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Podcasts Take Two
JPL soil moisture satellite to shed light on drought
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This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Mar 3, 2015
Listen • 4:45
JPL soil moisture satellite to shed light on drought
Last January, JPL launched a research satellite called SMAP to better understand and predict the patterns of drought here in the West. Host A Martinez talks speak with Dr. Eni Njoku, a member of the SMAP Project Science team at JPL, for an update on the satellite's progress.
NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will produce high-resolution global maps of soil moisture to measure weather and climate forecasting, flooding prediction, drought monitoring, crop yields and agricultural forecasting.
NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will produce high-resolution global maps of soil moisture to measure weather and climate forecasting, flooding prediction, drought monitoring, crop yields and agricultural forecasting.
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Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Last January, JPL launched a research satellite called SMAP to better understand and predict the patterns of drought here in the West. Host A Martinez talks speak with Dr. Eni Njoku, a member of the SMAP Project Science team at JPL, for an update on the satellite's progress.

On January 31, the Jet Propulsion Lab launched a research satellite called SMAP, Soil Moisture Active Passive, to help us better understand and predict the patterns of drought here in the West.  

For the first time, scientists will be able to map soil moisture at high spatial resolution every 2-3 days globally. This map will unlock the mystery of processes not understood before such as how evaporation impacts weather and how soil moisture impacts resources we have for agriculture and human use. 

For an update on the satellite's progress, we speak with Dr. Eni Njoku, a member of the SMAP Project Science team at JPL.