Southern Great Plains Experiment (SGP)
The Southern Great Plains 1997 (SGP97) Hydrology Experiment originated from an
interdisciplinary investigation, "Soil Moisture Mapping at Satellite Temporal
and Spatial Scales" (PI: Thomas J. Jackson, USDA Agricultural Research Service,
Beltsville, MD) selected under the NASA Research Announcement 95-MTPE-03. The
main objective of this investigation was to establish that the retrieval
algorithms for surface soil moisture developed at higher spatial resolution
using truck- and aircraft-based sensors can be extended to the coarser
resolutions expected from satellite platforms. As part of this investigation, a
field experiment, built upon the success of a previous experiment of much
smaller scale (Jackson et al., 1995), was proposed for 1997. The core of the
1997 experiment involves the deployment of the L-band Electronically Scanned
Thinned Array Radiometer (ESTAR) for daily mapping of surface soil moisture
over an area greater than 10,000 km2 and a period on the order of a month.
Motivated by the wide-spread interest among hydrologists, soil scientists,
ecologists and meteorologists in the problems of the estimation of soil
moisture and temperature states at the continental scale and the coupling
between land-surface and the atmosphere (Wei, 1995), a workshop was held in
Beltsville, Maryland, on August 26-28, 1996; the main purpose of this workshop
was to identify additional complementary measurements that would promote the
overall utility of the experimental data in interdisciplinary research.
Further deliberation of the suggestions and recommendations made at the
workshop led to the plan described herein which is really the result of the
abundant individual and institutional support and cooperation. Important
revisions include a comprehensive flux measurement component, enhanced ground
observations of soils and vegetation, and additional aircraft remote sensing
instruments to support a wider range of objectives.
The SGP97 Hydrology Experiment as it has developed is a collaboration by a team of interested scientists largely based on existing sponsored scientific investigations and research projects; no science teams were specifically selected for designing and executing the experiment. Cooperation and contributions by many, have resulted in a comprehensive opportunity for multidisciplinary scientific research. Research use of the experimental data is encouraged; care is given to data management to allow easy access upon the completion of quality control and cross calibration and validation.
For additional information, see the following:
- SGP homepage at the USDA ARS Hydrology Lab
- SGP Site page at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program
- Spatial data and cartographic products at Penn State
SMACEX SGP 97
- General
- Twin Otter Aircraft
- Long-EZ Aircraft
- Kustas Tower
- Houser Tower
- Space-Time El Reno Track Fluxes
- Photos from USDA HydroLab.
- Data for Bryan Kerman.
- Sunrise/sunset times [ 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | definitions ]
TIMS Images
MM5 model simulations