AirMOSS P-Band Radar Data for Root-Zone Soil Moisture

2012 to 2015 data provides Level 1 polarimetric radar backscattering coefficients (sigma-0) from the NASA AirMOSS P-band SAR instrument. Collected during biannual flight campaigns over 10 North American study sites, including La Selva Biological Station, this dataset supports retrieval of root-zone soil moisture. The NASA project aims to analyze seasonal and inter-annual soil moisture variability and its relationship to continental carbon fluxes.

Use Cases

• Retrieving root-zone soil moisture (RZSM) using polarimetric radar backscatter coefficients (sigma-0).
• Analyzing seasonal and inter-annual variability in soil moisture across 10 North American study sites.
• Investigating relationships between subsurface soil moisture and ecosystem carbon fluxes.
• Calibrating and validating synthetic aperture radar (SAR) models for P-band (420 440 MHz) frequencies.
• Geospatial analysis of radar data products that are multilook complex, polarimetrically calibrated, and georeferenced.

Strengths

• Provides multi-year temporal coverage from at least 2012 to 2015, enabling analysis of inter-annual variability.
• Data is collected from 10 distinct study sites across North America, offering continental-scale spatial coverage.
• Features polarimetrically calibrated, georeferenced P-band SAR data, a specific frequency band designed for subsurface sensing.
• Dataset is hosted by NASA and appears on multiple platforms, indicating its importance and curation.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2026 and another listing 2015, creating uncertainty about recent maintenance.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on one platform and null on another, requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Data gathered via the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instrument flown on a NASA Gulfstream-III aircraft.

Time Range

2012 to 2015

Freshness

2026-03-13 19:18:09.979796

Geography

10 study sites across North America, including specific data over the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica.