Abstract: By providing global measurements of near-surface soil moisture (down to about 5 cm) with unprecedented accuracy, the Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) satellite mission has opened the door to new and (in my opinion) exciting hydrological science. In this seminar, I present the results of a recent series of analyses performed with SMAP soil moisture data, covering a wide range of topics: (a) the characterization of the dynamics of near-surface soil moisture, with implications for forecasting…