Mission Overview
SMAP will provide measurements of the land surface soil moisture and freeze-thaw state with near-global revisit coverage in 2–3 days. SMAP surface measurements will be coupled with hydrologic models to infer soil moisture conditions in the root zone. These measurements will enable science applications users to:
1) Understand processes that link the terrestrial water, energy and carbon cycles; 2) Estimate global water and energy fluxes at the land surface; 3) Quantify net carbon flux in boreal landscapes; 4) Enhance weather and climate forecast skill; 5) Develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capability.
SMAP observations will be acquired for a period of at least three years after launch. A comprehensive validation, science, and applications program will be implemented, and all data will be made available publicly through the NASA archive centers.
Read more about this topic: Soil Moisture Active Passive
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