SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

USGS2013

Operational evapotranspiration mapping using remote sensing and weather datasets: A new parameterization for the SSEB approach

The increasing availability of multi-scale remotely sensed data and global weather datasets is allowing the estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) at multiple scales. We present a simple but robust method that uses remotely sensed thermal data and model-assimilated weather fields to produce ET for the contiguous United States (CONUS) at monthly and seasonal time scales. The method is based on the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model, which is now parameterized for operational applications, renamed as SSEBop. The innovative aspect of the SSEBop is that it uses predefined boundary conditions that are unique to each pixel for the "hot" and "cold" reference conditions. The SSEBop model was used for computing ET for 12 years (2000-2011) using the MODIS and Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) data streams. SSEBop ET results compared reasonably well with monthly eddy covariance ET data explaining 64% of the observed variability across diverse ecosystems in the CONUS during 2005. Twelve annual ET anomalies (2000-2011) depicted the spatial extent and severity of the commonly known drought years in the CONUS. More research is required to improve the representation of the predefined boundary conditions in complex terrain at small spatial scales. SSEBop model was found to be a promising approach to conduct water use studies in the CONUS, with a similar opportunity in other parts of the world. The approach can also be applied with other thermal sensors such as Landsat.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗

USGS1975

Applications of remote sensing to structural interpretations in the southern Appalachians

Remote sensing is the technology of studying distant objects by measuring and recording energy from one or more segments of the electromagnetic spectrum. Imaging sensors which operate from medium- and high-altitude aircraft or from spacecraft can provide a synoptic view of large areas and of surface phenomena not evident in the field. Image-acquiring systems and instruments have been designed to partially automate data collection and to reduce the time devoted to analysis, information extraction, and detection of changes of surface phenomena. Among these phenomena are the surface distribution of heat, moisture, snow, water, vegetation, and cultural features. When coupled with ancillary data, including field surveys, sensor data provide useful information for the recognition and mapping of regional structure, jointing patterns, drainage patterns, fault and fracture traces, and rock types. The recognition of several major linear surface features, two of which proved to be traces of previously unrecognized faults (the Canebrake and the Coeburn faults) in the Appalachian Plateaus, demonstrates the pragmatic application of aircraft and spacecraft remote sensing to geological investigations in the Appalachians.

Virginia, West Virginia↗

USGS2022

Achieving sub-nanoTesla precision in multirotor UAV aeromagnetic surveys

An uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) multirotor aeromagnetic system using a 5-m sling load for a magnetic sensor system is described and characterized. Four magnetic surveys with identical flight lines were completed, at two nominal altitudes of 25 and 40 m. The surveys were used to assess the repeatability of data collected with the described UAV aeromagnetic system, and comparison with a ground survey was used to assess the precision. The 5-m sling is designed to reduce magnetic interference from the UAV. A magnetic compensation model was developed for this particular UAV aeromagnetic system. This custom compensation model reduces the noise in the collected data by a factor of five over the uncompensated data, and the 5-m sling further reduces the noise by an estimated factor of four over a similar system with a 3-m sling. The precision of the UAV aeromagnetic system was then estimated to be sub-nT, with 50% of the noise component <0.3 nT, and 90% <0.6 nT.

Journal of Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2018

Long-term soil-water tension measurements in semi-arid environments: A method for automated tensiometer refilling

Tensiometer-equipped data acquisition systems measure and record positive and negative soil-water pressures. These data contribute to studies in hillslope hydrology, including analyses of rainfall runoff, near-surface hydrologic response, and slope stability. However, the unique ability of a tensiometer to rapidly and accurately measure pre- and post-saturation subsurface pressures requires maintenance techniques that have precluded their application to unattended sensor networks in semiarid regions. Under suction, the de-aired water in the tensiometer is drawn from a porous cup. Under positive pressure, dissolved gases from pore water infiltrates the cup. Over time, both contribute to unreliable readings and/or poor signal response through cavitation. To address this problem, we used commercially available equipment to develop a simple system of solenoid valves and a water reservoir that enable automated in situ tensiometer refilling. We tested the system at two post-wildfire hydrologic monitoring sites in the Angeles National Forest, southern California. We present example results from 3 mo of monitoring and show how the tensiometers can be refilled by a remote trigger. By remotely refilling the tensiometer, we were able to continuously monitor quasi-saturated soil pore-water pressures without making repeated and costly maintenance visits.

