Evaluation of Remote Sensing and Reanalysis Products for Global Soil Moisture Characteristics

Abstract

Soil moisture (SM) exists at the land-atmosphere interface and serves as a key driving variable that affects global water balance and vegetation growth. Its importance in climate and earth system studies necessitates a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of mainstream global remote sensing/reanalysis SM products. In this study, we conducted a thorough verification of ten global remote sensing/reanalysis SM products: SMAP DCA, SMAP SCA-H, SMAP SCA-V, SMAP-IB, SMOS IC, SMOS L3, LPRM_C1, LPRM_C2, LPRM_X, and ERA5-Land. The verification was based on ground observation data from the International SM Network (ISMN), considering both static factors (such as climate zone, land cover type, and soil type) and dynamic factors (including SM, leaf area index, and land surface temperature). Our goal was to assess the accuracy and applicability of these products. We analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of global SM and discussed the vegetation effect on SM products. Additionally, we examined the global high-frequency fluctuations in the SMAP L-VOD product, along with their correlation with the normalized difference vegetation index, leaf area index, and vegetation water content. Our findings revealed that product quality was higher in regions located in tropical and arid zones, closed shrubs, loose rocky soil, and gray soil with low soil moisture, low leaf area index, and high average land surface temperature. Among the evaluated products, SMAP-IB, SMAP DCA, SMAP SCA-H, SMAP SCA-V, and ERA5-Land consistently performed better, demonstrating a good ability to capture the spatial and temporal variations in SM and showing a correlation of approximately 0.60 with ISMN. SMOS IC and SMOS L3 followed in performance, while LPRM_C1, LPRM_C2, and LPRM_X exhibited relatively poor results in SM inversion. These findings serve as a valuable reference for improving satellite/reanalysis SM products and conducting global-scale SM studies.