Drought in Action

The National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network

Transforming Soil Moisture Information Delivery

Soil moisture is a critical land surface variable, and an accurate depiction of soil moisture conditions can provide valuable insights for agricultural monitoring, weather prediction, and drought and flood early warning. The United States has a prolific but disconnected collection of in situ (“in place,” i.e., in-ground) soil moisture monitoring networks at the national, state, and local levels, as well as various satellite and modeling efforts that generate soil moisture data. The absence of coordination leads to a host of problems, including many states lacking adequate monitoring, multiple datasets that are not standardized or directly comparable, and lack of clarity around how to target investments to improve the overall monitoring infrastructure. National coordination is needed to guide network deployment, data integration, and user-focused product development.

Working with the USDA and other partners, NIDIS is leading the effort to establish the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network (NCSMMN): a multi-agency, multi-institutional initiative to integrate soil moisture data from around the country and to capitalize on its transformative potential for a wide range of applications across sectors of the economy.

For more information, please contact Marina Skumanich, NIDIS Soil Moisture Program Specialist.

What Is the NCSMMN?

The National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network (NCSMMN) aims to deliver high-quality, easy-to-understand soil moisture products and tools to support better hazard early warning systems; reduce risks from hazards such as drought, flood, and fire; improve crop production and resilience; and improve characterization of water budgets and climate models.

Want to learn more and become a part of the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network Community?

Read the NCSMMN Strategy Sign Up for Email Updates

NCSMMN Goals and Accomplishments

Goals of the Interagency NCSMMN

Establish a national “network of networks” that effectively demonstrates data and operational coordination of in situ networks and addresses gaps in coverage
Support R&D on innovative techniques to merge in situ soil moisture data with remotely-sensed and modeled hydrologic data to create near-real-time, gridded, user-friendly soil moisture maps and associated tools
Build a community of practice and expertise around soil moisture measurement and interpretation—a “network of people” that links data providers, researchers, and the user community

Early Successes of the NCSMMN

Release of the NCSMMN Strategy, which documents a roadmap forward and key recommendations to realize a national network.
Coordinated soil moisture network expansions in the Upper Missouri River Basin and in the Southeastern U.S., both areas that were previously underrepresented
Development of proof-of-concept gridded national soil moisture maps that blend in situ, satellite, and modeled data
Active stakeholder engagement and interaction through annual National Soil Moisture Workshops and other venues

NIDIS-Supported Research for the NCSMMN

National Research

NOAA’s U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN)

Since 2009, NIDIS has provided funding for the development of and research based on a high-quality national soil moisture monitoring network, the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN).

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Blended National Soil Moisture Products to Improve Drought Monitoring

Developed by Ohio State University and Southern Illinois University with NIDIS funding, the research-based website NationalSoilMoisture.com is a proof-of-concept product that blends multiple diverse, quality-controlled soil moisture data into gridded, near-real-time national maps.

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Installation Protocol for In Situ Soil Moisture Data Collection and Period of Record Evaluation

A team at the U.S. Geological Survey is providing guidance on key aspects of soil moisture monitoring, supported by NIDIS funding. The project's goals are to (1) improve the representativeness of in situ soil moisture data in drought monitoring and (2) support the priorities of the NCSMMN.

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Topofire Soil Moisture Modeling to Support Drought Management and Develop an Updated KBDI for Wildfire Management

Researchers at the U.S. Forest Service and University of Montana, funded by NIDIS, are working to upgrade the Topofire model, a soil water balance model, to provide critical new tools to support drought management and wildfire danger assessment.

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Regionally Focused Research

In addition to national-scale research, NIDIS sponsors regional or state-focused soil moisture research efforts that are tuned to the particular needs of different regions.

Here are a few examples: