Satellite soil moisture observations: applications in the UK and India: report of pump priming project

The India-UK Water Centre (IUKWC) promotes cooperation and collaboration between the complementary priorities of NERC-MoES water security research. Soil moisture is a critical parameter for understanding the Earth system and in recent years there has been a proliferation of satellite-based soil moisture products. This report investigates current and potential future applications of satellite soil moisture data, with a focus on applications in the UK and India. It represents an overview of the activities and outcomes of an India-UK Water Centre Pump Priming Project entitled ‘Synergistic utilisation of EO-based soil moisture observations: Applications in the UK and India’ that were led by the UK co-lead. A review of the literature was conducted, as well as, a survey of end-users and a proof-of-concept demonstration on the use of low-cost sensors for validating satellite soil moisture products. The report is intended for India-UK Water Centre members and stakeholders, and anyone with an interest in the use of soil moisture observation from satellites.