Earth System Science Data
Earth System Science Data
Earth System Science Data
Articles | Volume 18, issue 2
Articles | Volume 18, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1061-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1061-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 18, issue 2
Data description article
 | 
10 Feb 2026
Data description article |  | 10 Feb 2026

Fusing ERA5-Land and SMAP L4 for an improved global soil moisture product (1950–2025)

Wenhong Wang, Shiao Feng, Yonggen Zhang, Zhongwang Wei, Jianzhi Dong, Lutz Weihermüller, Cong-Qiang Liu, and Harry Vereecken

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Short summary
Current soil moisture data often suffers from gaps or errors. We combined the long-term coverage of ERA5-Land with the high accuracy of SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) satellites to create a corrected global moisture dataset spanning 1950–2025. Validated against 3.8 million ground measurements, our product reduces errors by ~ 25 % in the modern period (2015–2020) and maintains ~ 20 % improvement historically (1960–2015). This reliable, daily 75-year record is essential for monitoring long-term climate trends and droughts.
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