We invite presentations concerning soil moisture estimation, including remote sensing, field experiments, and land surface modelling. The technique of microwave remote sensing has made much progress toward its high potential to retrieve surface soil moisture at different scales.
From local to landscape scales several field or aircraft experiments were organized to improve our understanding of active and passive microwave soil moisture sensing, including the effects of soil roughness, vegetation, spatial heterogeneities, and topography. At continental scales several passive and active microwave space sensors, inlcuding SMMR (1978-1987), AMSR(2002-), and ERS/SCAT (1992-2000) have already provide information on surface soil moisture. Further investigations in L-band passive microwave with SMOS (2009) and SMAP (2013) and in active microwave with Metop/Ascat (2006) promise to open new possibilities in the quantification of the soil moisture from regional to global scales.
Comparison between soil moisture simulated by land surface models, in situ observations, and remotely sensed soil moisture is also relevant to characterization of continental scale soil moisture dynamic (e.g., GSWP2). We encourage presentations related to soil moisture remote sensing, including field experiment and theoretical advances in microwave modelling; root zone soil moisture retrieval and soil moisture assimilation in land surface models; and inter-comparison and inter-validation between land surface models and remote sensing approaches.

Solicited presentations:
Tom Jackson "Preparing for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission"
Luca Brocca "Antecedent Wetness Conditions based on ERS scatterometer data in support to rainfal-runoff modelling"