NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission

NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission

Susan Moran (USDA ARS)Vanessa Escobar, Molly Brown and Peggy O'Neill (NASA GSFC)Dara Entekhabi (MIT)Eni Njoku and Kent Kellogg (JPL Caltech/NASA)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadena, California

US National Research Council Report: “Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the next Decade and Beyond”

(National Research Council, 2007) http://www.nap.edu

SMAP is one of four missions SMAP is one of four missions recommended by the NRC “Decadal recommended by the NRC “Decadal Survey” for launch in the 2010–2013 Survey” for launch in the 2010–2013 time frametime frame

Tier 1: 2010–2013 Launch

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)

ICESAT II

DESDynI

CLARREO


SWOT

HYSPIRI

ASCENDS

GEO-CAFE

ACE


LIST

PATH

GRACE-II

SCLP

GACM

3D-WINDS

Project/Mission Context

• Feb 2008: NASA announces start of SMAP project

• SMAP is a directed-mission with heritage from Hydros

• Hydros risk-reduction performed during Phase A (instrument, spacecraft dynamics, science, ground system)Cancelled 2005 due to NASA budgetary constraints



Requirement Hydro-Meteorology

Hydro-Climatology

Carbon Cycle

Baseline MissionSoil

MoistureFreeze/Thaw

Resolution 4–15 km 50–100 km 1–10 km 10 km 3 kmRefresh Rate 2–3 days 3–4 days 2–3 days(1) 3 days 2 days(1) Accuracy 4–6% ** 4–6%** 80–70%* 4%** 80%*(*) % classification accuracy (binary Freeze/Thaw) (**) [cm3 cm-3] volumetric water content, 1-sigma

Science Requirements

(1)North of 45N latitude

DS Objective Application Science RequirementWeather Forecast Initialization of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) Hydrometeorology

Climate PredictionBoundary and Initial Conditions for Seasonal Climate Prediction Models HydroclimatologyTesting Land Surface Models in General Circulation Models

Drought and Agriculture Monitoring

Seasonal Precipitation PredictionHydroclimatologyRegional Drought Monitoring

Crop Outlook

Flood Forecast Improvements

River Forecast Model Initialization HydrometeorologyFlash Flood Guidance (FFG)NWP Initialization for Precipitation Forecast

Human Health

Seasonal Heat Stress Outlook HydroclimatologyNear-Term Air Temperature and Heat Stress Forecast HydrometeorologyDisease Vector Seasonal Outlook HydroclimatologyDisease Vector Near-Term Forecast (NWP) Hydrometeorology

Boreal Carbon Freeze/Thaw Date Freeze/Thaw State



Global mapping of Soil Moisture and Freeze/Thaw state

Mission Science Objective

Primary Controls on Land Evaporation and Biosphere Primary Productivity

Freeze/Thaw

Radiation

Soil Moisture

SMAP Mission Concept• L-band unfocused SAR and radiometer

system, offset-fed 6 m light-weight deployable mesh reflector. Shared feed for

1.26 GHz dual-pol Radar at 1-3 km (30% nadir gap)

1.4 GHz polarimetric Radiometer at 40 km

• Conical scan, fixed incidence angle across swath

• Contiguous 1000 km swath with 2-3 days revisit

• Sun-synchronous 6am/6pm orbit (680 km)

• Launch 2014

• Mission duration 3 years





Sources:Global Forecast/Analysis System Bulletinshttp://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/gmb/STATS/html/model_changes.html

The ECMWF Forecasting System Since 1979http://ecmwf.int/products/forecasts/guide/The_general_circulation_model.html

Trends in Short-Term Weather (0-14 Days) NWP Resolution

Hydrometeorology Applications: NWP

SMAP



Dry Spring Soil Moisture Wet Spring Soil Moisture

Summer Air Temperature Anomaly [ºC]

Fischer et al. (2007): Soil Moisture–Atmosphere Interactions during the 2003 European Summer Heat Wave, Journal of Climate, 20, 5089-5099.

SMAP soil moisture observations would enhance quality of seasonal climate predictions.

2003 European heat-wave caused 35,000 deathsNew Scientist (Oct. 10 2003).

Model simulations showing predicted summer air temperature anomalies using two different initializations of spring soil moisture conditions.

