Slide 1 U. S. Drought Monitor Forum Automated Soil Moisture Monitoring From CSCAN and SNOTEL Networks Garry L. Schaefer, WCM Branch Leader October 10, 2008 Portland, Oregon

Slide 2 Soil Moisture Monitoring CSCAN –Cooperative Soil Climate Analysis Network –Monitors lower elevation areas for atmospheric and soil moisture monitoring nationwide SNOTEL –SNOw pack TELmetry –Monitors high elevation areas for snow water content and soil moisture in the Western United States

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Slide 4 CSCAN –Started as a Soil Moisture/Soil Temperature Pilot Project in 1991with 21 stations –If funding becomes available, full implementation of CSCAN would have at least 1,000 new stations and integrate 1,000 existing partner-based stations –Utilizes meteor burst, line-of-sight, or GOES satellite communication technology to obtain remote station data

Slide 5 CSCAN Currently the network has 144 stations in 39 States Provides hourly data with –Precipitation –Air temperature –Relative humidity –Solar radiation –Wind speed and direction –Barometric pressure –Soil moisture and soil temperature 2, 4, 8, 20, and 40 inches

Slide 6 Other CSCAN Data Parameters Snow water content Snow depth Net radiation Redox Additional soil moisture and soil temperature measurements Water level Surface temperature Water quality parameters

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Slide 9 Soil Moisture/ Precipitation

Slide 10 CSCAN Data All CSCAN stations have full soil characterizations complete and available on the web All CSCAN data are available on the web – Data Availability –Current and historical data available –Special “Spreadsheet” compatible reports can be created

Slide 11 Soil Description

Slide 12 CSCAN Cooperators Current partners include: –Mississippi State University and Extension Service –Alabama A&M University –University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff –University of Missouri –Iowa State University –High Plains Regional Climate Center –U.S.D.A.- World Agricultural Outlook Board –U.S.D.A.- Agricultural Research Service –U.S.D.A.- Forest Service –U.S.D.A.-Natural Resources Conservation Service –The Nature Conservancy –Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation –University of Alaska

Slide 13 SNOTEL Network Large Automated Climate Network –Began in 1978 –Over 747 remote stations –Generally in high elevation areas –Located in the 12 Western States and Alaska –Utilizes meteor burst communication technology to transmit data

Slide 14 SNOTEL Locations

Slide 15 SNOTEL Parameters Typical Sensor Array –Snow water content –All season precipitation –Air temperature (maximum, minimum, and average) –Snow depth –Soil moisture and soil temperature at 35% of network

Slide 16 SNOTEL Parameters Additional Sensors at Selective Stations –Solar radiation –Relative humidity –Wind speed and direction –Other sensors based upon customer requests

Slide 17 Typical SNOTEL Station

Slide 18 Data Uses Drought assessment and mitigation Drought triggers Soil survey interruption and mapping Crop production forecasts Range production and condition Disease and Pest prediction/mitigation Flood forecasting Climate monitoring Water supply forecasting Climate change assessment Water quality monitoring Air quality monitoring Underground utility lines

Slide 19 Summary CSCAN and SNOTEL are very cost effective Provides a minimum of daily up to hourly data Expandable to meet demands Designed to be a cooperative program Diversity in the use of the data Data are easily retrievable from the web page at Developing better tools to provide user with greater flexibility in reports and analysis –Agreement with Oregon State University and Alabama A&M University to develop a spatial soil moisture model which integrates point soil moisture data with soils data to produce a soil moisture map

Slide 20 Contacts Garry L. Schaefer, NRCS Water & Climate Monitoring Branch Leader 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 802 Portland, OR Phone: Fax: Deborah S. Harms, NRCS Soil Scientist Federal Building 100 Centennial Mall North Lincoln, NE Phone: