Evaluating New SMAP Soil Moisture for Drought Monitoring in the Rangelands of the US High Plains

Naga Manohar Velpuri, Gabriel B. Senay, Jeffrey T. Morisette

Abstract


• Level 3 soil moisture datasets from the recently launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite are evaluated for drought monitoring in rangelands.
• Validation of SMAP soil moisture (SSM) with in situ and modeled estimates showed high level of agreement.
• SSM showed the highest correlation with surface soil moisture (0-5 cm) and a strong correlation to depths up to 20 cm.
• SSM showed a reliable and expected response of capturing seasonal dynamics in relation to precipitation, land surface temperature, and evapotranspiration.
• Further evaluation using multi-year SMAP datasets is necessary to quantify the full benefits and limitations for drought monitoring in rangelands.

Keywords: drought monitoring, remote sensing, SMAP, soil moisture, rangelands.


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