Groundwater and Soil Moisture Conditions from GRACE Data Assimilation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center generate groundwater and soil moisture drought indicators each week. They are based on terrestrial water storage observations derived from GRACE satellite data and integrated with other observations, using a sophisticated numerical model of land surface water and energy processes. The drought indicators describe current wet or dry conditions, expressed as a percentile showing the probability of occurrence within the period of record from 1948 to the 2012, with lower values (warm colors) meaning dryer than normal, and higher values (blues) meaning wetter than normal. These are provided as both images and binary data files.
Soil moisture plays an important role in drought and flood forecasting, agricultural monitoring, forest fire prediction, water supply management, and other natural resource activities. Soil moisture observations can forewarn of impending drought or flood conditions before other more standard indicators are triggered.
Learn MoreFlash drought is the rapid onset or intensification of drought. Unlike slow-evolving drought, which is caused by a decline in precipitation, flash drought occurs when low precipitation is accompanied by abnormally high temperatures, high winds, and/or changes in radiation. These sometimes-rapid changes can quickly raise evapotranspiration rates and remove available water from the landscape.
Learn MoreDrought can reduce the water availability and water quality necessary for productive farms, ranches, and grazing lands, resulting in significant negative direct and indirect economic impacts to the agricultural sector. Monitoring agricultural drought typically focuses on examining levels of precipitation, evaporative demand, soil moisture, and surface/groundwater quantity and quality.
Learn MoreDrought can result in reduced growth rates, increased stress on vegetation, and alterations or transformations to the plant community and/or the entire ecosystem. During periods of drought, plants increase their demand for water through increased evapotranspiration and longer growing seasons.
Learn MoreShallow Groundwater: Wetness Percentile
Surface Soil Moisture: Wetness Percentile
Root Zone Soil Moisture: Wetness Percentile
Soil moisture plays an important role in drought and flood forecasting, agricultural monitoring, forest fire prediction, water supply management, and other natural resource activities. Soil moisture observations can forewarn of impending drought or flood conditions before other more standard indicators are triggered.
Learn MoreFlash drought is the rapid onset or intensification of drought. Unlike slow-evolving drought, which is caused by a decline in precipitation, flash drought occurs when low precipitation is accompanied by abnormally high temperatures, high winds, and/or changes in radiation. These sometimes-rapid changes can quickly raise evapotranspiration rates and remove available water from the landscape.
Learn MoreDrought can reduce the water availability and water quality necessary for productive farms, ranches, and grazing lands, resulting in significant negative direct and indirect economic impacts to the agricultural sector. Monitoring agricultural drought typically focuses on examining levels of precipitation, evaporative demand, soil moisture, and surface/groundwater quantity and quality.
Learn MoreDrought can result in reduced growth rates, increased stress on vegetation, and alterations or transformations to the plant community and/or the entire ecosystem. During periods of drought, plants increase their demand for water through increased evapotranspiration and longer growing seasons.
Learn MoreHow to
What can I do with these data?
- View weekly groundwater, root zone and surface soil moisture maps and compare those with previous weeks.
How do I use the site?
- Roll your cursor over the different map products at the bottom of the page
- To download image, select the “.PNG” or “.PDF” icons below each map product
- View archived maps, compare maps or download data using the tabs at the top of the page
Access
Groundwater and Soil Moisture Conditions from GRACE Data Assimilation Maps: home page for these map products hosted at The National Drought Mitigation Center – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Groundwater and Soil Moisture Conditions from GRACE Data Assimilation data: download weekly data files