Vadose Zone Journal↗

USGS2024

GNSS reflectometry from low-cost sensors for continuous in situ contemporaneous glacier mass balance and flux divergence

Recent advances in remote sensing have produced global glacier surface elevation change data. Parsing these elevation change signals into contributions from the climate (i.e. climatic mass balance) and glacier dynamics (i.e. flux divergence) is critical to enhance our process-based understanding of glacier change. In this study, we evaluate three approaches for direct, continuous measurements of the climatic mass balance, flux divergence, and elevation change at a site on Gulkana Glacier in Alaska using low-cost GNSS sensors, GNSS interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR), banded ablation stakes with time-lapse cameras, and combinations thereof. Cumulative climatic mass balance over the season was 4.85 m and the three approaches were within 0.08 m through early July before the snowpack melted, and within 0.28 m through mid-August. The flux divergence increased from 0.52 ± 0.03 cm d -1 before June 3 to roughly 0.73 cm d -1 after June 27. We demonstrate a single GNSS system fixed atop an ablation stake can measure contemporaneous climatic mass balance, flux divergence, and elevation change based on the antenna’s position and GNSS-IR techniques. The ability of these systems to measure glacier mass balance and flux divergence offers unique opportunities for year-round observations on mountain glaciers in the future.

Alaska↗

USGS2010

EAARL coastal topography-western Florida, post-Hurricane Charley, 2004: seamless (bare earth and submerged.

Project Description These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of lidar-derived seamless (bare-earth and submerged) topography were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP), St. Petersburg, FL, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Wallops Flight Facility, VA. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets of a portion of the western Florida coastline beachface, acquired post-Hurricane Charley on August 17 and 18, 2004. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural-resource managers. An innovative airborne lidar instrument originally developed at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and known as the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), was used during data acquisition. The EAARL system is a raster-scanning, waveform-resolving, green-wavelength (532-nanometer) lidar designed to map near-shore bathymetry, topography, and vegetation structure simultaneously. The EAARL sensor suite includes the raster-scanning, water-penetrating full-waveform adaptive lidar, a down-looking red-green-blue (RGB) digital camera, a high-resolution multispectral color infrared (CIR) camera, two precision dual-frequency kinematic carrier-phase GPS receivers, and an integrated miniature digital inertial measurement unit, which provide for sub-meter georeferencing of each laser sample. The nominal EAARL platform is a twin-engine Cessna 310 aircraft, but the instrument may be deployed on a range of light aircraft. A single pilot, a lidar operator, and a data analyst constitute the crew for most survey operations. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in measuring sub-aerial and submarine coastal topography within cross-environmental surveys. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the EAARL system, and the resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight-line definition, flight-path plotting, lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is used routinely to create maps that represent submerged or sub-aerial topography. Specialized filtering algorithms have been implemented to determine the 'bare earth' under vegetation. For more information about similar projects, please visit the Decision Support for Coastal Science and Management website. Selected References Brock, J.C., Wright, C.W., Sallenger, A.H., Krabill, W.B., and Swift, R.N., 2002, Basis and methods of NASA airborne topographic mapper Lidar surveys for coastal studies: Journal of Coastal Research, v. 18, no. 1, p. 1-13. Crane, Michael, Clayton, Tonya, Raabe, Ellen, Stoker, Jason, Handley, Larry, Bawden, Gerald, Morgan, Karen, and Queija, Vivian, 2004, Report of the U.S. Geological Survey Lidar workshop sponsored by the Land Remote Sensing Program and held in St. Petersburg, FL, November 2002: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1456, 72 p. Nayegandhi, Amar, Brock, J.C., and Wright, C.W., 2009, Small-footprint, waveform-resolving Lidar estimation of submerged and sub-canopy topography in coastal environments: International Journal of Remote Sensing, v. 30, no. 4, p. 861-878. Sallenger, A.H., Wright, C.W., and Lillycrop, Jeff, 2005, Coastal impacts of the 2004 hurricanes measured with airborne Lidar; initial results: Shore and Beach, v. 73, nos. 2-3, p. 10-14. Resources Included Readme.txt File

