Soil Moisture Active Passive Validation Experiment 2016- Iowa (SMAPVEX16-IA) Experiment Plan Iowa Landscape July 2014 Ver. 5/20/16 Table of Contents 1. Introduction .........................................................................................................................8 1.1. Role of Field Campaigns in SMAP Cal/Val...................................................................8 1.2. Science Objectives for a Post-Launch SMAP Aircraft-Based Field Campaign ...............9 1.2.1. Investigate and resolve anomalous observations and products ...............................9 1.2.2. Improving up-scaling functions for CVS .............................................................. 10 1.2.3. Contribution to a broader scientific/application objective.................................... 10 1.2.4. Validate the L2SMAP algorithm process: pending new directions ....................... 13 2. SMAPVEX16 Aircraft Experiment Concept ...................................................................... 13 3. South Fork (SF), Iowa Study Area ..................................................................................... 13 3.1. General Description .................................................................................................... 13 3.2. Land Cover/Vegetation ............................................................................................... 14 3.3. Soils ............................................................................................................................ 15 3.4. Climate ....................................................................................................................... 16 3.5. Soil Moisture Network ................................................................................................ 16 4. Flux Towers in Central Iowa .............................................................................................. 20 5. SMAP Validation Grids ..................................................................................................... 21 6. Aircraft Experiment Design ............................................................................................... 22 6.1. PALS Instrument and Aircraft Description .................................................................. 22 6.2. Flight Lines and Flight Plans ....................................................................................... 22 7. Ground-based Sampling ..................................................................................................... 25 7.1. Soil Moisture .............................................................................................................. 25 7.1.1. Temporary Network ............................................................................................. 25 7.1.2. Soil Moisture Rover ............................................................................................. 26 7.1.3. High Density Gravimetric Sampling .................................................................... 27 7.3. Vegetation................................................................................................................... 28 7.3.1. Vegetation Communities and Sites ....................................................................... 29 7.3.2. Overall Protocol For Each Site ........................................................................... 29 8. Precipitation Characterization ............................................................................................ 30 9. Ground-based Microwave Observations ............................................................................. 33 9.1. Field Setup .................................................................................................................. 33 9.2. Sensors ....................................................................................................................... 34 9.2.1. University of Florida L-band Microwave Radiometer (UFLMR) .......................... 34 9.2.2. University of Michigan L-band Microwave Radiometer (UMLMR) ...................... 36 9.2.3. University of Florida Radar System ..................................................................... 39 9.2.4. Thermal Infrared Sensor ...................................................................................... 41 9.2.5. Soil Temperature Probes ..................................................................................... 41 9.2.6. Soil Moisture Probes ........................................................................................... 42 9.2.7. Precipitation........................................................................................................ 43 9.2.8. Air Temperature and Relative Humidity............................................................... 43 9.2.9. Net Radiometer .................................................................................................... 43 9.3. Vegetation Sampling ................................................................................................... 44 9.3.1. Vegetation Sampling at the Corn Site .................................................................. 44 9.3.2. Vegetation Sampling at the Soybean Site ............................................................. 44 10. Satellites and Overpass Schedules ...................................................................................... 46 10.1. SMAP and Other Passive Microwave Satellites ........................................................... 46 [2] 10.2. Radar Satellites ........................................................................................................... 47 10.2.1. RADARSAT2 ....................................................................................................... 47 10.2.2. Sentinel 1............................................................................................................. 50 11. CFIS .................................................................................................................................. 54 12. Security.............................................................................................................................. 56 13. Safety................................................................................................................................. 56 13.1. General Field Safety.................................................................................................... 56 13.2. Ticks ........................................................................................................................... 58 13.3. Drying Ovens .............................................................................................................. 58 13.4. Driving ....................................................................................................................... 58 13.5. Lightning .................................................................................................................... 58 13.6. Medical ....................................................................................................................... 58 14. Logistics ............................................................................................................................ 60 14.1. Hotels ......................................................................................................................... 60 14.2. Directions from the Des Moines Airport to Ames ........................................................ 60 14.3. Local Contacts ............................................................................................................ 62 14.4. Shipping Address ........................................................................................................ 63 15. Protocols ............................................................................................................................ 64 15.1. Watershed Site Surface Soil Moisture and Temperature .............................................. 64 15.2. Regional Site Surface Soil Moisture and Temperature ................................................. 67 15.3. Theta Probe Soil Moisture Sampling and Processing ................................................... 69 15.4. Gravimetric Soil Moisture Sampling with the Scoop Tool ........................................... 75 15.5. Gravimetric Soil Moisture Sample Processing ............................................................. 77 15.5.1. Wet Weight Procedure ......................................................................................... 77 15.5.2. Dry Weight Procedure ......................................................................................... 77 15.5.3. Data Processing .................................................................................................. 77 15.6. Watershed Site Soil Bulk Density and Surface Roughness .......................................... 78 15.6.1. Securing the Apparatus to the Ground ................................................................. 78 15.6.2. Leveling the Apparatus Horizontally to the Ground ............................................. 79 15.6.3. Determining the Volume from the Ground to the Hook Gauge ............................. 79 15.6.4. Finding the Volume of the Hole ........................................................................... 80 15.6.5. Calculating the Bulk Density of the Sample ......................................................... 80 15.7. Soil Temperature