Skip to main content

Background

The global NASA/Indian Space Research Organisation Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) soil moisture product will provide a well- calibrated and validated soil moisture product with 200-meter resolution globally (approximately 500-m for the Sahara due to challenges of measuring soil moisture in dry sand). There will be a minimum of two products every 12 days from both ascending and descending orbits, with more frequent observations at higher latitudes as the orbits begin to converge closer to the poles.

Status

Product formulation began in fiscal year (FY) 2020 to align with the NISAR launch. The final algorithms have been reviewed as of fall 2022, and the products will be operational after NISAR launches in 2024.

Solution Characteristics

PlatformTemporal FrequencyHorizontal ResolutionGeographic DomainLatency Spectral BandThematic Areas
NISARTwice every 12 days200 m (400 m in Sahara Desert)Global72 hoursMicrowave (MW), Long Band (L-Band), Short Band (S-Band)Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems, Earth Surface and Interior, Land Cover and Land Use Change, Water and Energy Cycle

Societal Impact

Global maps of soil moisture are of high relevance for a range of agencies and applications, including many hydrological, biological, and biogeochemical processes. Soil moisture data is required for estimation of crop yields, crop hazard alerts due to drought and flood, forecasting of food demands, forest fire prediction, water supply management, and other natural resource activities.

Solution Resources

Interested to learn more about this solution? For more information, visit NISAR.