2026 National Soil Moisture Workshop

About the Workshop

The 17th annual National Soil Moisture Workshop was held on June 9–11, 2026 at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. Hosted by NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) in partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies (CISESS), this science meeting is a core component of work conducted by the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network (NCSMMN). 

This year’s theme was Soil Moisture and Natural Hazards. Presentations covered topics including drought tracking and communication, agricultural resilience to drought, validation of remote-sensed products, expansion of in situ measurements, and the role of soil moisture information in wildfire management and impacts. 

Video recordings of the workshop presentations are available below. 

This year, the workshop also included:

• A pre-workshop meeting exploring next steps and ideas for improving communication of soil moisture Information. This discussion-based session included a dialogue about audience engagement, a review of soil moisture data formats mesonets commonly use, and discussion of existing communication gaps and opportunities.
•  A field trip to Coweeta Experimental Forest, where participants toured a classic soil moisture flow experiment, viewed a burn treatment area, and learned about other long-term research critical to understanding forest hydrology. 

Find video recordings and highlights from prior years’ meetings on drought.gov.

2026 Soil Moisture Community Leadership Award Recipient: Stephanie Connolly

Stephanie Connolly was the recipient of the 2026 Soil Moisture Community Leadership Award. Ms. Connolly is the Soil Scientist and Field Liaison for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Northern Research Station. She receives this award for her technical expertise, track record of successful collaboration and coordination across agencies, and ability to translate research into practical tools for land and fire management. For more than a decade, Ms. Connolly has worked collaboratively to establish and expand a National Forest Soil Moisture Monitoring Network—an achievement that has had major implications for drought monitoring, forest management, and wildfire management efforts. 

Beyond her leadership in network building, Ms. Connolly has demonstrated commitment to community engagement and collaboration. She serves on the coordinating team of the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network and has repeatedly supported planning for the annual National Soil Moisture Workshop, including arranging field trips to national forests that are a highly rated event of the workshops. She also played a central role in multiple national committees and interagency efforts, including serving as planning committee facilitator for both the 2021 End User Listening Session and the 2021 Soil Moisture Sensor Operator Workshop. She planned, facilitated, and hosted the 2023 Workshop for Forest Soil Moisture Monitoring in Beltsville, Maryland—a landmark event bringing together leading soil moisture scientists, U.S. Forest Service researchers, state climatologists, and technology developers to advance the field of forest soil moisture monitoring. Her efforts have been central to advancing dialogue around measurement gaps, emerging sensor technologies, and opportunities for scaling soil moisture data for operational forest management. 

Ms. Connolly’s ability to connect researchers, land managers, and technical experts has substantially strengthened coordination between federal agencies, universities, and state partners working in soil moisture monitoring, modeling, and applications. She brings to the community a combination of scientific credibility, strategic vision, and ability to convene partners around a shared goal. 

The Soil Moisture Community Leadership Award is presented annually at the National Soil Moisture Workshop to the individual, either research- or practitioner-oriented, who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to building the soil moisture community of practice and delivering soil moisture–related products and services to support the public good.

Workshop Agenda and Presentation Recordings

View the Workshop Agenda PDF.

For more information, please contact Elise Osenga (elise.osenga@noaa.gov).