Measuring and modeling changes in land-atmosphere exchanges and hydrologic response in forests undergoing insect-driven mortality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gochis, D. J.; Brooks, P. D.; Harpold, A. A.; Ewers, B. E.; Pendall, E.; Barnard, H. R.; Reed, D.; Harley, P. C.; Hu, J.; Biederman, J.

2010-12-01

Given the magnitude and spatial extent of recent forest mortality in the western U.S. there is a pressing need to improve representation of such influences on the exchange of energy, water, biogeochemical and momentum fluxes in land-atmosphere parameterizations coupled to weather and climate models. In this talk we present observational data and model results from a new study aimed at improving understanding the impacts of mountain pine beetle-induced forest mortality in the central Rocky Mountains. Baseline observations and model runs from undisturbed lodgepole pine forest conditions are developed as references against which new observations and model runs from infested stands are compared. We will specifically look at the structure and evolution of sub-canopy energy exchange variables such as shortwave and longwave radiation and sub-canopy turbulence as well as sub-canopy precipitation, sapflow fluxes, canopy-scale fluxes and soil moisture and temperature. In this manner we seek to lay the ground work for evaluating the recent generation of land surface model changes aimed at representing insect-related forest dynamics in the CLM-C/N and Noah land surface models.

Minimum wear tube support hole design

DOEpatents

Glatthorn, Raymond H.

1986-01-01

A minimum-wear through-bore (16) is defined within a heat exchanger tube support plate (14) so as to have an hourglass configuration as determined by means of a constant radiused surface curvature (18) as defined by means of an external radius (R3), wherein the surface (18) extends between the upper surface (20) and lower surface (22) of the tube support plate (14). When a heat exchange tube (12) is disposed within the tube support plate (14) so as to pass through the through-bore (16), the heat exchange tube (12) is always in contact with a smoothly curved or radiused portion of the through-bore surface (16) whereby unacceptably excessive wear upon the heat exchange tube (12), as normally developed by means of sharp edges, lands, ridges, or the like conventionally part of the tube support plates, is eliminated or substantially reduced.

Clouds Versus Carbon: Predicting Vegetation Roughness by Maximizing Productivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsen, Lola M.

2004-01-01

Surface roughness is one of the dominant vegetation properties that affects land surface exchange of energy, water, carbon, and momentum with the overlying atmosphere. We hypothesize that the canopy structure of terrestrial vegetation adapts optimally to climate by maximizing productivity, leading to an optimum surface roughness. An optimum should exist because increasing values of surface roughness cause increased surface exchange, leading to increased supply of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. At the same time, increased roughness enhances evapotranspiration and cloud cover, thereby reducing the supply of photosynthetically active radiation. We demonstrate the optimum through sensitivity simulations using a coupled dynamic vegetation-climate model for present day conditions, in which we vary the value of surface roughness for vegetated surfaces. We find that the maximum in productivity occurs at a roughness length of 2 meters, a value commonly used to describe the roughness of today's forested surfaces. The sensitivity simulations also illustrate the strong climatic impacts of vegetation roughness on the energy and water balances over land: with increasing vegetation roughness, solar radiation is reduced by up to 20 W/sq m in the global land mean, causing shifts in the energy partitioning and leading to general cooling of the surface by 1.5 K. We conclude that the roughness of vegetated surfaces can be understood as a reflection of optimum adaptation, and it is associated with substantial changes in the surface energy and water balances over land. The role of the cloud feedback in shaping the optimum underlines the importance of an integrated perspective that views vegetation and its adaptive nature as an integrated component of the Earth system.

Spatio-temporal patterns of groundwater depths and soil nutrients in a small watershed in the Ethiopian highlands: Topographic and land-use controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzman, Christian D.; Tilahun, Seifu A.; Dagnew, Dessalegn C.; Zimale, Fasikaw A.; Zegeye, Assefa D.; Boll, Jan; Parlange, Jean-Yves; Steenhuis, Tammo S.

2017-12-01

Soil and water conservation structures, promoted by local and international development organizations throughout rural landscapes, aim to increase recharge and prevent degradation of soil surface characteristics. This study investigates this unexamined relationship between recharge, water table depths, and soil surface characteristics (nutrients) in a small sub-watershed in the northwestern Ethiopian highlands. These highland watersheds have high infiltration rates (mean 70 mm hr-1, median 33 mm hr-1), recharging the shallow unconfined hillslope aquifer with water transport occurring via subsurface pathways down the slope. The perched water tables reflect the subsurface flux and are deep where this flux is rapid in the upland areas (138 cm below surface). Soil saturation and overland flow occur when the subsurface flux exceeds the transport capacity of the soil in the lower downslope areas near the ephemeral stream (19 cm below surface). Land use is directly related to the water table depth, corresponding to grazing and fallowed (saturated) land in the downslope areas and cultivated (unsaturated) land in the middle and upper parts where the water table is deeper. Kjeldahl Total Nitrogen (TN), Bray II available phosphorus (AP), and exchangeable potassium (K+) averages exhibit different behaviors across slope, land use transects, or saturation conditions. TN was moderate to low (0.07% ± 0.04) in various land uses and slope regions. Bray II AP had very low concentrations (0.25 mg kg-1 ± 0.26) among the different slope regions with no significant differences throughout (p > .05). The exchangeable cation (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) concentrations and pH, however, were greater in non-cultivated (seasonally saturated) lands and in a downslope direction (p < .001, p < .005, p < .05, and p < .005, respectively). These results show that the perched groundwater plays an important role in influencing land use, the amount of water seasonally available for crop growth, and exchangeable cations, but have no clear effect on the concentration of the two primarily applied nutrients in fertilizers (N, P).

Thermodynamic limits set relevant constraints to the soil-plant-atmosphere system and to optimality in terrestrial vegetation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleidon, Axel; Renner, Maik

2016-04-01

The soil-plant-atmosphere system is a complex system that is strongly shaped by interactions between the physical environment and vegetation. This complexity appears to demand equally as complex models to fully capture the dynamics of the coupled system. What we describe here is an alternative approach that is based on thermodynamics and which allows for comparatively simple formulations free of empirical parameters by assuming that the system is so complex that its emergent dynamics are only constrained by the thermodynamics of the system. This approach specifically makes use of the second law of thermodynamics, a fundamental physical law that is typically not being considered in Earth system science. Its relevance to land surface processes is that it fundamentally sets a direction as well as limits to energy conversions and associated rates of mass exchange, but it requires us to formulate land surface processes as thermodynamic processes that are driven by energy conversions. We describe an application of this approach to the surface energy balance partitioning at the diurnal scale. In this application the turbulent heat fluxes of sensible and latent heat are described as the result of a convective heat engine that is driven by solar radiative heating of the surface and that operates at its thermodynamic limit. The predicted fluxes from this approach compare very well to observations at several sites. This suggests that the turbulent exchange fluxes between the surface and the atmosphere operate at their thermodynamic limit, so that thermodynamics imposes a relevant constraint to the land surface-atmosphere system. Yet, thermodynamic limits do not entirely determine the soil-plant-atmosphere system because vegetation affects these limits, for instance by affecting the magnitude of surface heating by absorption of solar radiation in the canopy layer. These effects are likely to make the conditions at the land surface more favorable for photosynthetic activity, which then links this thermodynamic approach to optimality in vegetation. We also contrast this approach to common, semi-empirical approaches of surface-atmosphere exchange and discuss how thermodynamics may set a broader range of transport limitations and optimality in the soil-plant-atmosphere system.

Potential for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems applications for identifying groundwater-surface water exchange in a meandering river reach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pai, H.; Malenda, H.; Briggs, Martin A.; Singha, K.; González-Pinzón, R.; Gooseff, M.; Tyler, S.W.; ,

2017-01-01

The exchange of groundwater and surface water (GW-SW), including dissolved constituents and energy, represents a critical yet challenging characterization problem for hydrogeologists and stream ecologists. Here, we describe the use of a suite of high spatial-resolution remote-sensing techniques, collected using a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), to provide novel and complementary data to analyze GW-SW exchange. sUAS provided centimeter-scale resolution topography and water surface elevations, which are often drivers of exchange along the river corridor. Additionally, sUAS-based vegetation imagery, vegetation-top elevation, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) mapping indicated GW-SW exchange patterns that are difficult to characterize from the land surface and may not be resolved from coarser satellite-based imagery. We combined these data with estimates of sediment hydraulic conductivity to provide a direct estimate of GW “shortcutting” through meander necks, which was corroborated by temperature data at the riverbed interface.

Potential for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Applications for Identifying Groundwater-Surface Water Exchange in a Meandering River Reach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pai, H.; Malenda, H. F.; Briggs, M. A.; Singha, K.; González-Pinzón, R.; Gooseff, M. N.; Tyler, S. W.

2017-12-01

The exchange of groundwater and surface water (GW-SW), including dissolved constituents and energy, represents a critical yet challenging characterization problem for hydrogeologists and stream ecologists. Here we describe the use of a suite of high spatial resolution remote sensing techniques, collected using a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), to provide novel and complementary data to analyze GW-SW exchange. sUAS provided centimeter-scale resolution topography and water surface elevations, which are often drivers of exchange along the river corridor. Additionally, sUAS-based vegetation imagery, vegetation-top elevation, and normalized difference vegetation index mapping indicated GW-SW exchange patterns that are difficult to characterize from the land surface and may not be resolved from coarser satellite-based imagery. We combined these data with estimates of sediment hydraulic conductivity to provide a direct estimate of GW "shortcutting" through meander necks, which was corroborated by temperature data at the riverbed interface.

Measurements and Modeling of Turbulent Fluxes during Persistent Cold Air Pool Events in Salt Lake Valley, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivey, C. E.; Sun, X.; Holmes, H.

2017-12-01

Land surface processes are important in meteorology and climate research since they control the partitioning of surface energy and water exchange at the earth's surface. The surface layer is coupled to the planetary boundary layer (PBL) by surface fluxes, which serve as sinks or sources of energy, moisture, momentum, and atmospheric pollutants. Quantifying the surface heat and momentum fluxes at the land-atmosphere interface, especially for different surface land cover types, is important because they can further influence the atmospheric dynamics, vertical mixing, and transport processes that impact local, regional, and global climate. A cold air pool (CAP) forms when a topographic depression (i.e., valley) fills with cold air, where the air in the stagnant layer is colder than the air aloft. Insufficient surface heating, which is not able to sufficiently erode the temperature inversion that forms during the nighttime stable boundary layer, can lead to the formation of persistent CAPs during wintertime. These persistent CAPs can last for days, or even weeks, and are associated with increased air pollution concentrations. Thus, realistic simulations of the land-atmosphere exchange are meaningful to achieve improved predictions of the accumulation, transport, and dispersion of air pollution concentrations. The focus of this presentation is on observations and modeling results using turbulence data collected in Salt Lake Valley, Utah during the 2010-2011 wintertime Persistent Cold Air Pool Study (PCAPS). Turbulent fluxes and the surface energy balance over seven land use types are quantified. The urban site has an energy balance ratio (EBR) larger than one (1.276). Negative Bowen ratio (-0.070) is found at the cropland site. In addition to turbulence observations, half-hourly WRF simulated net radiation, latent heat, sensible heat, ground heat fluxes during one persistent CAP event are evaluated using the PCAPS observations. The results show that sensible and latent heat fluxes during the CAP event are overestimated. The sensitivity of WRF results to large-scale forcing datasets, PBL schemes and land surface models (LSMs) are also investigated. The optimal WRF configuration for simulating surface turbulent fluxes and atmospheric mixing during CAP events is determined.

A Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE): Documentation and Testing of a Detailed Process Model of the Partly Cloudy Boundary Layer over Heterogeneous Land.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wetzel, Peter J.; Boone, Aaron

1995-07-01

This paper presents a general description of, and demonstrates the capabilities of, the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE). The PLACE model is a detailed process model of the partly cloudy atmospheric boundary layer and underlying heterogeneous land surfaces. In its development, particular attention has been given to three of the model's subprocesses: the prediction of boundary layer cloud amount, the treatment of surface and soil subgrid heterogeneity, and the liquid water budget. The model includes a three-parameter nonprecipitating cumulus model that feeds back to the surface and boundary layer through radiative effects. Surface heterogeneity in the PLACE model is treated both statistically and by resolving explicit subgrid patches. The model maintains a vertical column of liquid water that is divided into seven reservoirs, from the surface interception store down to bedrock.Five single-day demonstration cases are presented, in which the PLACE model was initialized, run, and compared to field observations from four diverse sites. The model is shown to predict cloud amount well in these while predicting the surface fluxes with similar accuracy. A slight tendency to underpredict boundary layer depth is noted in all cases.Sensitivity tests were also run using anemometer-level forcing provided by the Project for Inter-comparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS). The purpose is to demonstrate the relative impact of heterogeneity of surface parameters on the predicted annual mean surface fluxes. Significant sensitivity to subgrid variability of certain parameters is demonstrated, particularly to parameters related to soil moisture. A major result is that the PLACE-computed impact of total (homogeneous) deforestation of a rain forest is comparable in magnitude to the effect of imposing heterogeneity of certain surface variables, and is similarly comparable to the overall variance among the other PILPS participant models. Were this result to be bourne out by further analysis, it would suggest that today's average land surface parameterization has little credibility when applied to discriminating the local impacts of any plausible future climate change.

An Analytic Approach to Modeling Land-Atmosphere Interaction: 1. Construct and Equilibrium Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brubaker, Kaye L.; Entekhabi, Dara

1995-03-01

A four-variable land-atmosphere model is developed to investigate the coupled exchanges of water and energy between the land surface and atmosphere and the role of these exchanges in the statistical behavior of continental climates. The land-atmosphere system is substantially simplified and formulated as a set of ordinary differential equations that, with the addition of random noise, are suitable for analysis in the form of the multivariate Îto equation. The model treats the soil layer and the near-surface atmosphere as reservoirs with storage capacities for heat and water. The transfers between these reservoirs are regulated by four states: soil saturation, soil temperature, air specific humidity, and air potential temperature. The atmospheric reservoir is treated as a turbulently mixed boundary layer of fixed depth. Heat and moisture advection, precipitation, and layer-top air entrainment are parameterized. The system is forced externally by solar radiation and the lateral advection of air and water mass. The remaining energy and water mass exchanges are expressed in terms of the state variables. The model development and equilibrium solutions are presented. Although comparisons between observed data and steady state model results re inexact, the model appears to do a reasonable job of partitioning net radiation into sensible and latent heat flux in appropriate proportions for bare-soil midlatitude summer conditions. Subsequent work will introduce randomness into the forcing terms to investigate the effect of water-energy coupling and land-atmosphere interaction on variability and persistence in the climatic system.

Assimilation of SMOS (and SMAP) Retrieved Soil Moisture into the Land Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blankenship, Clay; Zavodsky, Bradley; Case, Jonathan; Stano, Geoffrey

2016-01-01

Goal: Accurate, high-resolution (approx.3 km) soil moisture in near-real time. Situational awareness (drought assessment, flood and fire threat). Local modeling applications (to improve sfc-PBL exchanges) Method: Assimilate satellite soil moisture retrievals into a land surface model. Combines high-resolution geophysical model data with latest satellite observations.

Impacts of Soil-aquifer Heat and Water Fluxes on Simulated Global Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krakauer, N.Y.; Puma, Michael J.; Cook, B. I.

2013-01-01

Climate models have traditionally only represented heat and water fluxes within relatively shallow soil layers, but there is increasing interest in the possible role of heat and water exchanges with the deeper subsurface. Here, we integrate an idealized 50m deep aquifer into the land surface module of the GISS ModelE general circulation model to test the influence of aquifer-soil moisture and heat exchanges on climate variables. We evaluate the impact on the modeled climate of aquifer-soil heat and water fluxes separately, as well as in combination. The addition of the aquifer to ModelE has limited impact on annual-mean climate, with little change in global mean land temperature, precipitation, or evaporation. The seasonal amplitude of deep soil temperature is strongly damped by the soil-aquifer heat flux. This not only improves the model representation of permafrost area but propagates to the surface, resulting in an increase in the seasonal amplitude of surface air temperature of >1K in the Arctic. The soil-aquifer water and heat fluxes both slightly decrease interannual variability in soil moisture and in landsurface temperature, and decrease the soil moisture memory of the land surface on seasonal to annual timescales. The results of this experiment suggest that deepening the modeled land surface, compared to modeling only a shallower soil column with a no-flux bottom boundary condition, has limited impact on mean climate but does affect seasonality and interannual persistence.

The Use of CASES-97 Observations to Assess and Parameterize the Impact of Land-Surface Heterogeneity on Area-Average Surface Heat Fluxes for Large-Scale Coupled Atmosphere-Hydrology Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Fei; Yates, David; LeMone, Margaret

2001-01-01

To understand the effects of land-surface heterogeneity and the interactions between the land-surface and the planetary boundary layer at different scales, we develop a multiscale data set. This data set, based on the Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study (CASES97) observations, includes atmospheric, surface, and sub-surface observations obtained from a dense observation network covering a large region on the order of 100 km. We use this data set to drive three land-surface models (LSMs) to generate multi-scale (with three resolutions of 1, 5, and 10 kilometers) gridded surface heat flux maps for the CASES area. Upon validating these flux maps with measurements from surface station and aircraft, we utilize them to investigate several approaches for estimating the area-integrated surface heat flux for the CASES97 domain of 71x74 square kilometers, which is crucial for land surface model development/validation and area water and energy budget studies. This research is aimed at understanding the relative contribution of random turbulence versus organized mesoscale circulations to the area-integrated surface flux at the scale of 100 kilometers, and identifying the most important effective parameters for characterizing the subgrid-scale variability for large-scale atmosphere-hydrology models.

Simulation of the Onset of the Southeast Asian Monsoon During 1997 and 1998: The Impact of Surface Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yansen; Tao, W.-K.; Lau, K.-M.; Wetzel, Peter J.

2003-01-01

The onset of the southeast Asian monsoon during 1997 and 1998 was simulated with a coupled mesoscale atmospheric model (MM5) and a detailed land surface model. The rainfall results from the simulations were compared with observed satellite data fiom the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) TMI (TRMM Microwave Imager) and GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project). The simulation with the land surface model captured basic signatures of the monsoon onset processes and associated rainfall statistics. The sensitivity tests indicated that land surface processes had a greater impact on the simulated rainfall results than that of a small sea surface temperature change during the onset period. In both the 1997 and 1998 cases, the simulations were significantly improved by including the land surface processes. The results indicated that land surface processes played an important role in modifying the low-level wind field over two major branches of the circulation; the southwest low-level flow over the Indo- China peninsula and the northern cold front intrusion from southern China. The surface sensible and latent heat exchange between the land and atmosphere modified the lowlevel temperature distribution and gradient, and therefore the low-level. The more realistic forcing of the sensible and latent heat from the detailed land surface model improved the monsoon rainfall and associated wind simulation.

Spatially Complete Global Spectral Surface Albedos: Value-Added Datasets Derived from Terra MODIS Land Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moody, Eric G.; King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Schaaf, Crystal B.; Gao, Feng

2004-01-01

Land surface albedo is an important parameter in describing the radiative properties of the earth s surface as it represents the amount of incoming solar radiation that is reflected from the surface. The amount and type of vegetation of the surface dramatically alters the amount of radiation that is reflected; for example, croplands that contain leafy vegetation will reflect radiation very differently than blacktop associated with urban areas. In addition, since vegetation goes through a growth, or phenological, cycle, the amount of radiation that is reflected changes over the course of a year. As a result, albedo is both temporally and spatially dependant upon global location as there is a distribution of vegetated surface types and growing conditions. Land surface albedo is critical for a wide variety of earth system research projects including but not restricted to remote sensing of atmospheric aerosol and cloud properties from space, ground-based analysis of aerosol optical properties from surface-based sun/sky radiometers, biophysically-based land surface modeling of the exchange of energy, water, momentum, and carbon for various land use categories, and surface energy balance studies. These projects require proper representation of the surface albedo s spatial, spectral, and temporal variations, however, these representations are often lacking in datasets prior to the latest generation of land surface albedo products.

36 CFR 254.5 - Assembled land exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Assembled land exchanges. 254... LANDOWNERSHIP ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.5 Assembled land exchanges. (a) Whenever the authorized officer determines it to be practicable, an assembled land exchange arrangement may be used to facilitate exchanges...

Characterization of energy exchange parameters in the Himalayan foothills Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalid, Bushra; Kumar, Mukul; Cholaw, Bueh; Aziz Khan, Junaid; Hayat Khan, Azmat

2017-04-01

The characterization of energy exchange parameters for spring season (April-May) has been done for Margalla hills national park (MHNP) Islamabad, Pakistan. It is important because Islamabad city lies in the foothills of Himalayas and micro meteorological activity makes the climate of surrounding areas. The activity on Himalaya's foothills (i.e., Margalla hills) regulate weather and also provide fresh water to the lakes and ponds by late afternoon thunder showers. This research is also important from the perspective of rain water harvesting in Islamabad, Pakistan. The objective of this study is to characterize the energy exchange parameters in the foothills of great Himalayas particularly on MHNP. Landsat ETM+ imageries have been used for calculating the land surface temperature (LST), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and normalized difference moisture index (NDMI). SPOT 5 image has been used for land use/land cover classification over MHNP. The turbulent fluxes have been calculated by computing the values acquired from the processing of satellite imageries and real time observation data sets. The comparisons have been made between the land and atmospheric temperature and moisture to see the difference and its impacts on weather of twin cities i.e., Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The energy exchange parameters have been characterized by analyzing the impacts of weather parameters and turbulent fluxes on MHNP and surrounding cities. The potential rain water harvesting sites have been marked in the foothills. Weather and surface conditions become more favorable for the growth of vegetation by the end of April as the spring season reaches at its peak. There is the start of growing season in the month of April whereas the vegetation becomes thick over time during the month of May over Margalla hills however, the energy exchange parameters follow the same pattern in May as in April. The relative humidity remains between 18 - 55 % and the atmospheric temperature variations are between 19 to 35 0C during the studied period. As the atmospheric temperature and RH fluctuate, it effects the soil moisture and land surface temperature. Even if the atmospheric temperature rise or fall, the evergreen vegetation is found throughout the year on Margalla hills maintains/regulates the land surface temperature and soil moisture. The latent heat flux cause an increase in the noon temperature and RH levels. It further increases the moisture level in the atmosphere that is greatly supported by sensible heat flux to drive the moisture to the higher vertical levels and cause late afternoon thunder showers on the foothills and surrounding areas. The thundershowers are usually intense that cause light or heavy hail and changes the atmospheric temperature around 20 degrees Celsius in the evening time.

Radon Measurements of Atmospheric Mixing (RAMIX) 2006–2014 Final Campaign Summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fischer, ML; Biraud, SC

2015-05-01

Uncertainty in vertical mixing between the surface layer, boundary layer, and free troposphere leads to large uncertainty in “top-down” estimates of regional land-atmosphere carbon exchange (i.e., estimates based on measurements of atmospheric CO2 mixing ratios. Radon-222 (222Rn) is a valuable tracer for measuring atmospheric mixing because it is emitted from the land surface and has a short enough half-life (3.8 days) to allow characterization of mixing processes based on vertical profile measurements.

Radon Measurements of Atmospheric Mixing (RAMIX) 2006–2014 Final Campaign Summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fischer, ML; Biraud, SC; Hirsch, A

2015-05-01

Uncertainty in vertical mixing between the surface layer, boundary layer, and free troposphere leads to large uncertainty in “top-down” estimates of regional land-atmosphere carbon exchange (i.e., estimates based on measurements of atmospheric CO 2 mixing ratios). The radioisotope radon-222 ( 222Rn) is a valuable tracer for measuring atmospheric mixing because it is emitted from the land surface and has a short enough half-life (3.8 days) to allow characterization of mixing processes based on vertical profile measurements.

Role of subsurface physics in the assimilation of surface soil moisture observations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil moisture controls the exchange of water and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere and exhibits memory that may be useful for climate prediction at monthly time scales. Though spatially distributed observations of soil moisture are increasingly becoming available from remotely sense...

Coupled land surface/hydrologic/atmospheric models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pielke, Roger; Steyaert, Lou; Arritt, Ray; Lahtakia, Mercedes; Smith, Chris; Ziegler, Conrad; Soong, Su Tzai; Avissar, Roni; Wetzel, Peter; Sellers, Piers

1993-01-01

The topics covered include the following: prototype land cover characteristics data base for the conterminous United States; surface evapotranspiration effects on cumulus convection and implications for mesoscale models; the use of complex treatment of surface hydrology and thermodynamics within a mesoscale model and some related issues; initialization of soil-water content for regional-scale atmospheric prediction models; impact of surface properties on dryline and MCS evolution; a numerical simulation of heavy precipitation over the complex topography of California; representing mesoscale fluxes induced by landscape discontinuities in global climate models; emphasizing the role of subgrid-scale heterogeneity in surface-air interaction; and problems with modeling and measuring biosphere-atmosphere exchanges of energy, water, and carbon on large scales.

Simulation of the Onset of the Southeast Asian Monsoon During 1997 and 1998: The Impact of Surface Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.-K.; Lau, W.; Baker, R.

2004-01-01

The onset of the southeast Asian monsoon during 1997 and 1998 was simulated with a coupled mesoscale atmospheric model (MM5) and a detailed land surface model. The rainfall results from the simulations were compared with observed satellite data from the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) TMI (TRMM Microwave Imager) and GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project). The simulation with the land surface model captured basic signatures of the monsoon onset processes and associated rainfall statistics. The sensitivity tests indicated that land surface processes had a greater impact on the simulated rainfall results than that of a small sea surface temperature change during the onset period. In both the 1997 and 1998 cases, the simulations were significantly improved by including the land surface processes. The results indicated that land surface processes played an important role in modifying the low-level wind field over two major branches of the circulation; the southwest low-level flow over the Indo-China peninsula and the northern cold front intrusion from southern China. The surface sensible and latent heat exchange between the land and atmosphere modified the low-level temperature distribution and gradient, and therefore the low-level. The more realistic forcing of the sensible and latent heat from the detailed land surface model improved the monsoon rainfall and associated wind simulation. The model results will be compared to the simulation of the 6-7 May 2000 Missouri flash flood event. In addition, the impact of model initialization and land surface treatment on timing, intensity, and location of extreme precipitation will be examined.

Simulation of the Onset of the Southeast Asian Monsoon during 1997 and 1998: The Impact of Surface Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.-K.; Wang, Y.; Lau, W.; Baker, R. D.

2004-01-01

The onset of the southeast Asian monsoon during 1997 and 1998 was simulated with a coupled mesoscale atmospheric model (MM5) and a detailed land surface model. The rainfall results from the simulations were compared with observed satellite data from the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) TMI (TRMM Microwave Imager) and GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project). The simulation with the land surface model captured basic signatures of the monsoon onset processes and associated rainfall statistics. The sensitivity tests indicated that land surface processes had a greater impact on the simulated rainfall results than that of a small sea surface temperature change during the onset period. In both the 1997 and 1998 cases, the simulations were significantly improved by including the land surface processes. The results indicated that land surface processes played an important role in modifying the low-level wind field over two major branches of the circulation; the southwest low-level flow over the Indo-China peninsula and the northern cold front intrusion from southern China. The surface sensible and latent heat exchange between the land and atmosphere modified the low-level temperature distribution and gradient, and therefore the low-level. The more realistic forcing of the sensible and latent heat from the detailed land surface model improved the monsoon rainfall and associated wind simulation. The model results will be compared to the simulation of the 6-7 May 2000 Missouri flash flood event. In addition, the impact of model initialization and land surface treatment on timing, intensity, and location of extreme precipitation will be examined.

Characterizing Mediterranean Land Surfaces as Component of the Regional Climate System by Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolle, H.-J.; Koslowsky, D.; Menenti, M.; Nerry, F.; Otterman, Joseph; Starr, D.

1998-01-01

Extensive areas in the Mediterranean region are subject to land degradation and desertification. The high variability of the coupling between the surface and the atmosphere affects the regional climate. Relevant surface characteristics, such as spectral reflectance, surface emissivity in the thermal-infrared region, and vegetation indices, serve as "primary" level indicators for the state of the surface. Their spatial, seasonal and interannual variability can be monitored from satellites. Using relationships between these primary data and combining them with prior information about the land surfaces (such as topography, dominant soil type, land use, collateral ground measurements and models), a second layer of information is built up which specifies the land surfaces as a component of the regional climate system. To this category of parameters which are directly involved in the exchange of energy, momentum and mass between the surface and the atmosphere, belong broadband albedo, thermodynamic surface temperature, vegetation types, vegetation cover density, soil top moisture, and soil heat flux. Information about these parameters finally leads to the computation of sensible and latent heat fluxes. The methodology was tested with pilot data sets. Full resolution, properly calibrated and normalized NOAA-AVHRR multi-annual primary data sets are presently compiled for the whole Mediterranean area, to study interannual variability and longer term trends.

Simulation of the Onset of the Southeast Asian Monsoon during 1997 and 1998: The Impact of Surface Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yansen; Tao, W.-K.; Lau, K.-M.; Wetzel, Peter J.

2004-01-01

The onset of the southeast Asian monsoon during 1997 and 1998 was simulated by coupling a mesoscale atmospheric model (MM5) and a detailed, land surface model, PLACE (the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange). The rainfall results from the simulations were compared with observed satellite data from the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) TMI (TRMM Microwave Imager) and GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project). The control simulation with the PLACE land surface model and variable sea surface temperature captured the basic signatures of the monsoon onset processes and associated rainfall statistics. Sensitivity tests indicated that simulations were sigmficantly improved by including the PLACE land surface model. The mechanism by which the land surface processes affect the moisture transport and the convection during the onset of the southeast Asian monsoon were analyzed. The results indicated that land surface processes played an important role in modifying the low-level wind field over two major branches of the circulation: the southwest low-level flow over the Indo-china peninsula and the northern, cold frontal intrusion from southern China. The surface sensible and latent heat fluxes modified the low-level temperature distribution and gradient, and therefore the low-level wind due to the thermal wind effect. The more realistic forcing of the sensible and latent heat fluxes from the detailed, land surface model improved the low-level wind simulation apd associated moisture transport and convection.

Simulation of the Onset of the Southeast Asian Monsoon during 1997 and 1998: The Impact of Surface Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yansen; Tao, W.-K.; Lau, K.-M.; Wetzel, Peter J.

2004-01-01

The onset of the southeast Asian monsoon during 1997 and 1998 was simulated by coupling a mesoscale atmospheric model (MM5) and a detailed, land surface model, PLACE (the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange). The rainfall results from the simulations were compared with observed satellite data from the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) TMI (TRMM Microwave Imager) and GPCP (Global Precipitation Climatology Project). The control simulation with the PLACE land surface model and variable sea surface temperature captured the basic signatures of the monsoon onset processes and associated rainfall statistics. Sensitivity tests indicated that simulations were significantly improved by including the PLACE land surface model. The mechanism by which the land surface processes affect the moisture transport and the convection during the onset of the southeast Asian monsoon were analyzed. The results indicated that land surface processes played an important role in modifying the low-level wind field over two major branches of the circulation: the southwest low-level flow over the Indo-China peninsula and the northern, cold frontal intrusion from southern China. The surface sensible and latent heat fluxes modified the low-level temperature distribution and merit, and therefore the low-level wind due to the thermal wind effect. The more realistic forcing of the sensible and latent heat fluxes from the detailed, land surface model improved the low-level wind simulation and associated moisture transport and convection.

Relationship among land surface temperature and LUCC, NDVI in typical karst area.

PubMed

Deng, Yuanhong; Wang, Shijie; Bai, Xiaoyong; Tian, Yichao; Wu, Luhua; Xiao, Jianyong; Chen, Fei; Qian, Qinghuan

2018-01-12

Land surface temperature (LST) can reflect the land surface water-heat exchange process comprehensively, which is considerably significant to the study of environmental change. However, research about LST in karst mountain areas with complex topography is scarce. Therefore, we retrieved the LST in a karst mountain area from Landsat 8 data and explored its relationships with LUCC and NDVI. The results showed that LST of the study area was noticeably affected by altitude and underlying surface type. In summer, abnormal high-temperature zones were observed in the study area, perhaps due to karst rocky desertification. LSTs among different land use types significantly differed with the highest in construction land and the lowest in woodland. The spatial distributions of NDVI and LST exhibited opposite patterns. Under the spatial combination of different land use types, the LST-NDVI feature space showed an obtuse-angled triangle shape and showed a negative linear correlation after removing water body data. In summary, the LST can be retrieved well by the atmospheric correction model from Landsat 8 data. Moreover, the LST of the karst mountain area is controlled by altitude, underlying surface type and aspect. This study provides a reference for land use planning, ecological environment restoration in karst areas.

Short Term Sediment Exchange Between Marshes and Bays Using Beryllium-7 as a Tracer, Fourleague Bay, Louisiana.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Restreppo, G. A.; Bentley, S. J.; Xu, K.; Wang, J.

