Dynamic Data Assimilation for Improved Streamflow Forecast Using Sensitive Soil Moisture Observations

Abstract It is well known that systematic differences exist between modeled and observed realizations of hydrological variables like soil moisture. Prior to data assimilation, these differences must be removed in order to obtain an optimal analysis. A number of rescaling approaches have been proposed for this purpose. These methods include rescaling techniques based on matching sampled temporal statistics, minimizing the least squares distance between observations and models, and the application of triple collocation. Here, the authors evaluate the optimality and relative performances of these rescaling methods both analytically and numerically and find that a triple collocation–based rescaling method results in an optimal solution, whereas variance matching and linear least squares regression approaches result in only approximations to this optimal solution.

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An intercomparison of soil moisture fields in the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS)

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres ◽

10.1029/2002jd003309 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 109 (D1) ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

John C. Schaake

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Data Assimilation ◽

North American ◽

The North ◽

Land Data Assimilation ◽

Land Data Assimilation System ◽

Data Assimilation System ◽

Assimilation System

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Multi-source data assimilation for physically-based hydrological modeling of an experimental hillslope

10.5194/hess-2018-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Botto ◽

Enrica Belluco ◽

Matteo Camporese

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Data Assimilation ◽

Hydrological Modeling ◽

Nonlinear Models ◽

Pressure Head ◽

Richards Equation ◽

Hydrological Models ◽

Filter Performance ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Source Data

Abstract. Data assimilation has been recently the focus of much attention for integrated surface-subsurface hydrological models, whereby joint assimilation of water table, soil moisture, and river discharge measurements with the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) have been extensively applied. Although the EnKF has been specifically developed to deal with nonlinear models, integrated hydrological models based on the Richards equation still represent a challenge, due to strong nonlinearities that may significantly affect the filter performance. Thus, more studies are needed to investigate the capabilities of the EnKF to correct the system state and identify parameters in cases where the unsaturated zone dynamics are dominant, as well as to quantify possible tradeoffs associated with assimilation of multi-source data. Here, the model CATHY (CATchment HYdrology) is applied to reproduce the hydrological dynamics observed in an experimental two-layered hillslope, equipped with tensiometers, water content reflectometer probes, and tipping bucket flow gages to monitor the hillslope response to a series of artificial rainfall events. Pressure head, soil moisture, and subsurface outflow are assimilated with the EnKF in a number of scenarios and the challenges and issues arising from the assimilation of multi-source data in this real-world test case are discussed. Our results demonstrate that the EnKF is able to effectively correct states and parameters even in a real application characterized by strong nonlinearities. However, multi-source data assimilation may lead to significant trade-offs: the assimilation of additional variables can lead to degradation of model predictions for other variables that were otherwise well reproduced. Furthermore, we show that integrated observations such as outflow discharge cannot compensate for the lack of well-distributed data in heterogeneous hillslopes.

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Using data assimilation to optimize pedotransfer functions using large-scale in-situ soil moisture observations

10.5194/hess-2020-359 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth Cooper ◽

Eleanor Blyth ◽

Hollie Cooper ◽

Rich Ellis ◽

Ewan Pinnington ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Data Assimilation ◽

Land Surface ◽

Large Scale ◽

Pedotransfer Functions ◽

Surface Model ◽

Climate Projections ◽

Land Surface Models ◽

Surface Models

Abstract. Soil moisture predictions from land surface models are important in hydrological, ecological and meteorological applications. In recent years the availability of wide-area soil-moisture measurements has increased, but few studies have combined model-based soil moisture predictions with in-situ observations beyond the point scale. Here we show that we can markedly improve soil moisture estimates from the JULES land surface model using field scale observations and data assimilation techniques. Rather than directly updating soil moisture estimates towards observed values, we optimize constants in the underlying pedotransfer functions, which relate soil texture to JULES soil physics parameters. In this way we generate a single set of newly calibrated pedotransfer functions based on observations from a number of UK sites with different soil textures. We demonstrate that calibrating a pedotransfer function in this way can improve the performance of land surface models, leading to the potential for better flood, drought and climate projections.

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Supplementary material to "Do surface lateral flows matter for data assimilation of soil moisture observations into hyperresolution land models?"

