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Title: The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Analysis Network (SCAN)

Author
item SCHAEFER, G - USDA NRCS
item Cosh, Michael
item Jackson, Thomas

Submitted to: Journal of Atmospheric and Ocean Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2007
Publication Date: 12/1/2007
Citation: Schaefer, G., Cosh, M., Jackson, T. 2007. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Soil Analysis Network (SCAN). Journal of Atmospheric and Ocean Technology. 24:2073-2077.

Interpretive Summary: Surface soil moisture plays an important role in the dynamics of land atmosphere interactions and many current and upcoming models and satellite sensors. Actual ground measurements will be required to prove the accuracy of the satellite data. Therefore, there is a need for sensor networks to provide near real-time soil moisture and temperature data combined with other climate information for use in natural resource planning, drought assessment, water resource management, and resource inventory. The USDA-NRCS-National Water and Climate Center has established a nationwide scale network to address this need, called the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN). This ever-growing network has more than 116 stations located in 39 states, of which most have been installed since 1999. The stations are remotely located and collect hourly atmospheric, soil moisture, and soil temperature data that are available to the public online near real time.

Technical Abstract: Surface soil moisture plays an important role in the dynamics of land atmosphere interactions and many current and upcoming models and satellite sensors. In situ data will be required to provide calibration and validation data sets. Therefore, there is a need for sensor networks at a variety of scales that provide near real-time soil moisture and temperature data combined with other climate information for use in natural resource planning, drought assessment, water resource management, and resource inventory. The USDA-NRCS-National Water and Climate Center has established a continental scale network to address this need, called the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN). This ever-growing network has more than 116 stations located in 39 states, of which most have been installed since 1999. The stations are remotely located and collect hourly atmospheric, soil moisture, and soil temperature data that are available to the public online near real time. New stations are located on benchmark soils when possible. Future plans for the network include increasing the number of stations, improving on user-friendly data summaries, increasing data quality and scaling the stations to the surrounding region.