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Data Set ID:
SPL2SMA

SMAP L2 Radar Half-Orbit 3 km EASE-Grid Soil Moisture, Version 3

This Level-2 (L2) soil moisture product provides estimates of global land surface conditions retrieved by the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) active radar during 6:00 a.m. descending half-orbit passes, as well as ancillary data such as surface temperature and vegetation water content. Input backscatter data used to derive soil moisture are resampled to an Earth-fixed, global, cylindrical 3 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid, Version 2.0 (EASE-Grid 2.0).

This is the most recent version of these data.

Version Summary:

Changes to this version include:

  • Transitioned to Validated-Stage 1
  • Uses updated SPL1CS0 V3 as input
  • Updates to some of the data cubes
  • Update of crop database
  • Modified iterative bias correction
  • Estimation of VWC

For the full major and minor version history, go to https://nsidc.org/data/smap/data_versions.

COMPREHENSIVE Level of Service

Data: Data integrity and usability verified; data customization services available for select data

Documentation: Key metadata and comprehensive user guide available

User Support: Assistance with data access and usage; guidance on use of data in tools and data customization services

See All Level of Service Details

Parameter(s):
  • RADAR > SIGMA NAUGHT
  • SOILS > SOIL MOISTURE/WATER CONTENT > SOIL MOISTURE
Data Format(s):
  • HDF5
Spatial Coverage:
N: 85.044, 
S: -85.044, 
E: 180, 
W: -180
Platform(s):SMAP Observatory
Spatial Resolution:
  • 3 km x 3 km
Sensor(s):SMAP L-Band Radar
Temporal Coverage:
  • 13 April 2015 to 7 July 2015
Version(s):V3
Temporal Resolution49 minuteMetadata XML:View Metadata Record
Data Contributor(s):Kim, S., J. Van Zyl, R. S. Dunbar, E. G. Njoku, J. T. Johnson, M. Moghaddam, and L. Tsang.

Geographic Coverage
Other Access Options

Other Access Options

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Download Via HTTPS: An Earthdata Login account is required to access these data.

Once you have logged in, you will be able to click and download files via a Web browser. There are also options for downloading via a command line or client. For more detailed instructions, please see Options Available for Bulk Downloading Data from HTTPS with Earthdata Login.

Earthdata Search: This application allows you to search, visualize, and access data across thousands of Earth science data sets. Additional customization services are available for select data sets, including subsetting, reformatting, and reprojection.

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.

Kim, S., J. Van Zyl, R. S. Dunbar, E. G. Njoku, J. T. Johnson, M. Moghaddam, and L. Tsang. 2016. SMAP L2 Radar Half-Orbit 3 km EASE-Grid Soil Moisture, Version 3. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.5067/J8SGO1E0Y9XZ. [Date Accessed].

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How To

Programmatic Data Access Guide
Data from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) can be accessed directly from our HTTPS file system or through our Application Programming Interface (API). Our API offers you the ability to order data using specific temporal and spatial filters... read more
How to import and geolocate SMAP Level-1C and Level-2 data in ENVI
The following are instructions on how to import and geolocate SMAP Level-1C HDF5 data in ENVI. Testing notes Software: ENVI Software version: 5.3 and above. If using version 5.3, service pack 5.3.1 is needed.  Platform: Windows 7 Data set: SMAP L1C... 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
Search, order, and customize NSIDC DAAC data with NASA Earthdata Search
NASA Earthdata Search is a map-based interface where a user can search for Earth science data, filter results based on spatial and temporal constraints, and order data with customizations including re-formatting, re-projecting, and spatial and parameter subsetting. Thousands of Earth science data... read more
Filter and order from a data set web page
Many NSIDC data set web pages provide the ability to search and filter data with spatial and temporal contstraints using a map-based interface. This article outlines how to order NSIDC DAAC data using advanced searching and filtering.  Step 1: Go to a data set web page This article will use the... read more
How do I convert an HDF5/HDF-EOS5 file into binary format?
To convert HDF5 files into binary format you will need to use the h5dump utility, which is part of the HDF5 distribution available from the HDF Group. How you install HDF5 depends on your operating system. Full instructions for installing and using h5dump on Mac/Unix and... read more

FAQ

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, a Data Subscription, and Programmatic Access. Short name Title Subsetting Reformatting... read more
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Questions? Please contact:
NSIDC User Services
Phone: 1 303 492-6199
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org