Data Series↗

USGS2003

Effects of spectrometer band pass, sampling, and signal‐to‐noise ratio on spectral identification using the Tetracorder algorithm

[1] Estimates of spectrometer band pass, sampling interval, and signal‐to‐noise ratio required for identification of pure minerals and plants were derived using reflectance spectra convolved to AVIRIS, HYDICE, MIVIS, VIMS, and other imaging spectrometers. For each spectral simulation, various levels of random noise were added to the reflectance spectra after convolution, and then each was analyzed with the Tetracorder spectral identification algorithm [ Clark et al. , 2003]. The outcome of each identification attempt was tabulated to provide an estimate of the signal‐to‐noise ratio at which a given percentage of the noisy spectra were identified correctly. Results show that spectral identification is most sensitive to the signal‐to‐noise ratio at narrow sampling interval values but is more sensitive to the sampling interval itself at broad sampling interval values because of spectral aliasing, a condition when absorption features of different materials can resemble one another. The band pass is less critical to spectral identification than the sampling interval or signal‐to‐noise ratio because broadening the band pass does not induce spectral aliasing. These conclusions are empirically corroborated by analysis of mineral maps of AVIRIS data collected at Cuprite, Nevada, between 1990 and 1995, a period during which the sensor signal‐to‐noise ratio increased up to sixfold. There are values of spectrometer sampling and band pass beyond which spectral identification of materials will require an abrupt increase in sensor signal‐to‐noise ratio due to the effects of spectral aliasing. Factors that control this threshold are the uniqueness of a material's diagnostic absorptions in terms of shape and wavelength isolation, and the spectral diversity of the materials found in nature and in the spectral library used for comparison. Array spectrometers provide the best data for identification when they critically sample spectra. The sampling interval should not be broadened to increase the signal‐to‐noise ratio in a photon‐noise‐limited system when high levels of accuracy are desired. It is possible, using this simulation method, to select optimum combinations of band‐pass, sampling interval, and signal‐to‐noise ratio values for a particular application that maximize identification accuracy and minimize the volume of imaging data.

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets↗

USGS2016

Dynamic reusable workflows for ocean science

Digital catalogs of ocean data have been available for decades, but advances in standardized services and software for catalog search and data access make it now possible to create catalog-driven workflows that automate — end-to-end — data search, analysis and visualization of data from multiple distributed sources. Further, these workflows may be shared, reused and adapted with ease. Here we describe a workflow developed within the US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) which automates the skill-assessment of water temperature forecasts from multiple ocean forecast models, allowing improved forecast products to be delivered for an open water swim event. A series of Jupyter Notebooks are used to capture and document the end-to-end workflow using a collection of Python tools that facilitate working with standardized catalog and data services. The workflow first searches a catalog of metadata using the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Catalog Service for the Web (CSW), then accesses data service endpoints found in the metadata records using the OGC Sensor Observation Service (SOS) for in situ sensor data and OPeNDAP services for remotely-sensed and model data. Skill metrics are computed and time series comparisons of forecast model and observed data are displayed interactively, leveraging the capabilities of modern web browsers. The resulting workflow not only solves a challenging specific problem, but highlights the benefits of dynamic, reusable workflows in general. These workflows adapt as new data enters the data system, facilitate reproducible science, provide templates from which new scientific workflows can be developed, and encourage data providers to use standardized services. As applied to the ocean swim event, the workflow exposed problems with two of the ocean forecast products which led to improved regional forecasts once errors were corrected. While the example is specific, the approach is general, and we hope to see increased use of dynamic notebooks across the geoscience domains.

