SMEX03 QuikSCAT Backscatter Data for Soil Moisture

2003 data from the Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 (SMEX03) collected over Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, USA, and Brazil. The dataset contains microwave radiance and radar backscatter measurements from the QuikSCAT/SeaWinds satellite instrument, managed by NASA.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating soil moisture models using microwave backscatter coefficients.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of land surface properties across diverse agricultural and regional test sites.
• Studying the relationship between radar backscatter and soil conditions for satellite algorithm development.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled NASA field experiment (SMEX03) designed for soil moisture validation.
• Provides specialized microwave radiance and radar backscatter measurements from a satellite instrument.
• Covers multiple distinct geographical regions including the southeastern US, Oklahoma, and Brazil.

Limitations

• Key technical specifications such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• There is a conflict in the last updated date: Data.gov lists 2026-03 12 (likely a metadata error), while NASA Earthdata lists 2003-12-31.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by the QuikSCAT/SeaWinds satellite instrument during the Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 (SMEX03) field campaign.

Time Range

2003

Freshness

2003-12 31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, USA, and Brazil.