2016-12-01

Modern delta models focus on the availability and exchange of coarse sediment as one of the major factors of deltaic growth or decay. Fine-grained sediment exchange within a river's delta is relatively poorly understood, as is the impact that this exchange has on land building and land loss. To better understand the dynamics of fine grain sediment exchange between river mouth, adjacent bays, and marshland, sediment cores from Fourleague Bay, LA, were collected and analyzed for 7Be, a naturally occurring radioisotope that serves as a marker for recently deposited sediment. Time-series push cores were collected every two months at ten sites, five located across a longitudinal transect in the middle bay and five located along adjacent marshes, from May 2015 to May 2016. All sites fall within 11 to 28 km of the Atchafalaya Delta, along a gradient extending towards the open ocean. Cores were extruded in 2 cm intervals, dried, ground, and analyzed via gamma spectrometry for the presence of 7Be. Inventories of 7Be were then calculated and used to determine bimonthly sedimentation rates over the course twelve months. Sediment deposition on the bay floor and marsh surface were then compared to Atchafalaya River discharge, wind speed and direction, and wave action. Preliminary results indicate patterns of initial fluvial sediment transfer from river to bay floor, then bay floor to marsh surface, with decreasing fluvial influence towards the open ocean. Sediment transport from bay to marsh appears to be coupled with meteorological forcing that induces bay-floor sediment resuspension and the flooding of marsh surfaces. This indirect mechanism of fluvial sediment supply to wetland surfaces may extend the region of influence for sediment delivery from man-made river-sediment diversions.

Comparing crop growth and carbon budgets simulated across AmeriFlux agricultural sites using the community land model (CLM)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Improving process-based crop models is needed to achieve high fidelity forecasts of regional energy, water, and carbon exchange. However, most state-of-the-art Land Surface Models (LSMs) assessed in the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Inter-comparison project (CMIP5) simulated crops as simple C3 or...

Continuous determination of land-atmosphere Hg0 exchange using a novel Relaxed Eddy Accumulation design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osterwalder, Stefan; Fritsche, Johannes; Nilsson, Mats B.; Alewell, Christine; Bishop, Kevin

2015-04-01

The fate of anthropogenic emissions to the atmosphere is influenced by the exchange of elemental mercury (Hg0) with the earth surface. However, it remains challenging to quantify these exchanges which hold the key to a better understanding of mercury cycling at different scales, from the entire earth to specific environments. To better test hypotheses about land-atmosphere Hg interactions, we applied dynamic flux chambers (DFCs) for short term measurements and developed a novel Relaxed Eddy Accumulation (REA) design for continuous flux monitoring. Accurate determination of Hg0 fluxes has proven difficult due to the technical challenges presented by the small concentration differences (< 1 ng m-3) between updrafts and downdrafts. To address this we present a dual-intake, single analyzer REA system including a calibration module for periodic quality-control measurements with reference gases. To demonstrate the system performance, we present results from two contrasting environments: In February 2012 REA monitored a heterogeneous urban surface in the center of Basel, Switzerland where an average flux of 14 ng m-2 h-1 was detected with a distinct diurnal pattern. In May 2012, the REA monitored a boreal mire in northern Sweden with different turbulence regimes and Hg0 sink/source characteristics. During the snowmelt period in May 2012 the Hg0 flux averaged at 2 ng m-2 h-1. In order to better quantify inputs and outputs of Hg from boreal landscapes, we subsequently monitored the land-atmosphere exchange of Hg0 during a course of a year and compared the fluxes occasionally with DFC measurements. The amount of Hg0 volatilized from boreal mires was at a similar level as the annual export of Hg in stream water, identifying the mire as net source of Hg to neighboring environments. We believe that this dual-inlet, single detector approach is a significant innovation which can help realize the potential of REA for continuous, long-term determination of land-atmosphere Hg0 exchange.

Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of land-atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Steyaert, Louis T.; Knox, R.G.

2008-01-01

Over the past 350 years, the eastern half of the United States experienced extensive land cover changes. These began with land clearing in the 1600s, continued with widespread deforestation, wetland drainage, and intensive land use by 1920, and then evolved to the present-day landscape of forest regrowth, intensive agriculture, urban expansion, and landscape fragmentation. Such changes alter biophysical properties that are key determinants of land-atmosphere interactions (water, energy, and carbon exchanges). To understand the potential implications of these land use transformations, we developed and analyzed 20-km land cover and biophysical parameter data sets for the eastern United States at 1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992 time slices. Our approach combined potential vegetation, county-level census data, soils data, resource statistics, a Landsat-derived land cover classification, and published historical information on land cover and land use. We reconstructed land use intensity maps for each time slice and characterized the land cover condition. We combined these land use data with a mutually consistent set of biophysical parameter classes, to characterize the historical diversity and distribution of land surface properties. Time series maps of land surface albedo, leaf area index, a deciduousness index, canopy height, surface roughness, and potential saturated soils in 1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992 illustrate the profound effects of land use change on biophysical properties of the land surface. Although much of the eastern forest has returned, the average biophysical parameters for recent landscapes remain markedly different from those of earlier periods. Understanding the consequences of these historical changes will require land-atmosphere interactions modeling experiments.

Study on a Dynamic Vegetation Model for Simulating Land Surface Flux Exchanges at Lien-Hua-Chih Flux Observation Site in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, T. Y.; Li, M. H.; Chen, Y. Y.; Ryder, J.; McGrath, M.; Otto, J.; Naudts, K.; Luyssaert, S.; MacBean, N.; Bastrikov, V.

2016-12-01

Dynamic vegetation model ORCHIDEE (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic EcosystEms) is a state of art land surface component of the IPSL (Institute Pierre Simon Laplace) Earth System Model. It has been used world-wide to investigate variations of water, carbon, and energy exchanges between the land surface and the atmosphere. In this study we assessed the applicability of using ORCHIDEE-CAN, a new feature with 3-D CANopy structure (Naudts et al., 2015; Ryder et al., 2016), to simulate surface fluxes measured at tower-based eddy covariance fluxes at the Lien-Hua-Chih experimental watershed in Taiwan. The atmospheric forcing including radiation, air temperature, wind speed, and the dynamics of vertical canopy structure for driving the model were obtained from the observations site. Suitable combinations of default plant function types were examined to meet in-situ observations of soil moisture and leaf area index from 2009 to 2013. The simulated top layer soil moisture was ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 and total leaf area was ranging from 2.2 to 4.4, respectively. A sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the sensitive of model parameters and model skills of ORCHIDEE-CAN on capturing seasonal variations of surface fluxes. The most sensitive parameters were suggested and calibrated by an automatic data assimilation tool ORCHDAS (ORCHIDEE Data Assimilation Systems; http://orchidas.lsce.ipsl.fr/). Latent heat, sensible heat, and carbon fluxes simulated by the model were compared with long-term observations at the site. ORCHIDEE-CAN by making use of calibrated surface parameters was used to study variations of land-atmosphere interactions on a variety of temporal scale in associations with changes in both land and atmospheric conditions. Ref: Naudts, K., et al.,: A vertically discretised canopy description for ORCHIDEE (SVN r2290) and the modifications to the energy, water and carbon fluxes, Geoscientific Model Development, 8, 2035-2065, doi:10.5194/gmd-8-2035-2015,2015. Ryder, J., et al. : A multi-layer land surface energy budget model for implicit coupling with global atmospheric simulations, Geoscientific Model Development, 9, 223-245, doi:10.5194/gmd-9-223-2016, 2016.

How important is getting the land surface energy exchange correct in WRF for wind energy forecasting?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wharton, S.; Simpson, M.; Osuna, J. L.; Newman, J. F.; Biraud, S.

2013-12-01

Wind power forecasting is plagued with difficulties in accurately predicting the occurrence and intensity of atmospheric conditions at the heights spanned by industrial-scale turbines (~ 40 to 200 m above ground level). Better simulation of the relevant physics would enable operational practices such as integration of large fractions of wind power into power grids, scheduling maintenance on wind energy facilities, and deciding design criteria based on complex loads for next-generation turbines and siting. Accurately simulating the surface energy processes in numerical models may be critically important for wind energy forecasting as energy exchange at the surface strongly drives atmospheric mixing (i.e., stability) in the lower layers of the planetary boundary layer (PBL), which in turn largely determines wind shear and turbulence at heights found in the turbine rotor-disk. We hypothesize that simulating accurate a surface-atmosphere energy coupling should lead to more accurate predictions of wind speed and turbulence at heights within the turbine rotor-disk. Here, we tested 10 different land surface model configurations in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model including Noah, Noah-MP, SSiB, Pleim-Xiu, RUC, and others to evaluate (1) the accuracy of simulated surface energy fluxes to flux tower measurements, (2) the accuracy of forecasted wind speeds to observations at rotor-disk heights, and (3) the sensitivity of forecasting hub-height rotor disk wind speed to the choice of land surface model. WRF was run for four, two-week periods covering both summer and winter periods over the Southern Great Plains ARM site in Oklahoma. Continuous measurements of surface energy fluxes and lidar-based wind speed, direction and turbulence were also available. The SGP ARM site provided an ideal location for this evaluation as it centrally located in the wind-rich Great Plains and multi-MW wind farms are rapidly expanding in the area. We found significant differences in simulated wind speeds at rotor-disk heights from WRF which indicated, in part, the sensitivity of lower PBL winds to surface energy exchange. We also found significant differences in energy partitioning between sensible heat and latent energy depending on choice of land surface model. Overall, the most consistent, accurate model results were produced using Noah-MP. Noah-MP was most accurate at simulating energy fluxes and wind shear. Hub-height wind speed, however, was predicted with most accuracy with Pleim-Xiu. This suggests that simulating wind shear in the surface layer is consistent with accurately simulating surface energy exchange while the exact magnitudes of wind speed may be more strongly influenced by the PBL dynamics. As the nation is working towards a 20% wind energy goal by 2030, increasing the accuracy of wind forecasting at rotor-disk heights becomes more important considering that utilities require wind farms to estimate their power generation 24 to 36 hours ahead and face penalties for inaccuracies in those forecasts.

The Modelling Analysis of the Response of Convective Transport of Energy and Water to Multiscale Surface Heterogeneity over Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

SUN, G.; Hu, Z.; Ma, Y.; Ma, W.

2017-12-01

The land-atmospheric interactions over a heterogeneous surface is a tricky issue for accurately understanding the energy-water exchanges between land surface and atmosphere. We investigate the vertical transport of energy and water over a heterogeneous land surface in Tibetan Plateau during the evolution of the convective boundary layer using large eddy simulation (WRF_LES). The surface heterogeneity is created according to remote sensing images from high spatial resolution LandSat ETM+ images. The PBL characteristics over a heterogeneous surface are analyzed in terms of secondary circulations under different background wind conditions based on the horizontal and vertical distribution and evolution of wind. The characteristics of vertical transport of energy and heat over a heterogeneous surface are analyzed in terms of the horizontal distribution as well as temporal evolution of sensible and latent heat fluxes at different heights under different wind conditions on basis of the simulated results from WRF_LES. The characteristics of the heat and water transported into the free atmosphere from surface are also analyzed and quantified according to the simulated results from WRF_LES. The convective transport of energy and water are analyzed according to horizontal and vertical distributions of potential temperature and vapor under different background wind conditions. With the analysis based on the WRF_LES simulation, the performance of PBL schemes of mesoscale simulation (WRF_meso) is evaluated. The comparison between horizontal distribution of vertical fluxes and domain-averaged vertical fluxes of the energy and water in the free atmosphere is used to evaluate the performance of PBL schemes of WRF_meso in the simulation of vertical exchange of energy and water. This is an important variable because only the energy and water transported into free atmosphere is able to influence the regional and even global climate. This work would will be of great significance not only for understanding the land atmosphere interactions over a heterogeneous surface by evaluating and improving the performance PBL schemes in WRF-meso, but also for the understanding the profound effect of Tibetan Plateau on the regional and global climate.

25 CFR 158.54 - Exchanges of restrictive lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Exchanges of restrictive lands. 158.54 Section 158.54 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER OSAGE LANDS § 158.54 Exchanges of restrictive lands. Upon written application of the Indians involved, the exchange of restricted...

Distributed parameterization of complex terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Band, Lawrence E.

1991-03-01

This paper addresses the incorporation of high resolution topography, soils and vegetation information into the simulation of land surface processes in atmospheric circulation models (ACM). Recent work has concentrated on detailed representation of one-dimensional exchange processes, implicitly assuming surface homogeneity over the atmospheric grid cell. Two approaches that could be taken to incorporate heterogeneity are the integration of a surface model over distributed, discrete portions of the landscape, or over a distribution function of the model parameters. However, the computational burden and parameter intensive nature of current land surface models in ACM limits the number of independent model runs and parameterizations that are feasible to accomplish for operational purposes. Therefore, simplications in the representation of the vertical exchange processes may be necessary to incorporate the effects of landscape variability and horizontal divergence of energy and water. The strategy is then to trade off the detail and rigor of point exchange calculations for the ability to repeat those calculations over extensive, complex terrain. It is clear the parameterization process for this approach must be automated such that large spatial databases collected from remotely sensed images, digital terrain models and digital maps can be efficiently summarized and transformed into the appropriate parameter sets. Ideally, the landscape should be partitioned into surface units that maximize between unit variance while minimizing within unit variance, although it is recognized that some level of surface heterogeneity will be retained at all scales. Therefore, the geographic data processing necessary to automate the distributed parameterization should be able to estimate or predict parameter distributional information within each surface unit.

77 FR 72813 - Information Collection; Land Exchanges

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-06

... Information Collection; Land Exchanges AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice; request for comment... approved information collection, OMB 0596-0105, Land Exchanges. DATES: Comments must be received in writing...: Extension with revision of a currently approved information collection. Abstract: Land exchanges are...

Modeling surface energy fluxes from a patchwork of fields with different soils and crops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Christian; Thieme, Christoph; Heinlein, Florian; Priesack, Eckart

2017-04-01

Agroecosystems are a dominant terrestrial land-use on planet earth and cover about 36% of the ice-free surface (12% pasture, 26% agriculture) [Foley2011]. Within this land use type, management practices vary strongly due to climate, cultural preferences, degree of industrialization, soil properties, crop rotations, field sizes, degree of land use sustainability, water availability, sowing and harvest dates, tillage, etc. These management practices influence abiotic environmental factors like water flow and heat transport within the ecosystem leading to changes of land surface fluxes. The relevance of vegetation (e.g. crops), ground cover, and soil properties to the moisture and energy exchanges between the land surface and the atmosphere is well known [McPherson 2007], but the impact of vegetation growth dynamics on energy fluxes is only partly understood [Gayler et al. 2014]. Thus, the structure of turbulence and the albedo evolve during the cropping period and large variations of heat can be measured on the field scale [Aubinet2012]. One issue of local distributed mixture of different land use is the measurement process which makes it challenging to evaluate simulations. Unfortunately, for meteorological flux-measurements like the Flux-Gradient or the Eddy Covariance (EC) method, comparability with simulations only exists in the ideal case, where fields have to be completely uniform in land use and flat within the reach of the footprint. Then a model with one specific land use would have the same underlying source area as the measurement. An elegant method to avoid the shortcoming of grid cell resolution is the so called mixed approach, which was recently implemented into the ecosystem model framework Expert-N [Biernath et al. 2013]. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the characteristics of five managed field plots, planted with winter wheat, potato and maize on the near surface soil moistures and on the near surface energy flux exchanges of the soil-plant-atmosphere interface. The simulated energy fluxes were compared with eddy flux tower measurements between the respective fields at the research farm Scheyern, North-West of Munich, Germany. These simulations were done by coupling the ecosystem model Expert-N to an analytical footprint model [Mauder & Foken 2011] . The coupled model system has the ability to calculate the mixing ratio of the surface energy fluxes at the flux tower position. The approach accounts for the temporarily and spatially changing contributions of the patchwork of environmental land surface conditions (land use, management, soil properties) which influence the energy flux tower measurements due to the footprint dynamics. The statistical evaluation between simulation and measurements showed that the mixed approach improved the comparability in most cases. Furthermore, the management impact on single patches can be clearly detected, both in the measurements and the simulation. We conclude that reasonable simulations of energy and matter fluxes can be obtained if the heterogeneity of the land surfaces is taken into account.

Investigation of a long time series of CO2 from a tall tower using WRF-SPA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smallman, Luke; Williams, Mathew; Moncrieff, John B.

