Site Averaged Gravimetric Soil Moisture Data From 1989

1989 data from the FIFE experiment provides site-averaged gravimetric soil moisture measurements. Samples were averaged for each site and then for each day. The dataset is managed by ORNL_CLOUD.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily soil moisture trends using the site-averaged values.
• Validating hydrological or climate models with field-measured soil water content.
• Studying land-surface processes during the 1989 FIFE experiment period.
• Correlating soil moisture with other FIFE experiment atmospheric or vegetation data.

Strengths

• Data is processed to provide site-averaged and day-averaged values, reducing raw sample noise.
• Sourced from the well-documented FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) field campaign.
• Available on multiple authoritative platforms (nasa_earthdata, datagov), indicating established use.

Limitations

• Exact row count, column names, and dataset size are unknown across all sources.
• Sources conflict on temporal coverage: descriptions state 1987-1989 but note 'includes only 1989 data'.
• Sources conflict on last update date (1989-08-12 vs. 2026-03-12), suggesting metadata inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Gravimetric soil moisture samples collected and averaged per site and per day during the FIFE experiment.

Time Range

1989

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:28:07.572718

Geography

FIFE experiment site (Konza Prairie, Kansas, USA).