202625_SPoRTLIS_VSM

Update Frequency: Daily Summary: Land Information System (LIS) 0-200 cm layer Soil Moisture Percentile generated by the NASA SPoRT Center over a Contiguous United States domain. The NASA Land Information System (LIS) is a high-performance land surface modeling and data assimilation system used to characterize land surface states and fluxes by integrating satellite-derived datasets, ground-based observations, and model re-analyses. The NASA SPoRT Center at MSFC developed a real-time configuration of the LIS (“SPoRT-LIS”), which is designed for use in experimental operations by domestic and international users. SPoRT-LIS is an observations-driven, historical and real-time modeling setup that runs the Noah land surface model over a full CONUS domain. It provides soil moisture estimates at approximately 3-km horizontal grid spacing over a 2-meter-deep soil column and has been validated for regional applications and against U.S. Drought Monitor products. SPoRT-LIS consists of a 33-year soil moisture climatology spanning from 1981 to 2013, which is extended to the present time and forced by atmospheric analyses from the operational North American Land Data Assimilation System-Phase 2 through 4 days prior to the current time, and by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Data Assimilation System in combination with hourly Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor precipitation estimates from 4 days ago to the present time. A unique feature of SPoRT-LIS is the incorporation of daily, real-time satellite retrievals of VIIRS Green Vegetation Fraction since 2012, which results in more representative evapotranspiration and ultimately soil moisture estimates than using a fixed seasonal depiction of vegetation in the model. The 33-year soil moisture climatology also provides the database for real-time soil moisture percentiles evaluated for all U.S. counties and at each modeled grid point. The present-day soil moisture analyses are compared to daily historical distributions to determine the soil wet/dry anomalies for the specific day of the year. Soil moisture percentile maps are constructed for the model layers, and these data are frequently referenced by scientists and operational agencies contributing to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor product. Suggested Use: This product can be used for drought assessment, fire risk assessment, potential for flooding hazards associated with heavy precipitation and high percentiles; contextualizing soil moisture content to historical values. Soil moisture percentiles are shown using a Classified Color Ramp (Multi-Color, 11-classes) that colorize the low percentile categories (≤ 30th) as shown in the U.S. Drought Monitor weekly products, ranging from yellow to dark red. The high percentile categories (≥ 70th) are colorized with increasing blue intensity. Intermediate percentiles in the 30th to 70th range are assigned a nominal gray shade. The 0-200 cm layer combines SPoRT-LIS soil moisture analyses from the top four model layers 0-10 cm, 10-40 cm, 40-100 cm, and 100-200cm. The 0-100 cm cumulative layer adjusts more slowly to precipitation episodes or the lack thereof compared to the 0-10 cm and 0-40 cm percentiles. It takes considerably longer time periods for intercepted rainfall and snowmelt to infiltrate from the upper 0-10 cm and 10-40 cm layers into the next model layer at 40-100 cm, or conversely for the deeper soil layer to dry from evapotranspiration processes. Expect anomalies of soil moisture percentiles in the 0-100 cm cumulative layer to respond on the order of weeks to months (or longer, especially during dry periods), depending on the soil classification and soil responsiveness. Data Caveats: The SPoRT-LIS is as good as the input forcing analyses, so occasional soil moisture artifacts may appear in the horizontal maps related to quality-control issues of the input datasets. These can be manifested with unusually low or high percentiles, especially along international borders, coastlines, and isolated dry “bulls-eyes” at rain gauge with quality issues. Data Visualization: The Soil Moisture Percentile is the histogram rank of the current day’s soil moisture value compared to the 33-year climatology for the present day. The percentile places into historical context the soil moisture to determine how unusually wet or dry, or typical the conditions are. Percentile thresholds as established by the drought community are used to categorize soil moisture dry anomalies as follows: Further Reference: NASA SPoRT project page: https://weather.ndc.nasa.gov/sport/ Real-time SPoRT-LIS viewer: https://weather.ndc.nasa.gov/sport/viewer/?dataset=lis_conus Daily animations of experimental 2-week forecasts of SPoRT-LIS soil moisture percentiles: https://geo.nsstc.nasa.gov/SPoRT/modeling/lis/conus3km/forecasts/ NASA Land Information System project page: https://lis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ U.S. Drought Monitor page: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Esri REST Endpoint: See URL Section on right side of page

NOTE: the Disasters Program is aware that at some extents and dates the symbology does not properly load. This issue usually resolves when zooming/panning around for some reason. A fix is forthcoming. Update Frequency: Daily Summary: Land Information System (LIS) 0-100 cm layer Soil Moisture Percentile generated by the NASA SPoRT Center over a Contiguous United States domain. The NASA Land Information System (LIS) is a high-performance land surface modeling and data assimilation system used to characterize land surface states and fluxes by integrating satellite-derived datasets, ground-based observations, and model re-analyses. The NASA SPoRT Center at MSFC developed a real-time configuration of the LIS (“SPoRT-LIS”), which is designed for use in experimental operations by domestic and international users. SPoRT-LIS is an observations-driven, historical and real-time modeling setup that runs the Noah land surface model over a full CONUS domain. It provides soil moisture estimates at approximately 3-km horizontal grid spacing over a 2-meter-deep soil column and has been validated for regional applications and against U.S. Drought Monitor products. SPoRT-LIS consists of a 33-year soil moisture climatology spanning from 1981 to 2013, which is extended to the present time and forced by atmospheric analyses from the operational North American Land Data Assimilation System-Phase 2 through 4 days prior to the current time, and by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Data Assimilation System in combination with hourly Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor precipitation estimates from 4 days ago to the present time. A unique feature of SPoRT-LIS is the incorporation of daily, real-time satellite retrievals of VIIRS Green Vegetation Fraction since 2012, which results in more representative evapotranspiration and ultimately soil moisture estimates than using a fixed seasonal depiction of vegetation in the model. The 33-year soil moisture climatology also provides the database for real-time soil moisture percentiles evaluated for all U.S. counties and at each modeled grid point. The present-day soil moisture analyses are compared to daily historical distributions to determine the soil wet/dry anomalies for the specific day of the year. Soil moisture percentile maps are constructed for the model layers, and these data are frequently referenced by scientists and operational agencies contributing to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor product. Suggested Use: This product can be used for drought assessment, fire risk assessment, potential for flooding hazards associated with heavy precipitation and high percentiles; contextualizing soil moisture content to historical values. Soil moisture percentiles are shown using a Classified Color Ramp (Multi-Color, 11-classes) that colorize the low percentile categories (≤ 30th) as shown in the U.S. Drought Monitor weekly products, ranging from yellow to dark red. The high percentile categories (≥ 70th) are colorized with increasing blue intensity. Intermediate percentiles in the 30th to 70th range are assigned a nominal gray shade. The 0-100 cm layer combines SPoRT-LIS soil moisture analyses from the top three model layers 0-10 cm, 10-40 cm, and 40-100 cm. The 0-100 cm cumulative layer adjusts more slowly to precipitation episodes or the lack thereof compared to the 0-10 cm and 0-40 cm percentiles. It takes considerably longer time periods for intercepted rainfall and snowmelt to infiltrate from the upper 0-10 cm and 10-40 cm layers into the next model layer at 40-100 cm, or conversely for the deeper soil layer to dry from evapotranspiration processes. Expect anomalies of soil moisture percentiles in the 0-100 cm cumulative layer to respond on the order of weeks to months (or longer, especially during dry periods), depending on the soil classification and soil responsiveness. Data Caveats: The SPoRT-LIS is as good as the input forcing analyses, so occasional soil moisture artifacts may appear in the horizontal maps related to quality-control issues of the input datasets. These can be manifested with unusually low or high percentiles, especially along international borders, coastlines, and isolated dry “bulls-eyes” at rain gauge with quality issues. Data Visualization: The Soil Moisture Percentile is the histogram rank of the current day’s soil moisture value compared to the 33-year climatology for the present day. The percentile places into historical context the soil moisture to determine how unusually wet or dry, or typical the conditions are. Percentile thresholds as established by the drought community are used to categorize soil moisture dry anomalies as follows: Further Reference: NASA SPoRT project page: https://weather.ndc.nasa.gov/sport/ Real-time SPoRT-LIS viewer: https://weather.ndc.nasa.gov/sport/viewer/?dataset=lis_conus Access to real-time rolling archive of digital data and in various formats: https://geo.nsstc.nasa.gov/SPoRT/modeling/lis/conus3km/ Daily animations of experimental 2-week forecasts of SPoRT-LIS soil moisture percentiles: https://geo.nsstc.nasa.gov/SPoRT/modeling/lis/conus3km/forecasts/ NASA Land Information System project page: https://lis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ U.S. Drought Monitor page: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Esri REST Endpoint:  See URL Section on right side of page

