Late-fall satellite-based soil moisture observations show clear connections to subsequent spring streamflow.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37322084.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-39318-3 and PMC identifier 10272137.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Because runoff production is more efficient over wetter soils, and because soil moisture has an intrinsic memory, soil moisture information can potentially contribute to the accuracy of streamflow predictions at seasonal leads. In this work, we use surface (0-5 cm) soil moisture retrievals obtained with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite instrument in conjunction with streamflow measurements taken within 236 intermediate-scale (2000-10,000 km<sup>2</sup>) unregulated river basins in the conterminous United States to show that late-fall satellite-based surface soil moisture estimates are indeed strongly connected to subsequent springtime streamflow. We thus show that the satellite-based soil moisture retrievals, all by themselves, have the potential to produce skillful seasonal streamflow predictions several months in advance. In poorly instrumented regions, they could perform better than reanalysis soil moisture products in this regard.
Medical subject headings
- Soil
- Rivers