2013-04-01

Atmospheric observations from tall towers are an important source of information about CO2 exchange at the regional scale. Here, we have used a forward running model, WRF-SPA, to generate a time series of CO2 at a tall tower for comparison with observations from Scotland over multiple years (2006-2008). We use this comparison to infer strength and distribution of sources and sinks of carbon and ecosystem process information at the seasonal scale. The specific aim of this research is to combine a high resolution (6 km) forward running meteorological model (WRF) with a modified version of a mechanistic ecosystem model (SPA). SPA provides surface fluxes calculated from coupled energy, hydrological and carbon cycles. This closely coupled representation of the biosphere provides realistic surface exchanges to drive mixing within the planetary boundary layer. The combined model is used to investigate the sources and sinks of CO2 and to explore which land surfaces contribute to a time series of hourly observations of atmospheric CO2 at a tall tower, Angus, Scotland. In addition to comparing the modelled CO2 time series to observations, modelled ecosystem specific (i.e. forest, cropland, grassland) CO2 tracers (e.g., assimilation and respiration) have been compared to the modelled land surface assimilation to investigate how representative tall tower observations are of land surface processes. WRF-SPA modelled CO2 time series compares well to observations (R2 = 0.67, rmse = 3.4 ppm, bias = 0.58 ppm). Through comparison of model-observation residuals, we have found evidence that non-cropped components of agricultural land (e.g., hedgerows and forest patches) likely contribute a significant and observable impact on regional carbon balance.

Retrieval of an available water-based soil moisture proxy from thermal infrared remote sensing. Part I: Methodology and validation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A retrieval of soil moisture is proposed using surface flux estimates from satellite-based thermal infrared (TIR) imagery and the Atmosphere-Land-Exchange-Inversion (ALEXI) model. The ability of ALEXI to provide valuable information about the partitioning of the surface energy budget, which can be l...

Elucidating Carbon Exchange at the Regional Scale Via Airborne Eddy Covariance Flux Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannun, R. A.; Wolfe, G. M.; Kawa, S. R.; Newman, P. A.; Hanisco, T. F.; Diskin, G. S.; DiGangi, J. P.; Nowak, J. B.; Barrick, J. D. W.; Thornhill, K. L., II; Noormets, A.; Vargas, R.; Clark, K. L.; Kustas, W. P.

2017-12-01

Direct flux observations from aircraft provide a unique tool for probing greenhouse gas (GHG) sources and sinks on a regional scale. Airborne eddy covariance, which relies on high-frequency, simultaneous measurements of fluctuations in concentration and vertical wind speed, is a robust method for quantifying surface-atmosphere exchange. We have assembled and flown an instrument payload onboard the NASA C-23 Sherpa aircraft capable of measuring CO2, CH4, H2O, and heat fluxes. Flights for the Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE) took place during September 2016 and May 2017 based out of Wallops Flight Facility, VA. Flight tracks covered a variety of ecosystems and land-use types in the Mid-Atlantic, including forests, croplands, and wetlands. Carbon fluxes are derived using eddy covariance and wavelet analysis. Our results show a strong drawdown of CO2 and near-zero CH4 emissions from crops and dry-land forest, but seasonally strong CH4 flux from wetland forest. CARAFE flux data will also be compared with observations from several flux towers along the flight path to complement the airborne measurements. We will further assess the effects of land surface type and seasonal variability in carbon exchange. Regional-scale flux observations from CARAFE supply a useful constraint for improving top-down and bottom up estimates of carbon sources and sinks.

Influence of crop type specification and spatial resolution on empirical modeling of field-scale Maize and Soybean carbon fluxes in the US Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCombs, A. G.; Hiscox, A.; Wang, C.; Desai, A. R.

2016-12-01

A challenge in satellite land surface remote-sensing models of ecosystem carbon dynamics in agricultural systems is the lack of differentiation by crop type and management. This generalization can lead to large discrepancies between model predictions and eddy covariance flux tower observations of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE). Literature confirms that NEE varies remarkably among different crop types making the generalization of agriculture in remote sensing based models inaccurate. Here, we address this inaccuracy by identifying and mapping net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in agricultural fields by comparing bulk modeling and modeling by crop type, and using this information to develop empirical models for future use. We focus on mapping NEE in maize and soybean fields in the US Great Plains at higher spatial resolution using the fusion of MODIS and LandSAT surface reflectance. MODIS observed reflectance was downscaled using the ESTARFM downscaling methodology to match spatial scales to those found in LandSAT and that are more appropriate for carbon dynamics in agriculture fields. A multiple regression model was developed from surface reflectance of the downscaled MODIS and LandSAT remote sensing values calibrated against five FLUXNET/AMERIFLUX flux towers located on soybean and/or maize agricultural fields in the US Great Plains with multi-year NEE observations. Our new methodology improves upon bulk approximates to map and model carbon dynamics in maize and soybean fields, which have significantly different photosynthetic capacities.

Observed Variation in Carbon and Water Exchange Across Crop Types, Seasons, and Years in Un-irrigated Land of the Southern Great Plains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, M. L.; Billesbach, D. P.; Riley, W. J.; Berry, J. A.; Torn, M. S.

2004-12-01

Accurate prediction of the regional responses of carbon and water fluxes to changing climate, land use, and management requires models that are parameterized and tested against measurements made in multiple land cover types and over seasonal and inter-annual time scales. In particular, modelers predicting fluxes for un-irrigated agriculture are posed with the additional challenge of characterizing the onset and severity of water stress. We report results from three years of an ongoing series of measurement campaigns that quantify the spatial heterogeneity of land surface-atmosphere exchanges of carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Eddy covariance flux measurements were made in pastures and dominant crop types surrounding the US-DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program central facility near Lamont, Oklahoma (36.605 N, 97.485 W). Ancillary measurements included radiation budget, meteorology, soil moisture and temperature, leaf area index, plant biomass, and plant and soil carbon and nitrogen content. Within a given year, the dominant spatial variation in fluxes of carbon, water, and energy are caused by variations of land cover due to the distinct phenology of winter-spring (winter wheat) versus summer crops (e.g., pasture, sorghum, soybeans). Within crop and yearly variations were smaller. In 2002, variations in net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE), for three closely spaced winter wheat fields was 10-20%. Variations between years for the same crop types were also large. Net primary production (NPP) of winter wheat in the spring of 2003 versus 2002 increased by a factor of two, while NEE increased by 35%. The large increase in production and NEE are positively correlated with precipitation, integrated over the previous summer-fall periods. We discuss the implications of these results by extracting and comparing factors relevant for parameterization of land surface models and by comparing crop yield with historic variations in yield at the landscape scale.

Reconciling top-down and bottom-up estimates of CO2 fluxes to understand increased seasonal exchange in Northern ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastos, A.; Ciais, P.; Zhu, D.; Maignan, F.; Wang, X.; Chevallier, F.; Ballantyne, A.

2017-12-01

Continuous atmospheric CO2 monitoring data indicate enhanced seasonal exchange in the high-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere (above 40oN), mainly attributed to terrestrial ecosystems. Whether this enhancement is mostly explained by increased vegetation growth due to CO2 fertilization and warming, or by changes in land-use and land-management practices is still an unsettled question (e.g. Forkel et al. (2016) and Zeng et al. (2013)). Previous studies have shown that models present variable performance in capturing trends in CO2 amplitude at CO2 monitoring sites, and that Earth System Models present large spread in their estimates of such trends. Here we integrate data of atmospheric CO2 exchange in terrestrial ecosystems by a set of atmospheric CO2 inversions and a range of land-surface models to evaluate the ability of models to reproduce changes in CO2 seasonal exchange within the observation uncertainty. We then analyze the factors that explain the model spread to understand if the trend in seasonal CO2 amplitude may indeed be a useful metric to constrain future changes in terrestrial photosynthesis (Wenzel et al., 2016). We then compare model simulations with satellite and other observation-based datasets of vegetation productivity, biomass stocks and land-cover change to test the contribution of natural (CO2 fertilization, climate) and human (land-use change) factors to the increasing trend in seasonal CO2 amplitude. Forkel, Matthias, et al. "Enhanced seasonal CO2 exchange caused by amplified plant productivity in northern ecosystems." Science 351.6274 (2016): 696-699. Wenzel, Sabrina, et al. "Projected land photosynthesis constrained by changes in the seasonal cycle of atmospheric CO2." Nature 538, no. 7626 (2016): 499-501.Zeng, Ning, et al. "Agricultural Green Revolution as a driver of increasing atmospheric CO2 seasonal amplitude." Nature 515.7527 (2014): 394.

Sensitivity of Land Surface Parameters on Thunderstorm Simulation through HRLDAS-WRF Coupling Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Dinesh; Kumar, Krishan; Mohanty, U. C.; Kisore Osuri, Krishna

2016-07-01

Land surface characteristics play an important role in large scale, regional and mesoscale atmospheric process. Representation of land surface characteristics can be improved through coupling of mesoscale atmospheric models with land surface models. Mesoscale atmospheric models depend on Land Surface Models (LSM) to provide land surface variables such as fluxes of heat, moisture, and momentum for lower boundary layer evolution. Studies have shown that land surface properties such as soil moisture, soil temperature, soil roughness, vegetation cover, have considerable effect on lower boundary layer. Although, the necessity to initialize soil moisture accurately in NWP models is widely acknowledged, monitoring soil moisture at regional and global scale is a very tough task due to high spatial and temporal variability. As a result, the available observation network is unable to provide the required spatial and temporal data for the most part of the globe. Therefore, model for land surface initializations rely on updated land surface properties from LSM. The solution for NWP land-state initialization can be found by combining data assimilation techniques, satellite-derived soil data, and land surface models. Further, it requires an intermediate step to use observed rainfall, satellite derived surface insolation, and meteorological analyses to run an uncoupled (offline) integration of LSM, so that the evolution of modeled soil moisture can be forced by observed forcing conditions. Therefore, for accurate land-state initialization, high resolution land data assimilation system (HRLDAS) is used to provide the essential land surface parameters. Offline-coupling of HRLDAS-WRF has shown much improved results over Delhi, India for four thunder storm events. The evolution of land surface variables particularly soil moisture, soil temperature and surface fluxes have provided more realistic condition. Results have shown that most of domain part became wetter and warmer after assimilation of soil moisture and soil temperature at the initial condition which helped to improve the exchange fluxes at lower atmospheric level. Mixing ratio were increased along with elevated theta-e at lower level giving a signature of improvement in LDAS experiment leading to a suitable condition for convection. In the analysis, moisture convergence, mixing ratio and vertical velocities have improved significantly in terms of intensity and time lag. Surface variables like soil moisture, soil temperature, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux have progressed in a possible realistic pattern. Above discussion suggests that assimilation of soil moisture and soil temperature improves the overall simulations significantly.

33 CFR 211.12 - Exchange of lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Exchange of lands. 211.12 Section... of Real Estate Acquired for Civil Works Purposes § 211.12 Exchange of lands. The Secretary of the Army is authorized to exchange lands acquired for river and harbor and flood control projects for...

Developing multi-tracer approaches to constrain the parameterisation of leaf and soil CO2 and H2O exchange in land surface models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogée, Jerome; Wehr, Richard; Commane, Roisin; Launois, Thomas; Meredith, Laura; Munger, Bill; Nelson, David; Saleska, Scott; Zahniser, Mark; Wofsy, Steve; Wingate, Lisa

2016-04-01

The net flux of carbon dioxide between the land surface and the atmosphere is dominated by photosynthesis and soil respiration, two of the largest gross CO2 fluxes in the carbon cycle. More robust estimates of these gross fluxes could be obtained from the atmospheric budgets of other valuable tracers, such as carbonyl sulfide (COS) or the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions (δ13C and δ18O) of atmospheric CO2. Over the past decades, the global atmospheric flask network has measured the inter-annual and intra-annual variations in the concentrations of these tracers. However, knowledge gaps and a lack of high-resolution multi-tracer ecosystem-scale measurements have hindered the development of process-based models that can simulate the behaviour of each tracer in response to environmental drivers. We present novel datasets of net ecosystem COS, 13CO2 and CO18O exchange and vertical profile data collected over 3 consecutive growing seasons (2011-2013) at the Harvard forest flux site. We then used the process-based model MuSICA (multi-layer Simulator of the Interactions between vegetation Canopy and the Atmosphere) to include the transport, reaction, diffusion and production of each tracer within the forest and exchanged with the atmosphere. Model simulations over the three years captured well the impact of diurnally and seasonally varying environmental conditions on the net ecosystem exchange of each tracer. The model also captured well the dynamic vertical features of tracer behaviour within the canopy. This unique dataset and model sensitivity analysis highlights the benefit in the collection of multi-tracer high-resolution field datasets and the developement of multi-tracer land surface models to provide valuable constraints on photosynthesis and respiration across scales in the near future.

Thermal remote sensing: theory, sensors, and applications

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Applications of thermal infrared remote sensing for Earth science research are both varied and wide in scope. They range from understanding thermal energy responses that drive land-atmosphere energy exchanges in the hydrologic cycle, to measurement of dielectric surface properties for snow, ice, an...

Combining super-ensembles and statistical emulation to improve a regional climate and vegetation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkins, L. R.; Rupp, D. E.; Li, S.; Sarah, S.; McNeall, D. J.; Mote, P.; Betts, R. A.; Wallom, D.

2017-12-01

Changing regional patterns of surface temperature, precipitation, and humidity may cause ecosystem-scale changes in vegetation, altering the distribution of trees, shrubs, and grasses. A changing vegetation distribution, in turn, alters the albedo, latent heat flux, and carbon exchanged with the atmosphere with resulting feedbacks onto the regional climate. However, a wide range of earth-system processes that affect the carbon, energy, and hydrologic cycles occur at sub grid scales in climate models and must be parameterized. The appropriate parameter values in such parameterizations are often poorly constrained, leading to uncertainty in predictions of how the ecosystem will respond to changes in forcing. To better understand the sensitivity of regional climate to parameter selection and to improve regional climate and vegetation simulations, we used a large perturbed physics ensemble and a suite of statistical emulators. We dynamically downscaled a super-ensemble (multiple parameter sets and multiple initial conditions) of global climate simulations using a 25-km resolution regional climate model HadRM3p with the land-surface scheme MOSES2 and dynamic vegetation module TRIFFID. We simultaneously perturbed land surface parameters relating to the exchange of carbon, water, and energy between the land surface and atmosphere in a large super-ensemble of regional climate simulations over the western US. Statistical emulation was used as a computationally cost-effective tool to explore uncertainties in interactions. Regions of parameter space that did not satisfy observational constraints were eliminated and an ensemble of parameter sets that reduce regional biases and span a range of plausible interactions among earth system processes were selected. This study demonstrated that by combining super-ensemble simulations with statistical emulation, simulations of regional climate could be improved while simultaneously accounting for a range of plausible land-atmosphere feedback strengths.

Estimating surface fluxes over middle and upper streams of the Heihe River Basin with ASTER imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, W.; Ma, Y.; Hu, Z.; Su, B.; Wang, J.; Ishikawa, H.

2009-06-01

Surface fluxes are important boundary conditions for climatological modeling and the Asian monsoon system. Recent availability of high-resolution, multi-band imagery from the ASTER (Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) sensor has enabled us to estimate surface fluxes to bridge the gap between local scale flux measurements using micrometeorological instruments and regional scale land-atmosphere exchanges of water and heat fluxes that are fundamental for the understanding of the water cycle in the Asian monsoon system. A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) method based on ASTER data and field observations has been proposed and tested for deriving net radiation flux (Rn), soil heat flux (G0), sensible heat flux (H) and latent heat flux (λ E) over heterogeneous land surface in this paper. As a case study, the methodology was applied to the experimental area of the WATER (Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research), located at the mid-to-upstream sections of the Heihe River, northwest China. The ASTER data of 3 May and 4 June in 2008 was used in this paper for the case of mid-to-upstream sections of the Heihe River Basin. To validate the proposed methodology, the ground-measured land surface heat fluxes (net radiation flux (Rn), soil heat flux (G0), sensible heat flux (H) and latent heat flux (λ E)) were compared to the ASTER derived values. The results show that the derived surface variables and land surface heat fluxes in different months over the study area are in good accordance with the land surface status. It is therefore concluded that the proposed methodology is successful for the retrieval of land surface heat fluxes using the ASTER data and filed observation over the study area.

