Open AccessDeveloping a strategy for the national coordinated soil moisture monitoring network
Author(s) -
Cosh Michael H.,
Caldwell Todd G.,
Baker C. Bruce,
Bolten John D.,
Edwards Nathan,
Goble Peter,
Hofman Heather,
Ochsner Tyson E.,
Quiring Steven,
Schalk Charles,
Skumanich Marina,
Svoboda Mark,
Woloszyn Mary E.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
vadose zone journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.036
H-Index - 81
ISSN - 1539-1663
DOI - 10.1002/vzj2.20139
Subject(s) - environmental science , variety (cybernetics) , water content , scale (ratio) , dissemination , environmental resource management , moisture , work (physics) , computer science , meteorology , geography , engineering , telecommunications , cartography , mechanical engineering , geotechnical engineering , artificial intelligence
Soil moisture is a critical land surface variable, affecting a wide variety of climatological, agricultural, and hydrological processes. Determining the current soil moisture status is possible via a variety of methods, including in situ monitoring, remote sensing, and numerical modeling. Although all of these approaches are rapidly evolving, there is no cohesive strategy or framework to integrate these diverse information sources to develop and disseminate coordinated national soil moisture products that will improve our ability to understand climate variability. The National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network initiative has developed a national strategy for network coordination with NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System. The strategy is currently in review within NOAA, and work is underway to implement the initial milestones of the strategy. This update reviews the goals and steps being taken to establish this national‐scale coordination for soil moisture monitoring in the United States.