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering↗

USGS2003

Mars Exploration Rover engineering cameras

In January 2004 the Mars Exploration Rover mission will land two rovers at two different landing sites that show possible evidence for past liquid‐water activity. The spacecraft design is based on the Mars Pathfinder configuration for cruise and entry, descent, and landing. Each of the identical rovers is equipped with a science payload of two remote‐sensing instruments that will view the surrounding terrain from the top of a mast, a robotic arm that can place three instruments and a rock abrasion tool on selected rock and soil samples, and several onboard magnets and calibration targets. Engineering sensors and components useful for science investigations include stereo navigation cameras, stereo hazard cameras in front and rear, wheel motors, wheel motor current and voltage, the wheels themselves for digging, gyros, accelerometers, and reference solar cell readings. Mission operations will allow commanding of the rover each Martian day, or sol, on the basis of the previous sol's data. Over a 90‐sol mission lifetime, the rovers are expected to drive hundreds of meters while carrying out field geology investigations, exploration, and atmospheric characterization. The data products will be delivered to the Planetary Data System as integrated batch archives.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS2010

The thermal signature of volcanic eruptions on Io and Earth,

We investigate a spectrum-based technique to identify the style of active volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io. Thermal remote sensing of Io has had to rely primarily on low-spatial-resolution data, similar to low-spatial-resolution satellite data applied to detecting and charting the temporal evolution of terrestrial hot spots. These terrestrial analyses use data from sensors designed to monitor the weather and sea surface temperature. On Io, such low-spatial-resolution data are used to classify eruption styles (modes of emplacement) by means of several criteria related to the temporal evolution of the infrared spectrum associated with the eruptive activity at each hot spot, which we term “thermal signature.” We find that the ratio of the emission at 2 and 5 µm, and how this ratio changes with time, is often diagnostic of eruption style, even in low-spatial-resolution data. Tests using thermal data for terrestrial “ground truth” cases show that our classification system is valid on Earth. The results of our analysis can be used to aid in the design of future space-based instruments that can be used for volcano monitoring on Io, as well as Earth.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗

USGS2022

Planning and operations of the Hydrate 01 Stratigraphic Test Well, Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope

The National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and the U.S. Geological Survey are leading an effort to conduct an extended gas hydrate production test in northern Alaska. The proposed production test required the drilling of an initial stratigraphic test well (STW) to confirm the geologic conditions of the proposed test site. This well was completed in January 2019 in cooperation with the Prudhoe Bay Unit Working Interest Owners. The Prudhoe Bay Unit Hydrate-01 STW was spudded on 10-December-2018. Downhole data acquisition was completed on 25-December-2018, and the rig was released on 01-January-2019. The Hydrate-01 STW was drilled in two sections, including the surface hole that was drilled to a depth of 2248 ft measured depth (MD) (685 m MD) and cased, and the production hole section that was drilled to a depth of 3558 ft MD (1084 m MD) and also cased. A thermally chilled mineral-oil-based mud was used in the main (production) hole section of the well to maintain wellbore stability and quality of the wellbore acquired data. The primary wellbore data were acquired using logging-while-drilling tools. A sidewall pressure core system was also deployed to gather grain size and other data needed for the design of the future production test wells. In addition to confirming the geologic conditions at the test site, the Hydrate-01 STW was designed to serve as a monitoring well during future field operations. Therefore, two sets of fiber-optic cables, each including a bundled distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) and a distributed temperature sensor (DTS), were clamped to the outside of the production casing and cemented in place. In March 2019, the project team acquired three-dimensional (3D) DAS vertical seismic profiling data in the Hydrate-01 STW. Temperature surveys were also acquired with the DTS as deployed in the Hydrate-01 STW during the completion of the well and nearly continuously since March-2019.