Influence of Soil Heterogeneity on Mesoscale Land Surface Fluxes During Washita '92

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jasinski, Michael F.; Jin, Hao

1998-01-01

The influence of soil heterogeneity on the partitioning of mesoscale land surface energy fluxes at diurnal time scales is investigated over a 10(exp 6) sq km domain centered on the Little Washita Basin, Oklahoma, for the period June 10 - 18, 1992. The sensitivity study is carried out using MM5/PLACE, the Penn State/NCAR MM5 model enhanced with the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange or PLACE. PLACE is a one-dimensional land surface model possessing detailed plant and soil water physics algorithms, multiple soil layers, and the capacity to model subgrid heterogeneity. A series of 12-hour simulations were conducted with identical atmospheric initialization and land surface characterization but with different initial soil moisture and texture. A comparison then was made of the simulated land surface energy flux fields, the partitioning of net radiation into latent and sensible heat, and the soil moisture fields. Results indicate that heterogeneity in both soil moisture and texture affects the spatial distribution and partitioning of mesoscale energy balance. Spatial averaging results in an overprediction of latent heat flux, and an underestimation of sensible heat flux. In addition to the primary focus on the partitioning of the land surface energy, the modeling effort provided an opportunity to examine the issue of initializing the soil moisture fields for coupled three-dimensional models. For the present case, the initial soil moisture and temperature were determined from off-line modeling using PLACE at each grid box, driven with a combination of observed and assimilated data fields.

43 CFR 3435.3-1 - Exchange notice.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT... Exchange notice. (a) The Secretary shall initiate exchange procedures by notifying in writing a Federal coal lessee or preference right lease applicant that consideration of an exchange of mineral leases or...

Distribution of N2O in the atmosphere under global warming - a simulation study with the MPI Earth System Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kracher, Daniela; Manzini, Elisa; Reick, Christian H.; Schultz, Martin; Stein, Olaf

2014-05-01

Climate change is driven by an increasing release of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide (N2O). Besides fossil fuel burning, also land use change and land management are anthropogenic sources of GHGs. Especially inputs of reactive nitrogen via fertilizer and deposition lead to enhanced emissions of N2O. One effect of a drastic future increase in surface temperature is a modification of atmospheric circulation, e.g. an accelerated Brewer Dobson circulation affecting the exchange between troposphere and stratosphere. N2O is inert in the troposphere and decayed only in the stratosphere. Thus, changes in atmospheric circulation, especially changes in the exchange between troposphere and stratosphere, will affect the atmospheric transport, decay, and distribution of N2O. In our study we assess the impact of global warming on atmospheric circulation and implied effects on the distribution and lifetime of atmospheric N2O. As terrestrial N2O emissions are highly determined by inputs of reactive nitrogen - the location of which being determined by human choice - we examine in particular the importance of latitudinal source regions of N2O for its global distribution. For this purpose we apply the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model, MPI-ESM. MPI-ESM consists of the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM, the land surface model JSBACH, and MPIOM/HAMOCC representing ocean circulation and ocean biogeochemistry. Prognostic atmospheric N2O concentrations in MPI-ESM are determined by land N2O emissions, ocean N2O exchange and atmospheric tracer transport. As stratospheric chemistry is not explicitly represented in MPI-ESM, stratospheric decay rates of N2O are prescribed from a MACC MOZART simulation.

A numerical study of the effect of irrigation on land-atmosphere interactions in a spring wheat cropland in India using a coupled atmosphere-crop growth dynamics model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, S.; Sharma, P.; Srivastava, A.; Rastogi, D.; Sehgal, V. K.; Dhakar, R.; Roy, S. B.

2017-12-01

Vegetation dynamics and surface meteorology are tightly coupled through the exchange of momentum, moisture and heat between the land surface and the atmosphere. In this study, we use a recently developed coupled atmosphere-crop growth dynamics model to study these exchanges and their effects in a spring wheat cropland in northern India. In particular, we investigate the role of irrigation in controlling crop growth rates, surface meteorology, and sensible and latent heat fluxes. The model is developed by implementing a crop growth module based on the Simple and Universal Crop growth Simulator (SUCROS) model in the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale atmospheric model. The crop module calculates photosynthesis rates, carbon assimilation, and biomass partitioning as a function of environmental factors and crop development stage. The leaf area index (LAI) and root depth calculated by the crop module is then fed to the Noah-MP land module of WRF to calculate land-atmosphere fluxes. The crop model is calibrated using data from an experimental spring wheat crop site in the Indian Agriculture Research Institute. The coupled model is capable of simulating the observed spring wheat phenology. Irrigation is simulated by changing the soil moisture levels from 50% - 100% of field capacity. Results show that the yield first increases with increasing soil moisture and then starts decreasing as we further increase the soil moisture. Yield attains its maximum value with soil moisture at the level of 60% water of FC. At this level, high LAI values lead to a decrease in the Bowen Ratio because more energy is transferred to the atmosphere as latent heat rather than sensible heat resulting in a cooling effect on near-surface air temperatures. Apart from improving simulation of land-atmosphere interactions, this coupled modeling approach can form the basis for the seamless crop yield and seasonal scale weather outlook prediction system.

Asteroid Deflection: How, Where and When?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fargion, D.

2008-10-01

To deflect impact-trajectory of massive and spinning km^3 asteroid by a few terrestrial radiuses one need a large momentum exchange. The dragging of huge spinning bodies in space by external engine seems difficult or impossible. Our solution is based on the landing of multi screw-rockets, powered by mini-nuclear engines, on the body, that dig a small fraction of the soil surface to use as an exhaust propeller, ejecting it vertically in phase among themselves. Such a mass ejection increases the momentum exchange, their number redundancy guarantees the stability of the system. The slow landing (below ≃ 40 cm s^{-1}) of each engine-unity at those very low gravity field, may be achieved by safe rolling and bouncing along the surface. The engine array tuned activity, overcomes the asteroid angular velocity. Coherent turning of the jet heads increases the deflection efficiency. A procession along its surface may compensate at best the asteroid spin. A small skin-mass (about 2×10^4 tons) may be ejected by mini-nuclear engines. Such prototypes may also build first safe galleries for humans on the Moon. Conclusive deflecting tests might be performed on remote asteroids. The incoming asteroid 99942 Apophis (just 2% of km^3) may be deflected safely a few Earth radiuses. Its encounter maybe not just a hazard but an opportunity, learning how to land, to dig, to build and also to nest safe human station inside. Asteroids amplified deflections by gravity swing may be driven into longest planetary journeys, beginning i.e. with the preliminary landing of future missions on Mars' moon-asteroid Phobos or Deimos.

A four-layer model for the heat budget of homogeneous land surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudhury, B. J.; Monteith, J. L.

1988-01-01

The present model envisions the heat balance of a homogeneous land surface in terms of available energy, a set of driving potentials, and parameters for the physical state of the soil and vegetation. Two unique features of the model are: (1) the expression of the interaction of evaporation from the soil and from foliage by changes in the value of the saturation vapor pressure deficit of air in the canopy (the conclusions of this interaction being consistent with field observations); and (2) the treatment of sensible and latent heat exchange between the atmosphere and a soil consisting of two discrete layers.

A Method to Access Absolute fIPAR fo Vegetation in Spatially Complex Ecosystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessman, Carol A.; Nel, Elizabeth M.; Bateson, C. Ann; Asner, Gregory P.

1998-01-01

Arid and semi-arid lands compose a large fraction of the earth's terrestrial vegetation, and thereby contribute significantly to global atmospheric-biospheric interactions. The thorny shrubs and small trees in these semi-arid shrub lands have counterparts throughout much of the world's tropical and subtropical zones and have captured substantial areas of the world's former grasslands. The objective of our field and remotely sensed measurements in the semi-arid shrublands of Texas is to monitor interannual variability and directional change in landscape structure, ecosystem processes and atmosphere-biosphere exchanges. To understand the role ecosystems play in controlling the composition of the atmosphere, it is necessary to quantify processes such as photosynthesis and primary production, decomposition and soil carbon storage, and trace gas exchanges. Photosynthesis is the link whereby surface-atmosphere exchanges such as the radiation balance and exchange of heat, moisture, and gas can be inferred. It also describes the efficiency of carbon dioxide exchange and is directly related to the primary production of vegetation. Our efforts in this paper focus on the indirect, quantification of photosynthesis, and thereby carbon flux and net primary production, via remote sensing and direct measurements of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR).

36 CFR 261.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... beneath the surface of the earth or within a cliff or ledge and which is large enough to permit a person... of the United States, national forest lands and waters acquired through purchase, exchange, donation... General Prohibitions § 261.2 Definitions. The following definitions apply to this part: Administrative...

Numerical simulation of the impact of reforestation on winter meteorology and environment in a semi-arid urban valley, Northwestern China.

PubMed

Yu, Ye; He, Jianjun; Zhao, Suping; Liu, Na; Chen, Jinbei; Mao, Hongjun; Wu, Lin

2016-11-01

Since 1999 Chinese government has made great effort to reforest the south and north mountains surrounding urban Lanzhou - a city located in a river valley, Northwestern China. Until 2009 obvious land use change occurred, with 69.2% of the reforested area been changed from grasslands, croplands, barren or sparsely vegetated land to closed shrublands and 20.6% from closed shrublands, grasslands, and croplands to forests. Reforestation changes land-surface properties, with possible impact on the evolution of atmospheric variables. To understand to what extent the local meteorology and environment could be affected by reforestation in winter, and through what processes, two sets of simulations were conducted using the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) and the FLEXible PARTicle (FLEXPART) dispersion model for a control case with high-resolution remotely sensed land cover data for 2009 and a scenario assuming no reforestation since 1999. Results suggested that the changes in albedo, surface exchange coefficient and surface soil heat conductivity related to reforestation led to the changes in surface net radiation and surface energy partitioning, which in turn affected the meteorological fields and enhanced the mountain-valley wind circulation. Replacement of shrublands and grassland with forest in the south mountain through reforestation play a dominant role in the enhancement of mountain-valley wind circulation. Reforestation increased the amount of air exchanged between the valley and the outside during the day, with the largest hourly increase of 10% on calm weather days and a monthly mean hourly increase of 2% for the study period (Dec. 2009). Reforestation affected the spatial distribution of pollutants and slightly improved the urban air quality, especially in the eastern valley. Results from this study provide useful information for future urban air quality management and reforestation plan, and some experience for cities with similar situations in the world. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of climate and land use change on spatially resolved volatilization of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from background soils.

PubMed

Komprda, Jiří; Komprdová, Klára; Sáňka, Milan; Možný, Martin; Nizzetto, Luca

2013-07-02

The subject of this study is the assessment of the influence of climate and land use change on the potential re-emission of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from background and agricultural soils. A deterministic spatially and temporally explicit model of the air-surface exchange was created, fed with distributed data of soil and atmospheric concentrations from real measurements, and run under various scenarios of temperature and land use change for a case study area representative of central European conditions. To describe land use influence, some important features were implemented including effect of plowing, influence of land cover, temperature of soil, and seasonal changes of air layer stability. Results show that volatilization of pesticides from soil largely exceeded dry gas deposition in most of the area. Agricultural soils accounted for more than 90% of the total re-emissions both because of the generally higher soil fugacities (higher loads of chemicals and relatively low organic carbon content), but also due to physical characteristics and land management practices enhancing the dynamics of the exchange. An increase of 1 °C in air temperature produced an increase of 8% in the averaged total volatilization flux, however this effect can be neutralized by a change of land use of 10% of the arable lands to grassland or forest, which is consistent with projected land use change in Europe. This suggests that future assessment of climate impact on POP fate and distribution should take into consideration land use aspects.

25 CFR 151.6 - Exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Exchanges. 151.6 Section 151.6 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER LAND ACQUISITIONS § 151.6 Exchanges. An individual Indian or tribe may acquire land in trust status by exchange if the acquisition comes within the terms of...

25 CFR 151.6 - Exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Exchanges. 151.6 Section 151.6 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER LAND ACQUISITIONS § 151.6 Exchanges. An individual Indian or tribe may acquire land in trust status by exchange if the acquisition comes within the terms of...

25 CFR 151.6 - Exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Exchanges. 151.6 Section 151.6 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER LAND ACQUISITIONS § 151.6 Exchanges. An individual Indian or tribe may acquire land in trust status by exchange if the acquisition comes within the terms of...

25 CFR 151.6 - Exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Exchanges. 151.6 Section 151.6 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER LAND ACQUISITIONS § 151.6 Exchanges. An individual Indian or tribe may acquire land in trust status by exchange if the acquisition comes within the terms of...

25 CFR 151.6 - Exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Exchanges. 151.6 Section 151.6 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER LAND ACQUISITIONS § 151.6 Exchanges. An individual Indian or tribe may acquire land in trust status by exchange if the acquisition comes within the terms of...

Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow model with a land surface model to simulate stream-aquifer-land interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, M.; Bisht, G.; Zhou, T.; Chen, X.; Dai, H.; Hammond, G. E.; Riley, W. J.; Downs, J.; Liu, Y.; Zachara, J. M.

2016-12-01

A fully coupled three-dimensional surface and subsurface land model is developed and applied to a site along the Columbia River to simulate three-way interactions among river water, groundwater, and land surface processes. The model features the coupling of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) and a massively-parallel multi-physics reactive tranport model (PFLOTRAN). The coupled model (CLM-PFLOTRAN) is applied to a 400m×400m study domain instrumented with groundwater monitoring wells in the Hanford 300 Area along the Columbia River. CLM-PFLOTRAN simulations are performed at three different spatial resolutions over the period 2011-2015 to evaluate the impact of spatial resolution on simulated variables. To demonstrate the difference in model simulations with and without lateral subsurface flow, a vertical-only CLM-PFLOTRAN simulation is also conducted for comparison. Results show that the coupled model is skillful in simulating stream-aquifer interactions, and the land-surface energy partitioning can be strongly modulated by groundwater-river water interactions in high water years due to increased soil moisture availability caused by elevated groundwater table. In addition, spatial resolution does not seem to impact the land surface energy flux simulations, although it is a key factor for accurately estimating the mass exchange rates at the boundaries and associated biogeochemical reactions in the aquifer. The coupled model developed in this study establishes a solid foundation for understanding co-evolution of hydrology and biogeochemistry along the river corridors under historical and future hydro-climate changes.

Technical note: 3-hourly temporal downscaling of monthly global terrestrial biosphere model net ecosystem exchange

DOE PAGES

Fisher, Joshua B.; Sikka, Munish; Huntzinger, Deborah N.; ...

2016-07-29

Here, the land surface provides a boundary condition to atmospheric forward and flux inversion models. These models require prior estimates of CO 2 fluxes at relatively high temporal resolutions (e.g., 3-hourly) because of the high frequency of atmospheric mixing and wind heterogeneity. However, land surface model CO 2 fluxes are often provided at monthly time steps, typically because the land surface modeling community focuses more on time steps associated with plant phenology (e.g., seasonal) than on sub-daily phenomena. Here, we describe a new dataset created from 15 global land surface models and 4 ensemble products in the Multi-scale Synthesis andmore » Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP), temporally downscaled from monthly to 3-hourly output. We provide 3-hourly output for each individual model over 7 years (2004–2010), as well as an ensemble mean, a weighted ensemble mean, and the multi-model standard deviation. Output is provided in three different spatial resolutions for user preferences: 0.5° × 0.5°, 2.0° × 2.5°, and 4.0° × 5.0° (latitude × longitude).« less

An Investigation of Land-Atmosphere Coupling from Local to Regional Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunsell, N. A.; Van Vleck, E.; Rahn, D. A.

2017-12-01

The exchanges of mass and energy between the surface and atmosphere have been shown to depend upon both local and regional climatic influences. However, the degree of control exerted by the land surface on the coupling metrics is not well understood. In particular, we lack an understanding of the relationship between the local microclimate of a site and the regional forces responsible for land-atmosphere coupling. To address this, we investigate a series of metrics calculated from eddy covariance data and ceilometer data, land surface modeling and remotely sensed observations in the central United States to diagnose these interactions and predict the change from one coupling regime (e.g. wet/dry coupling) to another state. The stability of the coupling is quantified using a Lyapunov exponent based methodology. Through the use of a wavelet information theoretic approach, we isolate the roles local energy partitioning, as well as the temperature and moisture gradients on controlling and changing the coupling regime. Taking a multi-scale observational approach, we first examine the relationship at the tower scale. Using land surface models, we quantify to what extent current models are capable of properly diagnosing the dynamics of the coupling regime. In particular, we focus on the role of the surface moisture and vegetation to initiate and maintain precipitation feedbacks. We extend this analysis to the regional scale by utilizing reanalysis and remotely sensed observations. Thus, we are able to quantify the changes in observed coupling patterns with linkages to local interactions to address the question of the local control that the surface exerts over the maintenance of land-atmosphere coupling.

A Novel Concept for Observing Land-Surface-Atmosphere Feedback Based on a Synergy of Scanning Lidar Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulfmeyer, V.; Turner, D. D.; Mauder, M.; Behrendt, A.; Ingwersen, J.; Streck, T.

