Spatial and Temporal Variability of Soil Moisture Measured by the Oklahoma Mesonet.

Established in 1994, the Oklahoma Mesonet is an automated network of over 100 hydrometeorological observing stations spaced approximately 30 km apart across Oklahoma.  Since 1997, soil moisture observations have been collected at the majority of the sites and in 2002 soil moisture became a core variable of the Oklahoma Mesonet. Because the soil moisture data have been collected, quality assured, and archived along with co-located observations of additional soil and atmospheric variables, the measurements have captured varying spatial and temporal trends associated with the dynamic weather and climate conditions across the region.  This study will present an overview of the soil moisture observations collected by the Oklahoma Mesonet and their impact on improving our understanding of the hydroclimate in the region.