Alaska↗

USGS1991

Torsional response of unique building

Acceleration response records obtained during the October 1, 1987 Whittier‐Narrows earthquake ( M s = 5.6 ) "> ( M s = 5.6 ) from the 32‐story, vertically irregular 1100 Wilshire Finance Building, of which the cross section changes from a nominally rectangular shape to a triangular one, are analyzed. The building was instrumented with 21 channels of synchronized sensors, consisting of 12 uniaxial accelerometers deployed throughout the superstructure and connected to a central recording system and three triaxial strong‐motion accelerographs in the basement. At each of the four levels of the superstructure, three uniaxial accelerometers were deployed, two parallel and at a distance apart, and the third one orthogonal to the parallel pair. The records permit the identification of the predominantly coupled torsional‐translational response of the building and the associated frequency at approximately 0.7–0.8 Hz from the difference between accelerations recorded by the parallel pairs of accelerometers at different levels. This mode corresponds to the second torsional mode. A translational mode at 0.3 Hz is also identified from the records. The center of rigidity of any instrumented level is identified by minimizing the coherence between the relative accelerations and the translational acceleration. Employing system identification techniques provides the modal damping percentage for the second torsional mode as 6–7%.

California↗

USGS1991

Seismic response of transamerical building. I. Data and preliminary analysis

The objective of this paper is to present preliminary analyses of a set of acceleration response records obtained during the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (Ms = 7.1) from the 60-story vertically tapered, pyramid-shaped Trans-america Building-a landmark of San Francisco. The building was instrumented in 1985 with 22 channels of synchronized sensors consisting of 13 uniaxial accelerometers deployed throughout the structure and connected to a central recording system and three triaxial strong-motion accelerographs at three different levels of the structure. No free-field accelerographs are at the site. The acceleration records permit the study of the behavior of this unique structure. The predominant translational response of the building and the associated frequency at approximately 0.28 Hz are identified from the records and their Fourier amplitude spectra. The records do not indicate any significant torsional motion. However, there is rocking type soil-structure interaction, and an associated frequency of approximately 2.0 Hz is identified from the Fourier amplitude spectra of the differential motions between the ground level and that at the basement. In addition, the response spectra for the basement motions indicate significant resonance in both directions at a period of approximately 0.5 seconds.

Journal of Structural Engineering↗

USGS2020

Lava–water interaction and hydrothermal activity within the 2014–2015 Holuhraun Lava Flow Field, Iceland

Lava that erupted during the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption in Iceland flowed into a proglacial river system, resulting in aqueous cooling of the lava and an ephemeral hydrothermal system. We carried out a monitoring study of this system from 2015 to 2018 to document the cooling of the lava over this time, using thermocouple measurements and data-logging sensors. The heat loss rate from advection through this hydrothermal system in August 2015 was ~5.5 × 10 8 W; since eruption, aqueous cooling likely accounted for ~1% of the total heat loss from the lava. This estimate excludes steam losses from fumaroles as well as any groundwater that was not released to the surface, and thus is a lower bound. Near the terminus of the flow, advection of heat by flowing water may have locally accounted for tens of percent of the total cooling of that part of the flow. Our data quantify the importance of water cooling for this lava flow and can be compared with models to better understand lava–water interactions more generally. We also provide detailed methods for simple, low-cost monitoring of similar instances in the future.

Holuhraun Lava Flow Field↗

USGS2021

Invasive sea lamprey detection and characterization using interdigitated electrode (IDE) contact sensor

The ability to monitor invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes is critical to protecting the region’s $ 7 billion USD fishing industry and preserving its biodiversity. Monitoring these invaders requires considerable fieldwork and human power, making remote lamprey detection systems attractive for their continuous monitoring capabilities and potential for workload reduction. However, a lack of available methods for detecting sea lamprey hampers development of such systems. Here we present a sensor composed of two exposed planar interdigitated electrodes (IDE) along with a DC measurement system for the detection of lamprey attachment underwater. Measuring voltage instead of impedance, reduces cost and signal processing complexity, making the device more attractive for field deployment. The system is calibrated to a baseline output voltage and deviations from this baseline occur when objects touch the IDE. Validation was done through testing on live adult sea lampreys using video recordings to correlate lamprey attachments to the sensor response. Three response types were identified corresponding to different attachments: sustained, short and sliding-sustained. Sensor response to sustained and sliding-sustained attachments showed a characteristic exponential decay whereas the response due to short attachments was indistinguishable from measurement noise. Lamprey size was found to have a weak linear correlation with both response parameters, positive for the voltage drop and negative for the time constant of voltage drop. A representative circuit for the lamprey-sensor interaction is proposed and simulated using element values calculated from the response parameters. The response of the model shows agreement with experimental data.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2011