10.5194/hess-2020-106-supplement ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yohei Sawada

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Data Assimilation ◽

Supplementary Material

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SMOS Neural Network Soil Moisture Data Assimilation in a Land Surface Model and Atmospheric Impact

10.20944/preprints201904.0216.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nemesio Rodriguez-Fernandez ◽

Patricia de Rosnay ◽

Clement Albergel ◽

Philippe Richaume ◽

Filipe Aires ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Soil Moisture ◽

Data Assimilation ◽

Land Surface ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Land Surface Model ◽

Surface Model ◽

Northern Asia ◽

The Impact

The assimilation of Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) data into the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts) H-TESSEL (Hydrology revised - Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land) model is presented. SMOS soil moisture (SM) estimates have been produced specifically by training a neural network with SMOS brightness temperatures as input and H-TESSEL model SM simulations as reference. This can help the assimilation of SMOS information in several ways: (1) the neural network soil moisture (NNSM) data have a similar climatology to the model, (2) no global bias is present with respect to the model even if regional differences can exist. Experiments performing joint data assimilation (DA) of NNSM, 2 metre air temperature and relative humidity or NNSM-only DA are discussed. The resulting SM was evaluated against a large number of in situ measurements of SM obtaining similar results to those of the model with no assimilation, even if significant differences were found from site to site. In addition, atmospheric forecasts initialized with H-TESSEL runs (without DA) or with the analysed SM were compared to measure of the impact of the satellite information. Although, NNSM DA has an overall neutral impact in the forecast in the Tropics, a significant positive impact was found in other areas and periods, especially in regions with limited in situ information. The joint NNSM, T2m and RH2m DA improves the forecast for all the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere. The impact is mostly due to T2m and RH2m, but SMOS NN DA alone also improves the forecast in July- September. In the Northern Hemisphere, the joint NNSM, T2m and RH2m DA improves the forecast in April-September, while NNSM alone has a significant positive effect in July-September. Furthermore, forecasting skill maps show that SMOS NNSM improves the forecast in North America and in Northern Asia for up to 72 hours lead time.

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Assimilation of Satellite-Derived Soil Moisture for Improved Forecasts of the Great Plains Low-Level Jet

Monthly Weather Review ◽

10.1175/mwr-d-20-0185.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 148 (11) ◽

pp. 4607-4627

Author(s):

Craig R. Ferguson ◽

Shubhi Agrawal ◽

Mark C. Beauharnois ◽

Geng Xia ◽

D. Alex Burrows ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Wind Speed ◽

Data Assimilation ◽

Great Plains ◽

Wrf Model ◽

Added Value ◽

Low Level ◽

Convective Systems ◽

South Central ◽

Mesoscale Convective

AbstractIn the context of forecasting societally impactful Great Plains low-level jets (GPLLJs), the potential added value of satellite soil moisture (SM) data assimilation (DA) is high. GPLLJs are both sensitive to regional soil moisture gradients and frequent drivers of severe weather, including mesoscale convective systems. An untested hypothesis is that SM DA is more effective in forecasts of weakly synoptically forced, or uncoupled GPLLJs, than in forecasts of cyclone-induced coupled GPLLJs. Using the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) Model, 75 GPLLJs are simulated at 9-km resolution both with and without NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive SM DA. Differences in modeled SM, surface sensible (SH) and latent heat (LH) fluxes, 2-m temperature (T2), 2-m humidity (Q2), PBL height (PBLH), and 850-hPa wind speed (W850) are quantified for individual jets and jet-type event subsets over the south-central Great Plains, as well as separately for each GPLLJ sector (entrance, core, and exit). At the GPLLJ core, DA-related changes of up to 5.4 kg m−2 in SM can result in T2, Q2, LH, SH, PBLH, and W850 differences of 0.68°C, 0.71 g kg−2, 59.9 W m−2, 52.4 W m−2, 240 m, and 4 m s−1, respectively. W850 differences focus along the jet axis and tend to increase from south to north. Jet-type differences are most evident at the GPLLJ exit where DA increases and decreases W850 in uncoupled and coupled GPLLJs, respectively. Data assimilation marginally reduces negative wind speed bias for all jets, but the correction is greater for uncoupled GPLLJs, as hypothesized.

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