ABSTRACT
The importance of soil moisture (SM) in the global climate system has recently been outlined by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS; https://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/ gcos/) by endorsing SM as an essential climate variable. It is a crucial variable for numerical weather and climate prediction and plays a key role in hydrological processes. A good representation of SM conditions can therefore help to improve forecasting of precipitation, droughts and floods, climate projections, and predictions. For many applications, globalor continental-scale SM maps are needed.