2015-12-01

Improved simulations of land-surface-atmosphere interaction are fundamental for improving weather forecast and climate models. This requires observations of 2D fields of surface fluxes and the 3D structure of the atmospheric boundary layer simultaneously. A novel strategy is introduced for studying land-surface exchange and entrainment processes in the convective boundary layer (CBL) over complex terrain by means of a new generation of remote sensing systems. The sensor synergy consists of scanning Doppler lidar (DL), water-vapor differential absorption lidar (WVDIAL), and temperature rotational Raman lidar (TRRL) systems supported by surface in-situ measurements. The 2D measurements of surface fluxes are realized by the operation of a DL, a WVDIAL, and a TRRL along the same line-of-sight (LOS) in a range-height-indicator (RHI) mode whereas the other DL is performing a series of cross track RHI scans along this LOS. This new setup enables us to determine the friction velocity as well as surface sensible and latent heat fluxes by closing the complete set of Monin-Obukhov similarity relationships under a variety of surface layer stability conditions and different land cover and soil properties. As this closure is performed at all DL crossing points along the LOS, this is a strategy towards a 2D mapping of surface fluxes entirely based on remote sensing systems. Further details are presented at the conference. The second configuration is the simultaneous vertical profiling of vertical wind, humidity and temperature by DL, WVDIAL and TRRL so that latent heat and sensible heat flux profiles as well as a variety of different turbulent moments can be measured in the CBL. Consequently, by alternating of RHI scanning and vertical pointing modes, entrainment fluxes and surface fluxes can be measured almost simultaneously. This novel strategy has been realized for the first time during the Surface Atmospheric Boundary Layer Exchange (SABLE) campaign in the Kraichgau region, north of the Black Forest low mountain region, in Southern Germany in August 2014 (see https://klimawandel.uni-hohenheim.de/start?&L=1). A further refined design of this experiment is planned at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in summer 2016.

An overview of surface radiance and biology studies in FIFE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blad, B. L.; Schimel, D. S.

1992-11-01

The use of satellite data to study and to understand energy and mass exchanges between the land surface and the atmosphere requires information about various biological processes and how various reflected or emitted spectral radiances are influenced by or manifested in these processes. To obtain such information, studies were conducted by the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE) surface radiances and biology (SRB) group using surface, near-surface, helicopter, and aircraft measurements. The two primary objectives of this group were to relate radiative fluxes to biophysical parameters and physiological processes and to assess how various management treatments affect important biological processes. This overview paper summarizes the results obtained by various SRB teams working in nine different areas: (1) measurement of bidirectional reflectance and estimation of hemispherical albedo; (2) evaluation of spatial and seasonal variability of spectral reflectance and vegetation indices; (3) determination of surface and radiational factors and their effects on vegetation indices and PAR relationships; (4) use of surface temperatures to estimate sensible heat flux; (5) controls over photosynthesis and respiration at small scales; (6) soil surface CO2 fluxes and grassland carbon budget; (7) landscape variations in controls over gas exchange and energy partitioning; (8) radiometric response of prairie to management and topography; and (9) determination of nitrogen gas exchanges in a tallgrass prairie.

The canopy horizontal array turbulence study

Treesearch

Edward G. Patton; Thomas W. Horst; Peter P. Sullivan; Donald H. Lenschow; Steven P. Oncley; William O. J. Brown; Sean P. Burns; Alex B. Guenther; Andreas Held; Thomas Karl; Shane D. Mayor; Luciana V. Rizzo; Scott M. Spuler; Jielun Sun; Andrew A. Turnipsee; Eugene J. Allwine; Steven L. Edburg; Brian K. Lamb; Roni Avissar; Ronald J. Calhoun; Jan Kleissl; William J. Massman; Kyaw Tha Paw U; Jeffrey C. Weil

2011-01-01

Vegetation covers nearly 30% of Earth's land surface and influences climate through the exchanges of energy, water, carbon dioxide, and other chemical species with the atmosphere (Bonan 2008). The Earth's vegetation plays a critical role in the hydrological, carbon, and nitrogen cycles and also provides habitat and shelter for biota that deliver essential...

Influence of snow cover changes on surface radiation and heat balance based on the WRF model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Lingxue; Liu, Tingxiang; Bu, Kun; Yang, Jiuchun; Chang, Liping; Zhang, Shuwen

2017-10-01

The snow cover extent in mid-high latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere has significantly declined corresponding to the global warming, especially since the 1970s. Snow-climate feedbacks play a critical role in regulating the global radiation balance and influencing surface heat flux exchange. However, the degree to which snow cover changes affect the radiation budget and energy balance on a regional scale and the difference between snow-climate and land use/cover change (LUCC)-climate feedbacks have been rarely studied. In this paper, we selected Heilongjiang Basin, where the snow cover has changed obviously, as our study area and used the WRF model to simulate the influences of snow cover changes on the surface radiation budget and heat balance. In the scenario simulation, the localized surface parameter data improved the accuracy by 10 % compared with the control group. The spatial and temporal analysis of the surface variables showed that the net surface radiation, sensible heat flux, Bowen ratio, temperature and percentage of snow cover were negatively correlated and that the ground heat flux and latent heat flux were positively correlated with the percentage of snow cover. The spatial analysis also showed that a significant relationship existed between the surface variables and land cover types, which was not obviously as that for snow cover changes. Finally, six typical study areas were selected to quantitatively analyse the influence of land cover types beneath the snow cover on heat absorption and transfer, which showed that when the land was snow covered, the conversion of forest to farmland can dramatically influence the net radiation and other surface variables, whereas the snow-free land showed significantly reduced influence. Furthermore, compared with typical land cover changes, e.g., the conversion of forest into farmland, the influence of snow cover changes on net radiation and sensible heat flux were 60 % higher than that of land cover changes, indicating the importance of snow cover changes in the surface-atmospheric feedback system.

Final Environmental Assessment: Addressing An Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Lifestyle Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

the proposed site has the potential for adverse effects on surface water bodies in the event of a spill or uncontrolled erosion. Implementation of...inclusion of a No Action Alternative against which potential effects can be compared. While the No Action Alternative would not satisfy the purpose... potential effects on project site and adjacent land uses. The foremost factor affecting a proposed action in terms of land use is its compliance

Optimization of Modeled Land-Atmosphere Exchanges of Water and Energy in an Isotopically-Enabled Land Surface Model by Bayesian Parameter Calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, T. E.; Noone, D. C.; Kleiber, W.

2014-12-01

The single largest uncertainty in climate model energy balance is the surface latent heating over tropical land. Furthermore, the partitioning of the total latent heat flux into contributions from surface evaporation and plant transpiration is of great importance, but notoriously poorly constrained. Resolving these issues will require better exploiting information which lies at the interface between observations and advanced modeling tools, both of which are imperfect. There are remarkably few observations which can constrain these fluxes, placing strict requirements on developing statistical methods to maximize the use of limited information to best improve models. Previous work has demonstrated the power of incorporating stable water isotopes into land surface models for further constraining ecosystem processes. We present results from a stable water isotopically-enabled land surface model (iCLM4), including model experiments partitioning the latent heat flux into contributions from plant transpiration and surface evaporation. It is shown that the partitioning results are sensitive to the parameterization of kinetic fractionation used. We discuss and demonstrate an approach to calibrating select model parameters to observational data in a Bayesian estimation framework, requiring Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling of the posterior distribution, which is shown to constrain uncertain parameters as well as inform relevant values for operational use. Finally, we discuss the application of the estimation scheme to iCLM4, including entropy as a measure of information content and specific challenges which arise in calibration models with a large number of parameters.

Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow and transport model with a land surface model to simulate stream-aquifer-land interactions (CP v1.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisht, Gautam; Huang, Maoyi; Zhou, Tian; Chen, Xingyuan; Dai, Heng; Hammond, Glenn E.; Riley, William J.; Downs, Janelle L.; Liu, Ying; Zachara, John M.

2017-12-01

A fully coupled three-dimensional surface and subsurface land model is developed and applied to a site along the Columbia River to simulate three-way interactions among river water, groundwater, and land surface processes. The model features the coupling of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) and a massively parallel multiphysics reactive transport model (PFLOTRAN). The coupled model, named CP v1.0, is applied to a 400 m × 400 m study domain instrumented with groundwater monitoring wells along the Columbia River shoreline. CP v1.0 simulations are performed at three spatial resolutions (i.e., 2, 10, and 20 m) over a 5-year period to evaluate the impact of hydroclimatic conditions and spatial resolution on simulated variables. Results show that the coupled model is capable of simulating groundwater-river-water interactions driven by river stage variability along managed river reaches, which are of global significance as a result of over 30 000 dams constructed worldwide during the past half-century. Our numerical experiments suggest that the land-surface energy partitioning is strongly modulated by groundwater-river-water interactions through expanding the periodically inundated fraction of the riparian zone, and enhancing moisture availability in the vadose zone via capillary rise in response to the river stage change. Meanwhile, CLM4.5 fails to capture the key hydrologic process (i.e., groundwater-river-water exchange) at the site, and consequently simulates drastically different water and energy budgets. Furthermore, spatial resolution is found to significantly impact the accuracy of estimated the mass exchange rates at the boundaries of the aquifer, and it becomes critical when surface and subsurface become more tightly coupled with groundwater table within 6 to 7 meters below the surface. Inclusion of lateral subsurface flow influenced both the surface energy budget and subsurface transport processes as a result of river-water intrusion into the subsurface in response to an elevated river stage that increased soil moisture for evapotranspiration and suppressed available energy for sensible heat in the warm season. The coupled model developed in this study can be used for improving mechanistic understanding of ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling along river corridors under historical and future hydroclimatic changes. The dataset presented in this study can also serve as a good benchmarking case for testing other integrated models.

Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow and transport model with a land surface model to simulate stream–aquifer–land interactions (CP v1.0)

DOE PAGES

Bisht, Gautam; Huang, Maoyi; Zhou, Tian; ...

2017-12-12

A fully coupled three-dimensional surface and subsurface land model is developed and applied to a site along the Columbia River to simulate three-way interactions among river water, groundwater, and land surface processes. The model features the coupling of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) and a massively parallel multiphysics reactive transport model (PFLOTRAN). The coupled model, named CP v1.0, is applied to a 400 m × 400 m study domain instrumented with groundwater monitoring wells along the Columbia River shoreline. CP v1.0 simulations are performed at three spatial resolutions (i.e., 2, 10, and 20 m) over a 5-year periodmore » to evaluate the impact of hydroclimatic conditions and spatial resolution on simulated variables. Results show that the coupled model is capable of simulating groundwater–river-water interactions driven by river stage variability along managed river reaches, which are of global significance as a result of over 30 000 dams constructed worldwide during the past half-century. Our numerical experiments suggest that the land-surface energy partitioning is strongly modulated by groundwater–river-water interactions through expanding the periodically inundated fraction of the riparian zone, and enhancing moisture availability in the vadose zone via capillary rise in response to the river stage change. Meanwhile, CLM4.5 fails to capture the key hydrologic process (i.e., groundwater–river-water exchange) at the site, and consequently simulates drastically different water and energy budgets. Furthermore, spatial resolution is found to significantly impact the accuracy of estimated the mass exchange rates at the boundaries of the aquifer, and it becomes critical when surface and subsurface become more tightly coupled with groundwater table within 6 to 7 meters below the surface. Inclusion of lateral subsurface flow influenced both the surface energy budget and subsurface transport processes as a result of river-water intrusion into the subsurface in response to an elevated river stage that increased soil moisture for evapotranspiration and suppressed available energy for sensible heat in the warm season. The coupled model developed in this study can be used for improving mechanistic understanding of ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling along river corridors under historical and future hydroclimatic changes. The dataset presented in this study can also serve as a good benchmarking case for testing other integrated models.« less

Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow and transport model with a land surface model to simulate stream–aquifer–land interactions (CP v1.0)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bisht, Gautam; Huang, Maoyi; Zhou, Tian

A fully coupled three-dimensional surface and subsurface land model is developed and applied to a site along the Columbia River to simulate three-way interactions among river water, groundwater, and land surface processes. The model features the coupling of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) and a massively parallel multiphysics reactive transport model (PFLOTRAN). The coupled model, named CP v1.0, is applied to a 400 m × 400 m study domain instrumented with groundwater monitoring wells along the Columbia River shoreline. CP v1.0 simulations are performed at three spatial resolutions (i.e., 2, 10, and 20 m) over a 5-year period to evaluate themore » impact of hydroclimatic conditions and spatial resolution on simulated variables. Results show that the coupled model is capable of simulating groundwater–river-water interactions driven by river stage variability along managed river reaches, which are of global significance as a result of over 30 000 dams constructed worldwide during the past half-century. Our numerical experiments suggest that the land-surface energy partitioning is strongly modulated by groundwater–river-water interactions through expanding the periodically inundated fraction of the riparian zone, and enhancing moisture availability in the vadose zone via capillary rise in response to the river stage change. Meanwhile, CLM4.5 fails to capture the key hydrologic process (i.e., groundwater–river-water exchange) at the site, and consequently simulates drastically different water and energy budgets. Furthermore, spatial resolution is found to significantly impact the accuracy of estimated the mass exchange rates at the boundaries of the aquifer, and it becomes critical when surface and subsurface become more tightly coupled with groundwater table within 6 to 7 meters below the surface. Inclusion of lateral subsurface flow influenced both the surface energy budget and subsurface transport processes as a result of river-water intrusion into the subsurface in response to an elevated river stage that increased soil moisture for evapotranspiration and suppressed available energy for sensible heat in the warm season. The coupled model developed in this study can be used for improving mechanistic understanding of ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling along river corridors under historical and future hydroclimatic changes. The dataset presented in this study can also serve as a good benchmarking case for testing other integrated models.« less

Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow and transport model with a land surface model to simulate stream–aquifer–land interactions (CP v1.0)

DOE PAGES

Bisht, Gautam; Huang, Maoyi; Zhou, Tian; ...

2017-01-01

A fully coupled three-dimensional surface and subsurface land model is developed and applied to a site along the Columbia River to simulate three-way interactions among river water, groundwater, and land surface processes. The model features the coupling of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) and a massively parallel multiphysics reactive transport model (PFLOTRAN). The coupled model, named CP v1.0, is applied to a 400 m × 400 m study domain instrumented with groundwater monitoring wells along the Columbia River shoreline. CP v1.0 simulations are performed at three spatial resolutions (i.e., 2, 10, and 20 m) over a 5-year period to evaluate themore » impact of hydroclimatic conditions and spatial resolution on simulated variables. Results show that the coupled model is capable of simulating groundwater–river-water interactions driven by river stage variability along managed river reaches, which are of global significance as a result of over 30 000 dams constructed worldwide during the past half-century. Our numerical experiments suggest that the land-surface energy partitioning is strongly modulated by groundwater–river-water interactions through expanding the periodically inundated fraction of the riparian zone, and enhancing moisture availability in the vadose zone via capillary rise in response to the river stage change. Meanwhile, CLM4.5 fails to capture the key hydrologic process (i.e., groundwater–river-water exchange) at the site, and consequently simulates drastically different water and energy budgets. Furthermore, spatial resolution is found to significantly impact the accuracy of estimated the mass exchange rates at the boundaries of the aquifer, and it becomes critical when surface and subsurface become more tightly coupled with groundwater table within 6 to 7 meters below the surface. Inclusion of lateral subsurface flow influenced both the surface energy budget and subsurface transport processes as a result of river-water intrusion into the subsurface in response to an elevated river stage that increased soil moisture for evapotranspiration and suppressed available energy for sensible heat in the warm season. The coupled model developed in this study can be used for improving mechanistic understanding of ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling along river corridors under historical and future hydroclimatic changes. The dataset presented in this study can also serve as a good benchmarking case for testing other integrated models.« less

Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow and transport model with a land surface model to simulate stream–aquifer–land interactions (CP v1.0)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bisht, Gautam; Huang, Maoyi; Zhou, Tian

A fully coupled three-dimensional surface and subsurface land model is developed and applied to a site along the Columbia River to simulate three-way interactions among river water, groundwater, and land surface processes. The model features the coupling of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) and a massively parallel multiphysics reactive transport model (PFLOTRAN). The coupled model, named CP v1.0, is applied to a 400 m × 400 m study domain instrumented with groundwater monitoring wells along the Columbia River shoreline. CP v1.0 simulations are performed at three spatial resolutions (i.e., 2, 10, and 20 m) over a 5-year periodmore » to evaluate the impact of hydroclimatic conditions and spatial resolution on simulated variables. Results show that the coupled model is capable of simulating groundwater–river-water interactions driven by river stage variability along managed river reaches, which are of global significance as a result of over 30 000 dams constructed worldwide during the past half-century. Our numerical experiments suggest that the land-surface energy partitioning is strongly modulated by groundwater–river-water interactions through expanding the periodically inundated fraction of the riparian zone, and enhancing moisture availability in the vadose zone via capillary rise in response to the river stage change. Meanwhile, CLM4.5 fails to capture the key hydrologic process (i.e., groundwater–river-water exchange) at the site, and consequently simulates drastically different water and energy budgets. Furthermore, spatial resolution is found to significantly impact the accuracy of estimated the mass exchange rates at the boundaries of the aquifer, and it becomes critical when surface and subsurface become more tightly coupled with groundwater table within 6 to 7 meters below the surface. Inclusion of lateral subsurface flow influenced both the surface energy budget and subsurface transport processes as a result of river-water intrusion into the subsurface in response to an elevated river stage that increased soil moisture for evapotranspiration and suppressed available energy for sensible heat in the warm season. The coupled model developed in this study can be used for improving mechanistic understanding of ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling along river corridors under historical and future hydroclimatic changes. The dataset presented in this study can also serve as a good benchmarking case for testing other integrated models.« less

Enhancing Europa surface characterization with ice penetrating radar: A Comparative study in Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curra, C.; Arnold, E.; Karwoski, B.; Grima, C.; Schroeder, D. M.; Young, D. A.; Blankenship, D. D.

