From site-level to global simulation: Reconciling carbon, water and energy fluxes over different spatial scales using a process-based ecophysiological land-surface model

2013 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 111-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Alton
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Energy Fluxes ◽  
Global Simulation

scholarly journals Forward-Looking Assimilation of MODIS-Derived Snow-Covered Area into a Land Surface Model

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin F. Zaitchik ◽  
Matthew Rodell
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Energy Fluxes ◽  
Snow Covered Area ◽  
Covered Area ◽  
Snow Water

Abstract Snow cover over land has a significant impact on the surface radiation budget, turbulent energy fluxes to the atmosphere, and local hydrological fluxes. For this reason, inaccuracies in the representation of snow-covered area (SCA) within a land surface model (LSM) can lead to substantial errors in both offline and coupled simulations. Data assimilation algorithms have the potential to address this problem. However, the assimilation of SCA observations is complicated by an information deficit in the observation—SCA indicates only the presence or absence of snow, not snow water equivalent—and by the fact that assimilated SCA observations can introduce inconsistencies with atmospheric forcing data, leading to nonphysical artifacts in the local water balance. In this paper, a novel assimilation algorithm is presented that introduces Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) SCA observations to the Noah LSM in global, uncoupled simulations. The algorithm uses observations from up to 72 h ahead of the model simulation to correct against emerging errors in the simulation of snow cover while preserving the local hydrologic balance. This is accomplished by using future snow observations to adjust air temperature and, when necessary, precipitation within the LSM. In global, offline integrations, this new assimilation algorithm provided improved simulation of SCA and snow water equivalent relative to open loop integrations and integrations that used an earlier SCA assimilation algorithm. These improvements, in turn, influenced the simulation of surface water and energy fluxes during the snow season and, in some regions, on into the following spring.

scholarly journals Implementation of dynamic crop growth processes into a land surface model: evaluation of energy, water and carbon fluxes under corn and soybean rotation

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 8039-8066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Song ◽  
A. K. Jain ◽  
G. F. McIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Latent Heat ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Carbon Allocation ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Crop Growth ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Energy Fluxes ◽  
Growth Processes ◽  
Dynamic Crop Growth

Abstract. Worldwide expansion of agriculture is impacting the earth's climate by altering carbon, water, and energy fluxes, but the climate in turn is impacting crop production. To study this two-way interaction and its impact on seasonal dynamics of carbon, water, and energy fluxes, we implemented dynamic crop growth processes into a land surface model, the Integrated Science Assessment Model (ISAM). In particular, we implemented crop-specific phenology schemes and dynamic carbon allocation schemes. These schemes account for light, water, and nutrient stresses while allocating the assimilated carbon to leaf, root, stem, and grain pools. The dynamic vegetation structure simulation better captured the seasonal variability in leaf area index (LAI), canopy height, and root depth. We further implemented dynamic root distribution processes in soil layers, which better simulated the root response of soil water uptake and transpiration. Observational data for LAI, above- and belowground biomass, and carbon, water, and energy fluxes were compiled from two AmeriFlux sites, Mead, NE, and Bondville, IL, USA, to calibrate and evaluate the model performance. For the purposes of calibration and evaluation, we use a corn–soybean (C4–C3) rotation system over the period 2001–2004. The calibrated model was able to capture the diurnal and seasonal patterns of carbon assimilation and water and energy fluxes for the corn–soybean rotation system at these two sites. Specifically, the calculated gross primary production (GPP), net radiation fluxes at the top of the canopy, and latent heat fluxes compared well with observations. The largest bias in model results was in sensible heat flux (SH) for corn and soybean at both sites. The dynamic crop growth simulation better captured the seasonal variability in carbon and energy fluxes relative to the static simulation implemented in the original version of ISAM. Especially, with dynamic carbon allocation and root distribution processes, the model's simulated GPP and latent heat flux (LH) were in much better agreement with observational data than for the static root distribution simulation. Modeled latent heat based on dynamic growth processes increased by 12–27% during the growing season at both sites, leading to an improvement in modeled GPP by 13–61% compared to the estimates based on the original version of the ISAM.

scholarly journals Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) – a generalized framework for land surface model evaluation

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. V. Kumar ◽  
C. D. Peters-Lidard ◽  
J. Santanello ◽  
K. Harrison ◽  
Y. Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Model Evaluation ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Formal System ◽  
Surface Modeling ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Diagnostic Model ◽  
Land Surface Modeling

