Researchers at Rice University have developed an open-access database that combines and standardizes 24 years of satellite measurements of water isotopes, making it easier to study global water movement and the processes that shape the water cycle.

The database, called WISO-SAT, brings together data from eight satellite missions dating to 2002. The measurements track variations in the ratio of heavier and lighter water isotopes, which can help researchers identify water’s origins and understand how moisture moves through the atmosphere.

Previously, differences in satellite instruments and data formats made cross-mission comparisons labor-intensive. Researchers could spend up to a year cleaning and reconciling datasets from just two satellites before beginning analysis, according to Rice University.

Mampi Sarkar, a research scientist at Rice, led the database development in collaboration with experts from NASA, Europe and Japan. The team standardized and organized the measurements into a common format, with information about measurement locations and the methods used to process the data. The team also made its standardization pipeline publicly available so researchers can prepare and contribute additional datasets.

Published in Nature Scientific Data, WISO-SAT is intended to support research into cloud formation, atmospheric moisture transport, El Niño and La Niña, deforestation and soil moisture.

The database could help researchers better understand how water moves across the planet by making long-term satellite observations more accessible and comparable. The project received support from the National Science Foundation and NASA.