2013-12-01

The shape and composition of the surface of Europa result from multiple processes, most of them involving direct and indirect interactions between the liquid and solid phases of its outer water layer. The surface ice composition is likely to reflect the material exchanged with the sub-glacial ocean and potentially holds signatures of organic compounds that could demonstrate the ability of the icy moon to sustain life. Therefore, the most likely targets for in-situ landing missions are primarily located in complex terrains disrupted by exchange mechanisms with the ocean/lenses of sub-glacial liquid water. Any landing site selection process to ensure a safe delivery of a future lander, will then have to confidently characterize its surface roughness. We evaluate the capability of an ice-penetrating radar to characterize the roughness using a statistical method applied to the surface echoes. Our approach is to compare radar-derived data with nadir-imagery and laser altimetry simultaneously acquired on an airborne platform over Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, during the 2012-13 GIMBLE survey. The radar is the High-Capability Radar Sounder 2 (HiCARS 2, 60 MHz) system operated by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), with specifications similar to the Ice Penetrating Radar (IPR) of the Europa Clipper project. Surface textures as seen by simultaneously collected nadir imagery are manually classified, allowing individual contrast stretching for better identification. We identified crevasse fields, blue ice patches, and families of wind-blown patterns. Homogeneity/heterogeneity of the textures has also been an important classification criterion. The various textures are geolocated and compared to the evolution and amplitude of laser-derived and radar-derived roughness. Similarities and discrepancies between these three datasets are illustrated and analyzed to qualitatively constrain radar sensitivity to the surface textures. The result allows for a first insight and discussion into how to interpret statistically-inverted radar data from an icy planetary surface.

43 CFR 3436.2-2 - Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange. 3436.2-2 Section 3436.2-2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands... LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2-2 Federal coal deposits...

43 CFR 3436.2-2 - Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange. 3436.2-2 Section 3436.2-2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands... LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2-2 Federal coal deposits...

An Overview of the Regional Experiments for Land-atmosphere Exchanges 2012 (REFLEX 2012) Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timmermans, Wim J.; van der Tol, Christiaan; Timmermans, Joris; Ucer, Murat; Chen, Xuelong; Alonso, Luis; Moreno, Jose; Carrara, Arnaud; Lopez, Ramon; de la Cruz Tercero, Fernando; Corcoles, Horacio L.; de Miguel, Eduardo; Sanchez, Jose A. G.; Pérez, Irene; Franch, Belen; Munoz, Juan-Carlos J.; Skokovic, Drazen; Sobrino, Jose; Soria, Guillem; MacArthur, Alasdair; Vescovo, Loris; Reusen, Ils; Andreu, Ana; Burkart, Andreas; Cilia, Chiara; Contreras, Sergio; Corbari, Chiara; Calleja, Javier F.; Guzinski, Radoslaw; Hellmann, Christine; Herrmann, Ittai; Kerr, Gregoire; Lazar, Adina-Laura; Leutner, Benjamin; Mendiguren, Gorka; Nasilowska, Sylwia; Nieto, Hector; Pachego-Labrador, Javier; Pulanekar, Survana; Raj, Rahul; Schikling, Anke; Siegmann, Bastian; von Bueren, Stefanie; Su, Zhongbo (Bob)

2015-12-01

The REFLEX 2012 campaign was initiated as part of a training course on the organization of an airborne campaign to support advancement of the understanding of land-atmosphere interaction processes. This article describes the campaign, its objectives and observations, remote as well as in situ. The observations took place at the experimental Las Tiesas farm in an agricultural area in the south of Spain. During the period of ten days, measurements were made to capture the main processes controlling the local and regional land-atmosphere exchanges. Apart from multi-temporal, multi-directional and multi-spatial space-borne and airborne observations, measurements of the local meteorology, energy fluxes, soil temperature profiles, soil moisture profiles, surface temperature, canopy structure as well as leaf-level measurements were carried out. Additional thermo-dynamical monitoring took place at selected sites. After presenting the different types of measurements, some examples are given to illustrate the potential of the observations made.

Soil moisture status estimation over Three Gorges area with Landsat TM data based on temperature vegetation dryness index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lina; Niu, Ruiqing; Li, Jiong; Dong, Yanfang

2011-12-01

Soil moisture is the important indicator of climate, hydrology, ecology, agriculture and other parameters of the land surface and atmospheric interface. Soil moisture plays an important role on the water and energy exchange at the land surface/atmosphere interface. Remote sensing can provide information on large area quickly and easily, so it is significant to do research on how to monitor soil moisture by remote sensing. This paper presents a method to assess soil moisture status using Landsat TM data over Three Gorges area in China based on TVDI. The potential of Temperature- Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDI) from Landsat TM data in assessing soil moisture was investigated in this region. After retrieving land surface temperature and vegetation index a TVDI model based on the features of Ts-NDVI space is established. And finally, soil moisture status is estimated according to TVDI. It shows that TVDI has the advantages of stability and high accuracy to estimating the soil moisture status.

25 CFR 152.25 - Negotiated sales, gifts and exchanges of trust or restricted lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Negotiated sales, gifts and exchanges of trust or restricted lands. 152.25 Section 152.25 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER ISSUANCE OF PATENTS IN FEE, CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY, REMOVAL OF RESTRICTIONS, AND SALE OF CERTAIN INDIAN LANDS Sales, Exchanges and...

Soil moisture profile variability in land-vegetation- atmosphere continuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wanru

Soil moisture is of critical importance to the physical processes governing energy and water exchanges at the land-air boundary. With respect to the exchange of water mass, soil moisture controls the response of the land surface to atmospheric forcing and determines the partitioning of precipitation into infiltration and runoff. Meanwhile, the soil acts as a reservoir for the storage of liquid water and slow release of water vapor into the atmosphere. The major motivation of the study is that the soil moisture profile is thought to make a substantial contribution to the climate variability through two-way interactions between the land-surface and the atmosphere in the coupled ocean-atmosphere-land climate system. The characteristics of soil moisture variability with soil depth may be important in affecting the atmosphere. The natural variability of soil moisture profile is demonstrated using observations. The 16-year field observational data of soil moisture with 11-layer (top 2.0 meters) measured soil depths over Illinois are analyzed and used to identify and quantify the soil moisture profile variability, where the atmospheric forcing (precipitation) anomaly propagates down through the land-branch of the hydrological cycle with amplitude damping, phase shift, and increasing persistence. Detailed statistical data analyses, which include application of the periodogram method, the wavelet method and the band-pass filter, are made of the variations of soil moisture profile and concurrently measured precipitation for comparison. Cross-spectral analysis is performed to obtain the coherence pattern and phase correlation of two time series for phase shift and amplitude damping calculation. A composite of the drought events during this time period is analyzed and compared with the normal (non-drought) case. A multi-layer land surface model is applied for modeling the soil moisture profile variability characteristics and investigating the underlying mechanisms. Numerical experiments are conducted to examine the impacts of some potential controlling factors, which include atmospheric forcing (periodic and pulse) at the upper boundary, the initial soil moisture profile, the relative root abundance and the soil texture, on the variability of soil moisture profile and the corresponding evapotranspiration. Similar statistical data analyses are performed for the experimental data. Observations from the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatological Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE) are analyzed and used for the testing of model. The integration of the observational and modeling approaches makes it possible to better understand the mechanisms by which the soil moisture profile variability is generated with phase shift, fluctuation amplitude damping and low-pass frequency filtering with soil depth, to improve the strategies of parameterizations in land surface schemes, and furthermore, to assess its contribution to climate variability.

Recent Changes in Land Water Storage and its Contribution to Sea Level Variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wada, Yoshihide; Reager, John T.; Chao, Benjamin F.; Wang, Jida; Lo, Min-Hui; Song, Chunqiao; Li, Yuwen; Gardner, Alex S.

2017-01-01

Sea level rise is generally attributed to increased ocean heat content and increased rates glacier and ice melt. However, human transformations of Earth's surface have impacted water exchange between land, atmosphere, and ocean, ultimately affecting global sea level variations. Impoundment of water in reservoirs and artificial lakes has reduced the outflow of water to the sea, while river runoff has increased due to groundwater mining, wetland and endorheic lake storage losses, and deforestation. In addition, climate-driven changes in land water stores can have a large impact on global sea level variations over decadal timescales. Here, we review each component of negative and positive land water contribution separately in order to highlight and understand recent changes in land water contribution to sea level variations.

Recent Changes in Land Water Storage and Its Contribution to Sea Level Variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wada, Yoshihide; Reager, John T.; Chao, Benjamin F.; Wang, Jida; Lo, Min-Hui; Song, Chunqiao; Li, Yuwen; Gardner, Alex S.

2016-01-01

Sea level rise is generally attributed to increased ocean heat content and increased rates glacier and ice melt. However, human transformations of Earth's surface have impacted water exchange between land, atmosphere, and ocean, ultimately affecting global sea level variations. Impoundment of water in reservoirs and artificial lakes has reduced the outflow of water to the sea, while river runoff has increased due to groundwater mining, wetland and endorheic lake storage losses, and deforestation. In addition, climate-driven changes in land water stores can have a large impact on global sea level variations over decadal timescales. Here, we review each component of negative and positive land water contribution separately in order to highlight and understand recent changes in land water contribution to sea level variations.

Responses of Surface Ozone Air Quality to Anthropogenic Nitrogen Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, L.; Zhao, Y.; Tai, A. P. K.; Chen, Y.; Pan, Y.

2017-12-01

Human activities have substantially increased atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen to the Earth's surface, inducing unintentional effects on ecosystems with complex environmental and climate consequences. One consequence remaining unexplored is how surface air quality might respond to the enhanced nitrogen deposition through surface-atmosphere exchange. We combine a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) and a global land model (Community Land Model) to address this issue with a focus on ozone pollution in the Northern Hemisphere. We consider three processes that are important for surface ozone and can be perturbed by addition of atmospheric deposited nitrogen: emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone dry deposition, and soil nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. We find that present-day anthropogenic nitrogen deposition (65 Tg N a-1 to the land), through enhancing plant growth (represented as increases in vegetation leaf area index (LAI) in the model), could increase surface ozone from increased biogenic VOC emissions, but could also decrease ozone due to higher ozone dry deposition velocities. Meanwhile, deposited anthropogenic nitrogen to soil enhances soil NOx emissions. The overall effect on summer mean surface ozone concentrations show general increases over the globe (up to 1.5-2.3 ppbv over the western US and South Asia), except for some regions with high anthropogenic NOx emissions (0.5-1.0 ppbv decreases over the eastern US, Western Europe, and North China). We compare the surface ozone changes with those driven by the past 20-year climate and historical land use changes. We find that the impacts from anthropogenic nitrogen deposition can be comparable to the climate and land use driven surface ozone changes at regional scales, and partly offset the surface ozone reductions due to land use changes reported in previous studies. Our study emphasizes the complexity of biosphere-atmosphere interactions, which can have important implications for future air quality prediction.

Surface reflectance retrieval from satellite and aircraft sensors: Results of sensor and algorithm comparisons during FIFE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Markham, B.L.; Halthore, R.N.; Goetz, S.J.

1992-11-30

This work is part of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE), an international land-surface-atmosphere experiment aimed at improving the way climate models represent energy, water, heat, and carbon exchanges, and improving the utilization of satellite based remote sensing to monitor such parameters. This paper reports on comparison of measurement systems which were deployed to measure surface reflectance factors, from aircraft or satellites. These instruments look over the general range of 0.4 to 2.5[mu]m. Instruments studied include Landsat 5 thematic mapper (TM), the SPOT 1 high-resolution visible sensor (HRV) 1, the NS001 thematic mapper simulator,more » and the modular multispectral radiometers (MMRs). The study looked at the radiometric consistency of the different instruments, and the adequacy of the atmospheric correction routines applied to data analysis.« less

43 CFR 2203.2 - Submission of information concerning proposed exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.2 Submission of information concerning proposed exchange. (a) Any person submitting a proposal for a fee exchange of Federal coal... proposed exchange. 2203.2 Section 2203.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands...

43 CFR 2203.2 - Submission of information concerning proposed exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.2 Submission of information concerning proposed exchange. (a) Any person submitting a proposal for a fee exchange of Federal coal... proposed exchange. 2203.2 Section 2203.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands...

43 CFR 2203.2 - Submission of information concerning proposed exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.2 Submission of information concerning proposed exchange. (a) Any person submitting a proposal for a fee exchange of Federal coal... proposed exchange. 2203.2 Section 2203.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands...

43 CFR 2203.2 - Submission of information concerning proposed exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.2 Submission of information concerning proposed exchange. (a) Any person submitting a proposal for a fee exchange of Federal coal... proposed exchange. 2203.2 Section 2203.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands...

The Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Entekhabi, Dara; Nijoku, Eni G.; ONeill, Peggy E.; Kellogg, Kent H.; Crow, Wade T.; Edelstein, Wendy N.; Entin, Jared K.; Goodman, Shawn D.; Jackson, Thomas J.; Johnson, Joel;

Phenocams bridge the gap between field and satellite observations in an arid grassland ecosystem

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Near surface (i.e., camera) and satellite remote sensing metrics have become widely used indicators of plant growing seasons. While robust linkages have been established between field metrics and ecosystem exchange in many land cover types, assessment of how well remotely-derived season start and en...

Carbon fluxes on North American rangelands

Treesearch

Tony Svejcar; Raymond Angell; James A. Bradford; William Dugas; William Emmerich; Albert B. Frank; Tagir Gilmanov; Marshall Haferkamp; Douglas A. Johnson; Herman Mayeux; Pat Mielnick; Jack Morgan; Nicanor Z. Saliendra; Gerald E. Schuman; Phillip L. Sims; Kereith Snyder

2008-01-01

Rangelands account for almost half of the earth's land surface and may play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle. We studied net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of C on eight North American rangeland sites over a 6-yr period. Management practices and disturbance regimes can influence NEE; for consistency, we compared ungrazed and undisturbed rangelands...

[The progress in retrieving land surface temperature based on thermal infrared and microwave remote sensing technologies].

PubMed

Zhang, Jia-Hua; Li, Xin; Yao, Feng-Mei; Li, Xian-Hua

2009-08-01

Land surface temperature (LST) is an important parameter in the study on the exchange of substance and energy between land surface and air for the land surface physics process at regional and global scales. Many applications of satellites remotely sensed data must provide exact and quantificational LST, such as drought, high temperature, forest fire, earthquake, hydrology and the vegetation monitor, and the models of global circulation and regional climate also need LST as input parameter. Therefore, the retrieval of LST using remote sensing technology becomes one of the key tasks in quantificational remote sensing study. Normally, in the spectrum bands, the thermal infrared (TIR, 3-15 microm) and microwave bands (1 mm-1 m) are important for retrieval of the LST. In the present paper, firstly, several methods for estimating the LST on the basis of thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing were synthetically reviewed, i. e., the LST measured with an ground-base infrared thermometer, the LST retrieval from mono-window algorithm (MWA), single-channel algorithm (SCA), split-window techniques (SWT) and multi-channels algorithm(MCA), single-channel & multi-angle algorithm and multi-channels algorithm & multi-angle algorithm, and retrieval method of land surface component temperature using thermal infrared remotely sensed satellite observation. Secondly, the study status of land surface emissivity (epsilon) was presented. Thirdly, in order to retrieve LST for all weather conditions, microwave remotely sensed data, instead of thermal infrared data, have been developed recently, and the LST retrieval method from passive microwave remotely sensed data was also introduced. Finally, the main merits and shortcomings of different kinds of LST retrieval methods were discussed, respectively.