Abstract. Model evaluation and verification are key in improving the usage and applicability of simulation models for real-world applications. In this article, the development and capabilities of a formal system for land surface model evaluation called the Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) is described. LVT is designed to provide an integrated environment for systematic land model evaluation and facilitates a range of verification approaches and analysis capabilities. LVT operates across multiple temporal and spatial scales and employs a large suite of in-situ, remotely sensed and other model and reanalysis datasets in their native formats. In addition to the traditional accuracy-based measures, LVT also includes uncertainty and ensemble diagnostics, information theory measures, spatial similarity metrics and scale decomposition techniques that provide novel ways for performing diagnostic model evaluations. Though LVT was originally designed to support the land surface modeling and data assimilation framework known as the Land Information System (LIS), it supports hydrological data products from non-LIS environments as well. In addition, the analysis of diagnostics from various computational subsystems of LIS including data assimilation, optimization and uncertainty estimation are supported within LVT. Together, LIS and LVT provide a robust end-to-end environment for enabling the concepts of model data fusion for hydrological applications. The evolving capabilities of LVT framework are expected to facilitate rapid model evaluation efforts and aid the definition and refinement of formal evaluation procedures for the land surface modeling community.

scholarly journals Multimodel Analysis of Energy and Water Fluxes: Intercomparisons between Operational Analyses, a Land Surface Model, and Remote Sensing

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghuveer K. Vinukollu ◽  
Justin Sheffield ◽  
Eric F Wood ◽  
Michael G. Bosilovich ◽  
David Mocko
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Water Fluxes ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Energy Fluxes ◽  
Ensemble Mean

Abstract Using data from seven global model operational analyses (OA), one land surface model, and various remote sensing retrievals, the energy and water fluxes over global land areas are intercompared for 2003/04. Remote sensing estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) are obtained from three process-based models that use input forcings from multisensor satellites. An ensemble mean (linear average) of the seven operational (mean-OA) models is used primarily to intercompare the fluxes with comparisons performed at both global and basin scales. At the global scale, it is found that all components of the energy budget represented by the ensemble mean of the OA models have a significant bias. Net radiation estimates had a positive bias (global mean) of 234 MJ m−2 yr−1 (7.4 W m−2) as compared to the remote sensing estimates, with the latent and sensible heat fluxes biased by 470 MJ m−2 yr−1 (13.3 W m−2) and −367 MJ m−2 yr−1 (11.7 W m−2), respectively. The bias in the latent heat flux is affected by the bias in the net radiation, which is primarily due to the biases in the incoming shortwave and outgoing longwave radiation and to the nudging process of the operational models. The OA models also suffer from improper partitioning of the surface heat fluxes. Comparison of precipitation (P) analyses from the various OA models, gauge analysis, and remote sensing retrievals showed better agreement than the energy fluxes. Basin-scale comparisons were consistent with the global-scale results, with the results for the Amazon in particular showing disparities between OA and remote sensing estimates of energy fluxes. The biases in the fluxes are attributable to a combination of errors in the forcing from the OA atmospheric models and the flux calculation methods in their land surface schemes. The atmospheric forcing errors are mainly attributable to high shortwave radiation likely due to the underestimation of clouds, but also precipitation errors, especially in water-limited regions.

scholarly journals A Spatial Pattern Analysis of Land Surface Roughness Heterogeneity and its Relationship to the Initiation of Weak Tornadoes

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Markert ◽  
Robert Griffin ◽  
Kevin Knupp ◽  
Andrew Molthan ◽  
Tim Coleman
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽  
Horizontal Gradients ◽  
Vorticity Vector

Abstract North Alabama is among the most tornado-prone regions in the United States and is composed of more spatially variable terrain and land cover than the frequently studied North American Great Plains region. Because of the high tornado frequency observed across north Alabama, there is a need to understand how land surface roughness heterogeneity influences tornadogenesis, particularly for weak-intensity tornadoes. This study investigates whether horizontal gradients in land surface roughness exist surrounding locations of tornadogenesis for weak (EF0–EF1) tornadoes. The existence of the horizontal gradients could lead to the generation of positive values of the vertical components of the 3D vorticity vector near the surface that may aid in the tornadogenesis process. In this study, surface roughness was estimated using parameterizations from the Noah land surface model with inputs from MODIS 500-m and Landsat 30-m data. Spatial variations in the parameterized roughness lengths were assessed using GIS-based grid and quadrant pattern analyses to quantify observed variation of land surface features surrounding tornadogenesis locations across spatial scales. This analysis determined that statistically significant horizontal gradients in surface roughness exist surrounding tornadogenesis locations.

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