Developing a Coordinated National Soil Moisture Network

Findings from a meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, Nov. 13-14, 2013.

Recognizing the long standing need to improve the integration of soil moisture data and information across the United States, a group of federal, state, and academic experts met to discuss approaches for developing a coordinated national soil moisture network. The meeting was hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This white paper provides a brief description of the meeting and an account of the discussions that addressed ways to assess federal and state in situ monitoring networks, satellite remote sensing missions, numerical modeling capabilities, and experiences in soil moisture database integration and user access, and how to merge these capacities into a new network of networks providing a comprehensive national view of soil moisture as a terrestrial climate variable.