivity to soil moisture of Capella X-band high-resolution SAR data over forests, Science of Remote Sensing, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srs.2025.100289
  • Kim, S. B., X. L. Xu, S. Kraatz, A. Colliander, M. Cosh, V. R. Kelly, and P. Siqueira (2025), Airborne SAR soil moisture estimates over forests replicating NISAR observations, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Appl. Earth Observ. Remote Sens., https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10925521
  • Xi, X., Q. H. Zhaung, S. B. Kim, and Z. Zhang (2023), Methane emissions from land and aquatic ecosystems in Western Siberia from 2000 to 2021: An analysis with methane biogeochemistry models, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeosciences, doi:http://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007466.
  • Kim, S. B., and T. H. Liao, Robust retrieval of soil moisture and roughness at field scale across wide-ranging SAR incidence angles for soybean, wheat, forage and grass, Remote Sens. Environ., 2021.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112712
  • Kim, S.B., & Jagdhuber, T. (2020). Soil moisture retrieval from backscatter. In C. Montzka (Ed.), Soil Moisture Product Validation Best Practice Protocol. https://lpvs.gsfc.nasa.gov/PDF/CEOS_SM_LPV_Protocol_V1_20201027_final.pdf (pp. 33-35)
  • Kim, S.B., J. Oullette, J. J. van Zyl, and J. T. Johnson, Dual-copolarized approach to detect surface water extent using L-land radar, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens, 10.1109/TGRS.2016.2517010, 2016.
  • Kim, S. B., et al. (2017): Surface soil moisture retrieval using the L-band synthetic aperture radar onboard the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite and evaluation at core validation sites, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 55(4) 1897 - 1914, 2017
  • Kim, S.B., M. Moghaddam, L. Tsang, M. Burgin, X.L. Xu, and E.G. Njoku, (2014). Models of L-band radar backscattering coefficients over the global terrain for soil moisture retrieval. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens. 52(2), 1381 - 1396
  • Kim, S. B., L. Tsang, J. T. Johnson, S. Huang, J. J. van Zyl, and E. G. Njoku, 2012: Soil moisture retrieval using time-series radar observations over bare surfaces. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 50 (5), 1853-1863.
  • Kim, S.B., F.J. Wentz, and G.S.E. Lagerloef (2011): Effects of antenna cross-polarization coupling on the brightness temperature retrieval at L-band. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens. 49(5) 1637-1648 (cover article).
  • Kim, S.B., and I. Fukumori, 2008. A near uniform sea level variations in the Japan/East Sea: a semi-enclosed sea with multiple straits, Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, C06031, doi:10.1029/2007JC004409.
  • Kim, S.B., T.Lee, and I. Fukumori, 2007. Mechanisms controlling interannual variations of mixed layer temperature averaged over the NINO3 region, Journal of Climate, 20:3822-3841