Evaluation of distributed soil moisture simulations through field observations during the North American monsoon in Redondo Creek, New Mexico

Abstract Through the use of a mesoscale meteorological model and distributed hydrologic model, the effects of initial soil moisture on rainfall generation, streamflow, and evapotranspiration during the North American monsoon are examined. A collection of atmospheric fields is simulated by varying initial soil moisture in the meteorological model. Analysis of the simulated rainfall fields shows that the total rainfall, intensity, and spatial coverage increase with higher soil moisture. Hydrologic simulations forced by the meteorological fields are performed using two scenarios: (i) fixed soil moisture initializations obtained via a drainage experiment in the hydrologic model and (ii) adjusted initializations to match conditions in the two models. The scenarios indicate that the runoff ratio increases with higher rainfall, although a change is observed from a linear (fixed initialization) to a nonlinear response (adjusted initialization). Variations in basin response are attributed to controls exerted by rainfall, soil, and vegetation properties for varying initial conditions. Antecedent wetness significantly influences the runoff response through the interplay of different runoff generation mechanisms and also controls the evapotranspiration process. The authors conclude that a regional increase in initial soil moisture promotes rainfall generation, streamflow, and evapotranspiration for this warm-season case study.

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Evaluating the influence of antecedent soil moisture on variability of the North American monsoon precipitation in the Coupled MM5/VIC Modeling System

Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems ◽

10.3894/james.2009.1.13 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Chunmei Zhu ◽

L. Ruby Leung ◽

David Gochis ◽

Yun Qian ◽

Dennis P. Lettenmaier

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

North American ◽

North American Monsoon ◽

Monsoon Precipitation ◽

Antecedent Soil Moisture ◽

The North

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Flow, Moisture, and Thermodynamic Variability Associated with Gulf of California Surges within the North American Monsoon

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-11-00266.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 25 (12) ◽

pp. 4220-4241 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Nicole J. Schiffer ◽

Stephen W. Nesbitt

Keyword(s):

New Mexico ◽

North American ◽

Gulf Of California ◽

Reanalysis Data ◽

North American Monsoon ◽

Air Masses ◽

The North ◽

Sierra Madre ◽

North American Regional Reanalysis ◽

Regional Reanalysis

Abstract This study uses an improved surge identification method to examine composites of 29 yr of surface observations and reanalysis data alongside 10 yr of satellite precipitation data to reveal connections between flow, thermodynamic parameters, and precipitation, both within and outside of the North American monsoon (NAM) region, associated with Gulf of California (GoC) moisture surges. The North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), examined using composites of flow during all detected moisture surges at Yuma, Arizona, and so-called wet and dry surges (those producing anomalously high and low precipitation, respectively, over Arizona and New Mexico), show markedly different flow and moisture patterns that ultimately lead to the differing observed precipitation distributions in the region. Wet surges tend to be associated with moister precursor air masses over the southwestern United States, have a larger contribution of enhanced easterly cross–Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) moisture transport, and tend to result from a transient cyclonic disturbance tracking across northern Mexico. Dry surges tend to be associated with a more southerly tracking disturbance, are associated with less convection over the SMO, and tend to be associated with a drier presurge air mass over Arizona and New Mexico.

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