Evaluating soil moisture variability in complex environments through multiscale measurements: a multidisciplinary framework for ground-to-satellite data integration

The advent of Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) stations has represented a significant advancement in the field of soil moisture (SM) retrieval. With footprints of up to 300 m and measurements referring to soil depths of up to 50 cm, these stations can effectively contribute to improving the evaluation of satellite-derived and modelled SM products.

Recently, a CRNS station implemented by Finapp S.r.l. was installed in the peri-urban area of Tito (Contrada Carlone – 40.573425 N, 15.676042 E), located in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The monitoring site, characterized by complex geomorphological conditions, features an integrated setup including time-lapse Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) system, an array of hydrological sensors (tensiometers, soil moisture sensors, piezometers), and meteorological sensors (temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation). This open-air monitoring laboratory, supported by advanced methodologies for data integration, enables a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach to investigate SM variability and, more broadly, provides insights into the hydrogeological risks affecting the site. The laboratory was established within the framework of the “ITINERIS” project (PNRR M4C2 Inv.3.1 IR), funded by the EU’s Next Generation program.

Focusing on the CRNS station, SM data acquired since July 2025 have already been compared with different satellite-based SM products, such as the weekly Copernicus Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) derived from Sentinel-1 SAR data and the daily Soil Water Index (SWI) obtained from ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer) acquisitions. Additional datasets and products acquired at different temporal and spatial scales, as well as based on diverse technologies (active, passive, and merged), will be considered in future analysis. Preliminary results are promising and highlight the strong potential of the laboratory to produce accurate SM measurements. These measurements will be scaled up to the regional level within the framework of the “Space It Up” project, funded by the Italian Space Agency and the Ministry of University and Research (contract No. 2024-5-E.0 – CUP I53D24000060005), to better investigate the impacts of climate change across the entire region. SM variability as well as spatiotemporal anomalies will be analyzed.