Climate Prediction



Flood Prediction and Drought Monitoring

Current: Empirical Soil Moisture Indices Based on Rainfall and Air Temperature ( By Counties >40 km and Climate Divisions >55 km )

Future: SMAP Soil Moisture Observations at 10 km

Current Operational Drought Indices by NOAA (NIDIS - National Integrated Drought Information System)

Current NWS Operational Flash Flood Guidance (FFG)



Applications of Seasonal Prediction and Human Health

Fischer et al. (2007), J. of Climate, 20.

European heatwave cause 35,000 deaths, New Scientist, Oct. 2003.

Seasonal Climate Prediction:50 km ResolutionInitialize rootzone moisture



Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate projections :

Li et al., (2007): Evaluation of IPCC AR4 soil moisture simulations for the second half of the twentieth century, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112.

Models disagree on whether there would be MORE or LESS water compared to today

Models agree on basic temperature response

Climate Change and Water Resources Impacts

Change in Temperature [ºC] Change in Soil Moisture [%]

0

-1

2

3

1

-2

-3N A

merica

SE A

siaSa

hel

S Europe

Austr

alia

0-1

234

1

-2-3-4

5

-5

6

-6

N Ameri

ca

SE A

siaSa

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S Europe

Austr

alia



Herring, D. and R. Kannenberg: The mystery of the missing carbon, NASA Earth Observatory.

Goulden et al., 1998: Sensitivity of Boreal Forest Carbon Balance to Soil Thaw, Science, 279.

Early Thaw Date (1998)

The ‘missing carbon’: Depending on freeze/thaw date, same location can be a net source or net sink of carbon.

SMAP freeze/thaw measurements would reduce errors in the closing of carbon budget.

Normal to Late Thaw Dates (1995, 1996, 1997)

Carbon Dioxide Exchange

Accu

mul

ated

Car

bon

(g/m

2 )



Naval Ice Center will use experiment data for high resolution mapping of marine and littoral ice cover and ice characteristics

Air Force Weather Agency will use experiment data to

1. Initialize Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model for aviation weather, severe weather, cloud, and fog forecasts2. Input into Dust Transport Model (DTM)

US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, ArmyResearch Laboratory, G-2, Corps of Engineers, and

Marine Corps will use SMAP experiment data to validate and improve tools to evaluate threat and friendly mobility

1. Cross Country Mobility (CCM) 2. Tri-service Integrated Weather Effects Decision Aid (IWEDA) 3. Battlespace Terrain Reasoning / Awareness (BTRA) 4. Opportune Landing System (OLS)

5. Integrated air/space operations support models/analysis6. Civil-Military Operations (Agriculture Forecasts, Water Resources Assessments)

Documentation1. AFSPC weather information key EDR

2. JROC-Approved NPOESS IORD-II (KPP 4.1.6.1.6) SMDC-0902

DoD Applications





Product Short Description Resolution Latency

L1A_S0 Radar raw data in time order – 12 hours

Instrument Data

L1A_TB Radiometer raw data in time order – 12 hours

L1B_S0_LoRes Low resolution radar σo in time order 5x30 km 12 hours

L1B_TB Radiometer TB in time order 36x47 km 12 hours

L1C_S0_HiRes High resolution radar σo 1-3 km 12 hours

L1C_TB Radiometer TB 36 km 12 hours

L2_SM_A Soil moisture (radar) 3 km 24 hoursScience Data (Half-Orbit)

L2_SM_P Soil moisture (radiometer) 36 km 24 hours

L2_SM_A/P Soil moisture (radar/radiometer) 9 km 24 hours

L3_F/T_A Freeze/thaw state (radar) 3 km 36 hoursScience Data

(Daily Composite)L3_SM_P Soil moisture (radiometer) 36 km 36 hours

L3_SM_A/P Soil moisture (radar/radiometer) 9 km 36 hours

L4_SM Soil moisture (surface & root zone) 9 km 7 days ScienceValue-AddedL4_C Carbon net ecosystem exchange (NEE) 9 km 14 days

SMAP Data Products





Anthropogenic Radio-Frequency Interference (RFI)

RFI is evident and wide-spread(Data from SMOS)

SMAP is taking aggressive measures to detect and mitigate RFI in its instrument and data processing designs.

Documents

NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission