Scientists verify soil moisture data collected by satellites
Monday, August 12, 2013 - 07:00
in Astronomy & Space
The European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission includes the latest advance in using Earth-orbiting satellites for estimating soil moisture across the globe. The SMOS satellite was launched in 2009 and was designed to estimate soil moisture levels to within 4 percent, which is like measuring a teaspoon of water in a handful of dry soil.