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On the Importance of Studying Data Gaps in Satellite Soil Moisture Registries
  • +2
  • Lucía Cappelletti,
  • Anna Sörensson,
  • Mercedes Salvia,
  • Romina Ruscica,
  • Esteban Jobbágy
Lucía Cappelletti
CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA), CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA)

Corresponding Author:lucia.cappelletti@cima.fcen.uba.ar

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Anna Sörensson
CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA), CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA)
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Mercedes Salvia
Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio (CONICET/UBA), Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio (CONICET/UBA)
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Romina Ruscica
CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA), CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA)
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Esteban Jobbágy
Grupo de Estudios Ambientales—IMASL CONICET- Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Grupo de Estudios Ambientales—IMASL CONICET- Universidad Nacional de San Luis
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Abstract

Important progress has been made in recent years in characterizing surface soil moisture (SSM) at regional scales, through remote sensing estimates and the implementation of new in situ networks. Each of these sources of information has intrinsic features, such as the dynamic range of the SSM and the temporal frequency of acquisition. Another relevant factor is the period of data availability. Improving the knowledge of the limitations and biases of these features is crucial to increase the potential and the consistency of data sources validations. As a case of study we considered an agricultural area in the Argentinean Pampas, characterized by a sub-humid climate with a marked seasonal dynamic. It also holds a synchronized cropping rhythm and is subject to flooding and waterlogging that can last from days to months. The features mentioned above and considering that the region is almost devoid of irrigation, offer a natural laboratory that is distinguished by a wide dynamic range of SSM conditions. In this context, we analyze and expose different sources of SSM data gaps over long periods of time, using information from in situ stations and from the SMOS and SMAP satellite systems, during 2015-2019. We found SMAP data gaps resulting from the filtering of high SSM signals that are not spurious but typical for this flood-prone region. Reports from national institutions and comparison with other data sources allowed us to identify that high soil water content in the same period in which the data gaps occurred. In a different way, the SMOS register has a low-frequency range of data due to radio frequency interference over the study area. This data gap occurs during a long-anomalously wet period and it is relevant to take it into account when analyzing SMOS data for the full period. Our study shows the importance of using multiple sources of information and the relevance of examining the availability of data.