Dates of Images: September 22, 2026 Date of Next Image: Unknown Summary: SMAP Level-4 (L4) surface and root zone soil moisture (L4_SM) data are provided in three products. The SMAP L4 Global 3-hourly 9 km EASE-Grid Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture Geophysical Data (SPL4SMGP, DOI: 10.5067/T5RUATAQREF8) product is a series of 3-hourly time average geophysical land surface fields that are output by the L4_SM algorithm. It is likely of primary interest to most users. The SMAP L4 Global 3-hourly 9 km EASE-Grid Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture Analysis Update (SPL4SMAU, DOI: 10.5067/02LGW4DGJYRX) product provides diagnostics from the land surface analysis updates. It consists of a series of 3-hourly instantaneous (or snapshot) files that contain the assimilated SMAP observations, the corresponding land model predictions and analysis estimates, and additional data assimilation diagnostics. Lastly, the SMAP L4 Global 9 km EASE-Grid Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture Land Model Constants (SPL4SMLM, DOI: 10.5067/PXQIBL2ALDZD) product provides static (time-invariant) land surface model constants that will be needed by some users for further interpretation of the geophysical land surface fields. This product consists of only one granule (file) per L4_SM data product version (as defined by a distinct Science Version ID). For each product, SMAP L-band brightness temperature data from descending and ascending half-orbit satellite passes (approximately 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. local solar time, respectively) are assimilated into a land surface model that is gridded using an Earth-fixed, global cylindrical 9 km Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid, Version 2.0 (EASE-Grid 2.0) projection. Parameter(s): ROOT ZONE SOIL MOISTURE SURFACE SOIL MOISTURE Platform(s): GEOS-5SMAP Sensor(s): NOT APPLICABLE (root zone) SMAP L-BAND RADIOMETER (surface soil moisture) Data Format(s): GeoTIFF Temporal Resolution: 3 hour Spatial Resolution: 9 km Spatial Reference System(s): WGS 84 / NSIDC EASE-Grid 2.0 Global EPSG:6933 Credits: Funding was provided by the NASA SMAP Mission. Computational resources were provided by the NASA High-End Computing program through the NASA Center for Climate Simulation. The generation and dissemination of SMAP data products possible includes staff at GSFC, JPL, and NSIDC.

The NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Global Web-Enabled Landsat Data Monthly (GWELDMO) Version 3.2 data product provides Landsat data at 30 meter (m) resolution for terrestrial non-Antarctica locations over monthly reporting periods for the 2005 epoch. GWELD products are generated from all available Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat archive. The GWELD suite of products provides a consistent data source to derive land cover as well as geophysical and biophysical information for regional assessment of land surface dynamics. The GWELD products include Nadir Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF)-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) for the reflective wavelength bands and top of atmosphere (TOA) brightness temperature for the thermal bands. The products are defined in the Sinusoidal coordinate system to promote continuity of NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land tile grid. Provided in the GWELDMO product are layers for surface reflectance bands 1-5 and 7, TOA brightness temperature for thermal bands, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), day of year, ancillary angle, and data quality information. A low-resolution red, green, blue (RGB) browse image of bands 5, 4, 3 is also available for each granule. Known Issues * GWELDYR Version 3.2 known issues can be found in Section 4 of the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD). * Within the CFMask_State layer, the valid range is listed in the granule metadata as 0 to 65534 which includes the fill value. To avoid inclusion of the fill value, the valid range should be considered 1 to 65534 as reflected in the Data Layers Characteristics table above. * Within the CFMask_State layer, the bit flag descriptions include a description for bit 0 that contradicts the listed fill value. In the description, bit 0 is stated as 1 when fill value is present, which prevents the use of 0 as the fill value. To avoid errors when using the CFMask_State layer, bit 0 should be ignored as an indicator of fill value.

Rasters/CONUS_NLCD_10yr_intervals

Rasters/SoilLoss_AvoidedDueToNaturalVeg