“…Climatic variables can be derived from MODIS (e.g., Wan et al, ), SMAP (e.g., Chan et al, ), GPM (e.g., Hou et al, ), AMSR (e.g., Parinussa, Holmes, Wanders, Dorigo, & Jeu, ) and other spaceborne sensors and platforms, and provide the basis for compiling standard bioclimatic variables at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Other satellite sensors, such as GRACE and ICESat‐2, can provide new information about groundwater and the cryosphere, respectively (e.g., Kwok, ; Landerer & Swenson, ). These advances are coupled with a long history of optical satellite and airborne data.…”