Study site: Overview

The SMAPVEX12 intensive sample site is an area of about 15 km x 70 km located within the larger Red River Watershed. It is largely characterized by agricultural land use. Grassland and pasture cover approximately 16.4% of the site. In addition, the site contains wetlands and forest covers. It is crossed by the Assiniboine River in the North. The soil texture varies across the site and this spatial variability should provide a range of soil moisture conditions. The SMAPVEX12 intensive sample site provides, therefore, different soil and vegetation types, suitable for the development of the SMAP soil moisture retrieval algorithms.

The SMAPVEX12 Intensive Sample Site (black rectangle). The land cover and crop types are displayed. The AAFC permanent in situ sites are identified as red dots.