 USDA/NRCS
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Soil Moisture and Soil Temperature Observations and Applications Workshop
Bob Zamora represented the HMT Program at the Soil Moisture and Soil Temperature Observations and Applications Workshop held in Oak Ridge, TN on 3-5 March 2009. Two objective of this joint U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) – National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) workshop were to examine the various networks and methods currently in use, and to develop recommendations for soil moisture and temperature monitoring for the joint USCRN/NIDIS effort. Soil moisture and temperature information is important for both long-term climate/drought monitoring and short-term flash flood forecasting.
During the first part of the workshop operators of in-situ soil moisture/temperature networks from NOAA (including HMT networks), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN), the Illinois Water Survey, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska shared their expertise and experiences with regard to the operation of their networks. Scientists from NOAA/NESDIS and the USDA presented the result of their investigations that utilized remote sensing method to retrieve soil moisture and temperature information.
In the discussions that followed, each group helped to develop a unified set of protocols. These protocols were the foundation for recommendations guiding the installation of the soil moisture and temperature probes that will soon be added to the USCRN sites by the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory. The areas covered by the recommendations include the type of probes that should be used, site selection criteria, data sampling protocols, and calibration protocols.
