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Data Set ID: 
SPL4SMGP

SMAP L4 9 km EASE-Grid Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture Geophysical Data, Version 1

This document describes the SMAP Level-4 Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture (SPL4SM) data product, which consists of:

For each product, input SMAP L-band brightness temperatures from descending and ascending half-orbit satellite passes (approximately 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. local solar time, respectively) are assimilated into a land surface model that is gridded using an Earth-fixed, global, cylindrical 9 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid, Version 2.0 (EASE-Grid 2.0) projection.

Note: These data are Beta-release quality, meaning that they have not undergone full validation and may still contain significant errors.

There is a more recent version of these data.

Version Summary: 

First public data release

Parameter(s):
  • Soils > Soil Moisture/Water Content
Data Format(s):
  • HDF5
Spatial Coverage:
N: 85.044, 
S: -85.044, 
E: 180, 
W: -180
Platform(s):SMAP Observatory
Spatial Resolution:
  • 9 km x 9 km
Sensor(s):SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER
Temporal Coverage:
  • 31 March 2015
Version(s):V1
Temporal Resolution3 hourMetadata XML:View Metadata Record
Data Contributor(s):Reichle, R., G. De Lannoy, R. D. Koster, W. T. Crow, and J. S. Kimball.

Geographic Coverage

No access options.

As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set using the following citation. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.

Reichle, R., G. De Lannoy, R. D. Koster, W. T. Crow, and J. S. Kimball. 2015. SMAP L4 9 km EASE-Grid Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture Geophysical Data, Version 1. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.5067/HJK4FUNIML52. [Date Accessed].

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How To

Programmatic access to data with services such as subsetting, reformatting, and reprojection
This article provides a step-by-step getting started guide to utilizing an Application Programming Interface, or API, for programmatic access to data from the NSIDC Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) based on spatial and temporal filters, as well as subsetting, reformatting, and... read more
How to import and geolocate SMAP Level-3 and Level-4 data in ENVI
The following are instructions on how to import and geolocate SMAP Level-3 Radiometer Soil Moisture HDF5 data in ENVI. Testing notes Software: ENVI Software version: 5.3 Platform: Windows 7 Data set: SMAP L3 Radiometer Global Daily 36 km EASE-Grid Soil... read more
How do I visualize SMAP data in Worldview?
This video tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on how to visualize SMAP data in Worldview (http://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/). NASA Worldview is a map-based application... read more
How do I search, order, and customize SMAP data using Earthdata Search?
In this step-by-step tutorial, we will demonstrate how to search, order, and customize NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP data using the NASA Earthdata Search application. NASA Earthdata search provides an interactive map-based search environment where you can filter your results based on... read more
How to Import SMAP HDF Data Into ArcGIS
Selected SMAP L4, Version 4 HDF data (SPL4SMAU, SPL4SMGP, & SPL4SMLM) can be added to ArcGIS with a simple drag/drop or using the 'Add Data' function. These data can be imported and visualized but not geolocated. In order to import, project, and scale these data and other SMAP L3 and L4 HDF... read more
How do I access data using OPeNDAP?
Data can be programmatically accessed using NSIDC’s OPeNDAP Hyrax server, allowing you to reformat and subset data based on parameter and array index. For more information on OPeNDAP, including supported data sets and known issues, please see our OPeNDAP documentation: ... read more
How to extract point and area samples of SMAP data using AppEEARS
This step-by-step tutorial demonstrates how to access NASA SMAP data using the Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS). AppEEARS allows users to obtain and display point and area data using spatial, temporal, and layer subsets. SMAP data from NSIDC that are... read more
How to learn more about SMAP ancillary data
SMAP Ancillary data sets are used to produce SMAP Level-1, -2, -3, and -4 standard data products. Several of these ancillary data sets are produced by external organizations, such as NOAA, the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation... read more
How to visualize SMAP WMS layers with ArcGIS and Google Earth
NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) provides up to date, full resolution imagery for selected SMAP data sets. Adding GIBS layers via OGC methods, such as Web Map Service (WMS), Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) and Tiled Web Map Service (TWMS) provides an easy way to visualize the entire time... read more

FAQ

Why does the root zone soil moisture in the SMAP Level-4 soil moisture products vary in such close unison with the surface soil moisture?
The surface and root zone soil moisture estimates in the SMAP Level-4 soil moisture products are the outputs of a land surface model into which SMAP observations of brightness temperature have been assimilated. The coupling between the surface layer and the root zone layer is known to be very... read more
What are the latencies for SMAP radiometer data sets?
The following table describes both the required and actual latencies for the different SMAP radiometer data sets. Latency is defined as the time (# days, hh:mm:ss) from data acquisition to product generation. Short name Title Latency Required Actual (mean1) SPL1AP SMAP L1A... read more
Why do the soil moisture values in the SMAP Level-4 data vary from what I expect in a particular region?
There are a few reasons that the soil moisture data values in SMAP Level-4 data products may vary from what you expect in a particular region. The first step a data user should take in investigating apparently anomalous values is to look at the rich quality information and other data flags... read more
What data subsetting, reformatting, and reprojection services are available for SMAP data?
The following table describes the data subsetting, reformatting, and reprojection services that are currently available for SMAP data via the NASA Earthdata Search tool and a Data Subscription... read more
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NSIDC User Services
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Email: nsidc@nsidc.org