Dear Authors,
Thank you for submitting your revised manuscript as well as detailed responses to the reviewers' comments.
After a close reading of the revised manuscript, as well as your responses, I find that the manuscript is improved and the comments have been addressed as well as possible (e.g. by describing the limitations/appropriateness of the ESA CCI Soil moisture data; altering the model evaluation metrics; providing a better model validation; modifying the soil layer depth; and evaluating soil texture).
I am therefore pleased to recommend publication of the revised manuscript in HESS.
Sincerely,
Louise Slater