During a NASA briefing on Jan. 8 about SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive), a new environmental monitoring satellite expected to launch on January 29, Professor Dara Entekhabi explained the many implications of soil moisture and the valuable benefits of knowing more about it. As well as being a key factor in linking the global water, energy and carbon cycles over land, soil moisture also influences local weather, adds to hazards such as flooding, and plays a role in how plants store and release carbon. “I think the next couple of years are going to be very exciting for Earth science,” said Entekhabi, who is the SMAP science team leader. Read latest MIT news story “3 Questions: Dara Entekhabi on NASA’s soil-moisture mission“. For more information on the SMAP program, see NASA’s website.