SMEX02 SMACEX Iowa Tower Meteorological and Flux Data

Central Iowa agricultural fields provide meteorological and flux measurements from the Walnut Creek watershed. The dataset contains eddy covariance and ancillary sensor data from towers, produced by Principal Investigators for NASA. Documentation is noted as being provided solely by the investigators without NSIDC review.

Use Cases

• Analyzing heat flux and net radiation for energy balance studies in croplands.
• Studying relationships between soil temperature, air temperature, and surface winds.
• Modeling carbon and water vapor fluxes using eddy covariance measurements.
• Investigating shortwave and longwave radiation impacts on agricultural microclimates.
• Validating satellite-derived soil moisture and atmospheric data for the SMEX02 campaign.

Strengths

• Data includes multiple atmospheric and soil variables (e.g., heat flux, radiation, temperature, winds).
• Focus on a specific agricultural watershed supports detailed local analysis.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA Earthdata indicates recognized importance.

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts exist: last updated date is 2026-03 12 on Data.gov versus 2002-07-09 on NASA Earthdata.
• Documentation is not reviewed or edited by the hosting center (NSIDC), limiting support.
• Exact row count, file size, and complete column list are unknown across all sources.

Provenance

Source

Principal Investigator(s) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Collection Method

Measured from a variety of sensors mounted on meteorological towers in agricultural fields.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:21:04.547443

Geography

Walnut Creek watershed in central Iowa, USA.