FIFE Soil Moisture Gridded Data from Multi-Source Observations

Grid node values represent the average soil moisture of a 0.5 km x 0.5 km area centered at each location. The dataset was created by ORNL_CLOUD using the correlation area method to combine in-situ measurements, airborne gamma remote sensing, and PBMR data to estimate soil moisture contours. Data from the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE) was processed in an ARC/INFO GIS, with the most recent metadata update recorded in 2026.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived soil moisture products using gridded in-situ and airborne gamma estimates.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of soil moisture for hydrological modeling in the FIFE study area.
• Studying the relationship between biomass, vegetation distribution, and soil moisture using PBMR-derived estimates.
• Applying spatial statistical interpolation methods to create continuous soil moisture fields from point observations.

Strengths

• Data combines multiple measurement sources: in-situ ground truth, airborne gamma remote sensing, and PBMR measurements.
• Provides spatially interpolated soil moisture estimates on a uniform grid with a 0.5 km x 0.5 km resolution.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals community importance and curation.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row/record counts are not provided by any source, limiting precise data assessment.
• Sources conflict on the 'Last updated' date, listing both 1989-10-31 and 2026-03 12, creating uncertainty about provenance timeline.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Correlation Area Method (CAM) used to combine in-situ and airborne gamma estimates; PBMR data processed with biomass/vegetation models and simple ground-data methods; all data entered into ARC/INFO GIS for contour analysis and grid interpolation.

Time Range

Associated with the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE), circa 1980s.

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:22:40.318251

Geography

FIFE study area (likely Konza Prairie, Kansas).