Assessment of SMAP and ESA CCI Soil Moisture Over the Great Lakes Basin

Satellite microwave remote sensing holds the capability to collect large-scale spatially distributed surface soil moisture information. This study presents an assessment of the soil moisture retrievals derived from the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) (SPL3SMP_E V003 and V002) and the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Combined and Passive soil moisture products over the southern portion of the Great Lakes Basin using in situ soil moisture measurements. Overall, the CCI Combined product performed best, while the CCI Passive soil moisture showed the lowest performance. On average, the unbiased Root Mean Squared Error (ubRMSE) values for SPL3SMP_E V003, SPL3SMP_E V002, CCI Combined, and CCI Passive products are 0.064 m
3
m
−3
, 0.071 m
3
m
−3
, 0.042 m
3
m
−3
, 0.117 m
3
m
−3
, respectively. The results can provide guidance for the application of these satellite products in hydrological and meteorological studies.