Unified: Monthly Soil Moisture

Average monthly soil moisture modeled globally by NASA Soils and soil moisture greatly influence the water cycle and have impacts on runoff, flooding and agriculture. Soil type and soil particle composition (sand, clay, silt) affect soil moisture and the ability of the soil to retain water. Soil moisture is also affected by levels of evaporation and plant transpiration, potentially leading to near dryness and eventual drought.
Measuring and monitoring soil moisture can ensure the fitness of your crops and help predict or prepare for flash floods and drought. The GLDAS soil moisture data is useful for modeling these scenarios and others, but only at global scales. 

Dataset Summary The GLDAS Soil Moisture layer is a time-enabled image service that shows average monthly soil moisture from 2000 to the present at four different depth levels. It is calculated by NASA using the Noah land surface model, run at 0.25 degree spatial resolution using satellite and ground-based observational data from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS-1). The model is run with 3-hourly time steps and aggregated into monthly averages. Review the complete list of model inputs, explore the output data (in GRIB format), and see the full Hydrology Catalog for all related data and information!

What can you do with this layer?
This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis. It can be used in ArcGIS Online in web maps and applications and can be used in ArcGIS Desktop. The GLDAS soil moisture data is useful for modeling, but only at global scales. 

Time: This is a time-enabled layer. It shows the total evaporative loss during the map's time extent, or if time animation is disabled, a time range can be set using the layer's multidimensional settings. The map shows the sum of all months in the time extent. Minimum temporal resolution is one month; maximum is one year.

Depth: This layer has four depth levels. By default they are summed, but you can view each using the multidimensional filter. You must disable time animation on the layer before using its multidimensional filter. It is also possible to toggle between depth layers using raster functions, accessed through the Image Display tab.

Important: You must switch from the cartographic renderer to the analytic renderer in the processing template tab in the layer properties window before using this layer as an input to geoprocessing tools.

This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. 

This layer is part of a larger collection of earth observation maps that you can use to perform a wide variety of mapping and analysis tasks.

The Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore the earth observation layers and many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics.
Geonet is a good resource for learning more about earth observations layers and the Living Atlas of the World. Follow the Living Atlas on GeoNet.

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Additional Info

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Last Updated June 25, 2026, 06:42 (UTC)
Created June 16, 2026, 17:52 (UTC)
Domain / Topic
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Title
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Unified: Monthly Soil Moisture
Description
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Average monthly soil moisture modeled globally by NASA Soils and soil moisture greatly influence the water cycle and have impacts on runoff, flooding and agriculture. Soil type and soil particle composition (sand, clay, silt) affect soil moisture and the ability of the soil to retain water. Soil moisture is also affected by levels of evaporation and plant transpiration, potentially leading to near dryness and eventual drought.
Measuring and monitoring soil moisture can ensure the fitness of your crops and help predict or prepare for flash floods and drought. The GLDAS soil moisture data is useful for modeling these scenarios and others, but only at global scales. 

Dataset Summary The GLDAS Soil Moisture layer is a time-enabled image service that shows average monthly soil moisture from 2000 to the present at four different depth levels. It is calculated by NASA using the Noah land surface model, run at 0.25 degree spatial resolution using satellite and ground-based observational data from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS-1). The model is run with 3-hourly time steps and aggregated into monthly averages. Review the complete list of model inputs, explore the output data (in GRIB format), and see the full Hydrology Catalog for all related data and information!

What can you do with this layer?
This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis. It can be used in ArcGIS Online in web maps and applications and can be used in ArcGIS Desktop. The GLDAS soil moisture data is useful for modeling, but only at global scales. 

Time: This is a time-enabled layer. It shows the total evaporative loss during the map's time extent, or if time animation is disabled, a time range can be set using the layer's multidimensional settings. The map shows the sum of all months in the time extent. Minimum temporal resolution is one month; maximum is one year.

Depth: This layer has four depth levels. By default they are summed, but you can view each using the multidimensional filter. You must disable time animation on the layer before using its multidimensional filter. It is also possible to toggle between depth layers using raster functions, accessed through the Image Display tab.

Important: You must switch from the cartographic renderer to the analytic renderer in the processing template tab in the layer properties window before using this layer as an input to geoprocessing tools.

This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. 

This layer is part of a larger collection of earth observation maps that you can use to perform a wide variety of mapping and analysis tasks.

The Living Atlas of the World provides an easy way to explore the earth observation layers and many other beautiful and authoritative maps on hundreds of topics.
Geonet is a good resource for learning more about earth observations layers and the Living Atlas of the World. Follow the Living Atlas on GeoNet.
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