Nocturnal aerosol optical depth measurements with a small-aperture automated photometer using the moon as a light source

A method is described that enables the use of lunar irradiance to obtain nighttime aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements using a small-aperture photometer. In this approach, the U.S. Geological Survey lunar calibration system was utilized to provide high-precision lunar exoatmospheric spectral irradiance predictions for a ground-based sensor location, and when combined with ground measurement viewing geometry, provided the column optical transmittance for retrievals of AOD. Automated multiwavelength lunar measurements were obtained using an unmodified Cimel-318 sunphotometer sensor to assess existing capabilities and enhancements needed for day/night operation in NASA's Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). Results show that even existing photometers can provide the ability for retrievals of aerosol optical depths at night near full moon. With an additional photodetector signal-to-noise improvement of 10-100, routine use over the bright half of the lunar phase and a much wider range of wavelengths and conditions can be achieved. Although the lunar cycle is expected to limit the frequency of observations to 30%-40% compared to solar measurements, nevertheless this is an attractive extension of AERONET capabilities. ?? 2011 American Meteorological Society.

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology↗

USGS2013

Applying UV cameras for SO 2 detection to distant or optically thick volcanic plumes

Ultraviolet (UV) camera systems represent an exciting new technology for measuring two dimensional sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) distributions in volcanic plumes. The high frame rate of the cameras allows the retrieval of SO 2 emission rates at time scales of 1 Hz or higher, thus allowing the investigation of high-frequency signals and making integrated and comparative studies with other high-data-rate volcano monitoring techniques possible. One drawback of the technique, however, is the limited spectral information recorded by the imaging systems. Here, a framework for simulating the sensitivity of UV cameras to various SO 2 distributions is introduced. Both the wavelength-dependent transmittance of the optical imaging system and the radiative transfer in the atmosphere are modeled. The framework is then applied to study the behavior of different optical setups and used to simulate the response of these instruments to volcanic plumes containing varying SO 2 and aerosol abundances located at various distances from the sensor. Results show that UV radiative transfer in and around distant and/or optically thick plumes typically leads to a lower sensitivity to SO 2 than expected when assuming a standard Beer–Lambert absorption model. Furthermore, camera response is often non-linear in SO 2 and dependent on distance to the plume and plume aerosol optical thickness and single scatter albedo. The model results are compared with camera measurements made at Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii) and a method for integrating moderate resolution differential optical absorption spectroscopy data with UV imagery to retrieve improved SO 2 column densities is discussed.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗

USGS2019

A multi-scale soil moisture monitoring strategy for California: Design and validation

A multi‐scale soil moisture monitoring strategy for California was designed to inform water resource management. The proposed workflow classifies soil moisture response units (SMRUs) using publicly available datasets that represent soil, vegetation, climate, and hydrology variables, which control soil water storage. The SMRUs were classified, using principal component analysis and unsupervised K‐means clustering within a geographic information system, and validated, using summary statistics derived from measured soil moisture time series. Validation stations, located in the Sierra Nevada, include transect of sites that cross the rain‐to‐snow transition and a cluster of sites located at similar elevations in a snow‐dominated watershed. The SMRUs capture unique responses to varying climate conditions characterized by statistical measures of central tendency, dispersion, and extremes. A topographic position index and landform classification is the final step in the workflow to guide the optimal placement of soil moisture sensors at the local‐scale. The proposed workflow is highly flexible and can be implemented over a range of spatial scales and input datasets can be customized. Our approach captures a range of soil moisture responses to climate across California and can be used to design and optimize soil moisture monitoring strategies to support runoff forecasts for water supply management or to assess landscape conditions for forest and rangeland management.

California↗