Mesoscale Simulations of a Florida Sea Breeze Using the PLACE Land Surface Model Coupled to a 1.5-Order Turbulence Parameterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynn, Barry H.; Stauffer, David R.; Wetzel, Peter J.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Perlin, Natal; Baker, R. David; Munoz, Ricardo; Boone, Aaron; Jia, Yiqin

1999-01-01

A sophisticated land-surface model, PLACE, the Parameterization for Land Atmospheric Convective Exchange, has been coupled to a 1.5-order turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) turbulence sub-model. Both have been incorporated into the Penn State/National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU/NCAR) mesoscale model MM5. Such model improvements should have their greatest effect in conditions where surface contrasts dominate over dynamic processes, such as the simulation of warm-season, convective events. A validation study used the newly coupled model, MM5 TKE-PLACE, to simulate the evolution of Florida sea-breeze moist convection during the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CaPE). Overall, eight simulations tested the sensitivity of the MM5 model to combinations of the new and default model physics, and initialization of soil moisture and temperature. The TKE-PLACE model produced more realistic surface sensible heat flux, lower biases for surface variables, more realistic rainfall, and cloud cover than the default model. Of the 8 simulations with different factors (i.e., model physics or initialization), TKE-PLACE compared very well when each simulation was ranked in terms of biases of the surface variables and rainfall, and percent and root mean square of cloud cover. A factor separation analysis showed that a successful simulation required the inclusion of a multi-layered, land surface soil vegetation model, realistic initial soil moisture, and higher order closure of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). These were needed to realistically model the effect of individual, joint, and synergistic contributions from the land surface and PBL on the CAPE sea-breeze, Lake Okeechobee lake breeze, and moist convection.

Effects of Land Surface Heterogeneity on Simulated Boundary-Layer Structures from the LES to the Mesoscale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poll, Stefan; Shrestha, Prabhakar; Simmer, Clemens

2017-04-01

Land heterogeneity influences the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) structure including organized (secondary) circulations which feed back on land-atmosphere exchange fluxes. Especially the latter effects cannot be incorporated explicitly in regional and climate models due to their coarse computational spatial grids, but must be parameterized. Current parameterizations lead, however, to uncertainties in modeled surface fluxes and boundary layer evolution, which feed back to cloud initiation and precipitation. This study analyzes the impact of different horizontal grid resolutions on the simulated boundary layer structures in terms of stability, height and induced secondary circulations. The ICON-LES (Icosahedral Nonhydrostatic in LES mode) developed by the MPI-M and the German weather service (DWD) and conducted within the framework of HD(CP)2 is used. ICON is dynamically downscaled through multiple scales of 20 km, 7 km, 2.8 km, 625 m, 312 m, and 156 m grid spacing for several days over Germany and partial neighboring countries for different synoptic conditions. We examined the entropy spectrum of the land surface heterogeneity at these grid resolutions for several locations close to measurement sites, such as Lindenberg, Jülich, Cabauw and Melpitz, and studied its influence on the surface fluxes and the evolution of the boundary layer profiles.

Modeling Environmental Controls on Tree Water Use at Different Temporal scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, H.; Wang, H.; Simmons, C. T.

2014-12-01

Vegetation covers 70% of land surface, significantly influencing water and carbon exchange between land surface and the atmosphere. Vegetation transpiration (Et) contributes 80% of the global terrestrial evapotranspiration, making an adequate illustration of how important vegetation is to any hydrological or climatological applications. Transpiration can be estimated through upscaling from sap flow measurements on selected trees. Alternatively, transpiration (or tree water use for forests) can be correlated with environmental variables or estimated in land surface simulations in which a canopy conductance (gc) model is often used. Transpiration and canopy conductance are constrained by supply and demand control factors. Some previous studies estimated Et and gc considering the stresses from both the supply (soil water condition) and demand (e.g. temperature, vapor pressure deficit, solar radiation) factors, while some only considered the demand controls. In this study, we examined the performance of two types of models at daily and half-hourly scales for transpiration and canopy conductance modelling based on a native species in South Australia. The results show that the significance of soil water condition for Et and gc modelling varies with time scales. The model parameter values also vary across time scales. This result calls for attention in choosing models and parameter values for soil-plant-atmosphere continuum and land surface modeling.

Multi-Annual Data Products on Turbulent Heat Fluxes at the Local and Continental Scale Using AATSR and FY-2 Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menenti, M.; Ghafarian, H.; Tang, B.; Faivre, R.; Colin, J.; Jia, L.; Roupios, L.

2013-01-01

This paper summarizes the results of studies carried in the framework of the Dragon 2 Program - Project 5322 Key Eco-Hydrological Parameters Retrieval and Land Data Assimilation System Development in a Typical Inland River Basin of Chinas Arid Region. The investigations were focused on monitoring the fluxes of energy and water at the land-atmosphere interface across a range of spatial scales, using multi-spectral radiometric data collected by space-borne imaging radiometers. At the local scale a new approach to parameterize heat and vapour fluxes was developed and applied using Computational Fluid Dynamics to describe state and dynamics of the boundary layer over the heterogeneous and 3D structured land surface. An airborne scanning LIDAR was used to capture in detail surface geometry. Over the large area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau a land-atmospheric model was used to characterize the atmospheric Planetary Boundary Layer. The effect of land surface heterogeneity and structure on the exchange of heat and water was captured using the bi-angular observations of brightness temperature provided by the AATSR imaging radiometer. The heat and water flux densities were calculated hourly with Feng-Yun C, D and E VISSR data over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the headwaters of main rivers around it.

The Influence of Soil Moisture, Coastline Curvature, and Land-Breeze Circulations on Sea-Breeze Initiated Precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, David R.; Lynn, Barry H.; Boone, Aaron; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, Joanne

2000-01-01

Idealized numerical simulations are performed with a coupled atmosphere/land-surface model to identify the roles of initial soil moisture, coastline curvature, and land breeze circulations on sea breeze initiated precipitation. Data collected on 27 July 1991 during the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CAPE) in central Florida are used. The 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud resolving model is coupled with the Goddard Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model, thus providing a tool to simulate more realistically land-surface/atmosphere interaction and convective initiation. Eight simulations are conducted with either straight or curved coast-lines, initially homogeneous soil moisture or initially variable soil moisture, and initially homogeneous horizontal winds or initially variable horizontal winds (land breezes). All model simulations capture the diurnal evolution and general distribution of sea-breeze initiated precipitation over central Florida. The distribution of initial soil moisture influences the timing, intensity and location of subsequent precipitation. Soil moisture acts as a moisture source for the atmosphere, increases the connectively available potential energy, and thus preferentially focuses heavy precipitation over existing wet soil. Strong soil moisture-induced mesoscale circulations are not evident in these simulations. Coastline curvature has a major impact on the timing and location of precipitation. Earlier low-level convergence occurs inland of convex coastlines, and subsequent precipitation occurs earlier in simulations with curved coastlines. The presence of initial land breezes alone has little impact on subsequent precipitation. however, simulations with both coastline curvature and initial land breezes produce significantly larger peak rain rates due to nonlinear interactions.

Evaluating Weather Research and Forecasting Model Sensitivity to Land and Soil Conditions Representative of Karst Landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Christopher M.; Fan, Xingang; Mahmood, Rezaul; Groves, Chris; Polk, Jason S.; Yan, Jun

2018-03-01

Due to their particular physiographic, geomorphic, soil cover, and complex surface-subsurface hydrologic conditions, karst regions produce distinct land-atmosphere interactions. It has been found that floods and droughts over karst regions can be more pronounced than those in non-karst regions following a given rainfall event. Five convective weather events are simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting model to explore the potential impacts of land-surface conditions on weather simulations over karst regions. Since no existing weather or climate model has the ability to represent karst landscapes, simulation experiments in this exploratory study consist of a control (default land-cover/soil types) and three land-surface conditions, including barren ground, forest, and sandy soils over the karst areas, which mimic certain karst characteristics. Results from sensitivity experiments are compared with the control simulation, as well as with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction multi-sensor precipitation analysis Stage-IV data, and near-surface atmospheric observations. Mesoscale features of surface energy partition, surface water and energy exchange, the resulting surface-air temperature and humidity, and low-level instability and convective energy are analyzed to investigate the potential land-surface impact on weather over karst regions. We conclude that: (1) barren ground used over karst regions has a pronounced effect on the overall simulation of precipitation. Barren ground provides the overall lowest root-mean-square errors and bias scores in precipitation over the peak-rain periods. Contingency table-based equitable threat and frequency bias scores suggest that the barren and forest experiments are more successful in simulating light to moderate rainfall. Variables dependent on local surface conditions show stronger contrasts between karst and non-karst regions than variables dominated by large-scale synoptic systems; (2) significant sensitivity responses are found over the karst regions, including pronounced warming and cooling effects on the near-surface atmosphere from barren and forested land cover, respectively; (3) the barren ground in the karst regions provides conditions favourable for convective development under certain conditions. Therefore, it is suggested that karst and non-karst landscapes should be distinguished, and their physical processes should be considered for future model development.

43 CFR 3436.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3436.1 Section 3436..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.1 Coal lease exchanges. ...

43 CFR 3436.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3436.1 Section 3436..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.1 Coal lease exchanges. ...

43 CFR 3436.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3436.1 Section 3436..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.1 Coal lease exchanges. ...

43 CFR 3436.2 - Fee coal exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fee coal exchanges. 3436.2 Section 3436.2..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2 Fee coal exchanges. ...

43 CFR 3436.2 - Fee coal exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fee coal exchanges. 3436.2 Section 3436.2..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2 Fee coal exchanges. ...

43 CFR 3436.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3436.1 Section 3436..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.1 Coal lease exchanges. ...

43 CFR 3436.2 - Fee coal exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fee coal exchanges. 3436.2 Section 3436.2..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2 Fee coal exchanges. ...

43 CFR 3436.2 - Fee coal exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fee coal exchanges. 3436.2 Section 3436.2..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2 Fee coal exchanges. ...

Quantitative Estimation of Land Surface Characteristic Parameters and Actual Evapotranspiration in the Nagqu River Basin over the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, L.; Ma, Y.; Ma, W.; Zou, M.; Hu, Y.

2016-12-01

Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) is an important component of the water cycle in the Tibetan Plateau. It is controlled by many hydrological and meteorological factors. Therefore, it is of great significance to estimate ETa accurately and continuously. It is also drawing much attention of scientific community to understand land surface parameters and land-atmosphere water exchange processes in small watershed-scale areas. Based on in-situ meteorological data in the Nagqu river basin and surrounding regions, the main meteorological factors affecting the evaporation process were quantitatively analyzed and the point-scale ETa estimation models in the study area were successfully built. On the other hand, multi-source satellite data (such as SPOT, MODIS, FY-2C) were used to derive the surface characteristics in the river basin. A time series processing technique was applied to remove cloud cover and reconstruct data series. Then improved land surface albedo, improved downward shortwave radiation flux and reconstructed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were coupled into the topographical enhanced surface energy balance system to estimate ETa. The model-estimated results were compared with those ETa values determined by combinatory method. The results indicated that the model-estimated ETa agreed well with in-situ measurements with correlation coefficient, mean bias error and root mean square error of 0.836, 0.087 and 0.140 mm/h respectively.

Hydro-meteorological processes on the Qinghai - Tibet Plateau observed from space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menenti, Massimo; Colin, Jerome; Jia, Li; D'Urso, Guido; Foken, Thomas; Immerzeel, Walter; Jha, Ramakar; Liu, Qinhuo; Liu, Changming; Ma, Yaoming; Sobrino, Jose Antonio; Yan, Guangjian; Pelgrum, Henk; Porcu, Federico; Wang, Jian; Wang, Jiemin; Shen, Xueshun; Su, Zhongbo; Ueno, Kenichi

2014-05-01

The Qinghai - Tibet Plateau is characterized by a significant intra-annual variability and spatial heterogeneity of surface conditions. Snow and vegetation cover, albedo, surface temperature and wetness change very significantly during the year and from place to place. The influence of temporal changes on convective events and the onset of the monsoon has been documented by ground based measurements of land - atmosphere exchanges of heat and water. The state of the land surface over the entire Plateau can be determined by space observation of surface albedo, temperature, snow and vegetation cover and soil moisture. Fully integrated use of satellite and ground observations is necessary to support water resources management in SE Asia and to clarify the roles of the interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau in the Asian monsoon system. New or significantly improved algorithms have been developed and evaluated against ground measurements. Variables retrieved include land surface properties, rain rate, aerosol optical depth, water vapour, snow cover and water equivalent, soil moisture and lake level. The three years time series of gap-free daily and hourly evaporation derived from geostationary data collected by the FY-2D satellite was a major achievement. The hydrologic modeling system has been implemented and applied to the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and the headwaters of the major rivers in South and East Asia. Case studies on response of atmospheric circulation and specifically of convective activity to land surface conditions have been completed and the controlling land surface conditions and processes have been documented. Two new drought indicators have been developed: Normalized Temperature Anomaly Index (NTAI) and Normalized Vegetation Anomaly Index (NVAI). Case study in China and India showed that these indicators capture effectively drought severity and evolution. A new method has been developed for monitoring and early warning of flooded areas at the regional scale.

On the Impact of Wind Farms on a Convective Atmospheric Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Hao; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2015-10-01

With the rapid growth in the number of wind turbines installed worldwide, a demand exists for a clear understanding of how wind farms modify land-atmosphere exchanges. Here, we conduct three-dimensional large-eddy simulations to investigate the impact of wind farms on a convective atmospheric boundary layer. Surface temperature and heat flux are determined using a surface thermal energy balance approach, coupled with the solution of a three-dimensional heat equation in the soil. We study several cases of aligned and staggered wind farms with different streamwise and spanwise spacings. The farms consist of Siemens SWT-2.3-93 wind turbines. Results reveal that, in the presence of wind turbines, the stability of the atmospheric boundary layer is modified, the boundary-layer height is increased, and the magnitude of the surface heat flux is slightly reduced. Results also show an increase in land-surface temperature, a slight reduction in the vertically-integrated temperature, and a heterogeneous spatial distribution of the surface heat flux.

Global variability in leaf respiration in relation to climate, plant functional types and leaf traits

Treesearch

Owen K. Atkin; Keith J. Bloomfield; Peter B. Reich; Mark G. Tjoelker; Gregory P. Asner; Damien Bonal; Gerhard Bonisch; Matt G. Bradford; Lucas A. Cernusak; Eric G. Cosio; Danielle Creek; Kristine Y. Crous; Tomas F. Domingues; Jeffrey S. Dukes; John J. G. Egerton; John R. Evans; Graham D. Farquhar; Nikolaos M. Fyllas; Paul P. G. Gauthier; Emanuel Gloor; Teresa E. Gimeno; Kevin L. Griffin; Rossella Guerrieri; Mary A. Heskel; Chris Huntingford; Franc_oise Yoko Ishida; Jens Kattge; Hans Lambers; Michael J. Liddell; Jon Lloyd; Christopher H. Lusk; Roberta E. Martin; Ayal P. Maksimov; Trofim C. Maximov; Yadvinder Malhi; Belinda E. Medlyn; Patrick Meir; Lina M. Mercado; Nicholas Mirotchnick; Desmond Ng; Ulo Niinemets; Odhran S. O’Sullivan; Oliver L. Phillips; Lourens Poorter; Pieter Poot; I. Colin Prentice; Norma Salinas; Lucy M. Rowland; Michael G. Ryan; Stephen Sitch; Martijn Slot; Nicholas G. Smith; Matthew H. Turnbull; Mark C. VanderWel; Fernando Valladares; Erik J. Veneklaas; Lasantha K. Weerasinghe; Christian Wirth; Ian J. Wright; Kirk R. Wythers; Jen Xiang; Shuang Xiang; Joana Zaragoza-Castells

2015-01-01

A challenge for the development of terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) and associated land surface components of Earth system models (ESMs) is improving representation of carbon (C) exchange between terrestrial plants and the atmosphere, and incorporating biological variation arising from diversity in plant functional types (PFTs) and climate (Sitch et al.,...

Improved Modeling of Land-Atmosphere Interactions using a Coupled Version of WRF with the Land Information System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; LaCasse, Katherine M.; Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Lapenta, William M.; Petars-Lidard, Christa D.

2007-01-01

The exchange of energy and moisture between the Earth's surface and the atmospheric boundary layer plays a critical role in many hydrometeorological processes. Accurate and high-resolution representations of surface properties such as sea-surface temperature (SST), vegetation, soil temperature and moisture content, and ground fluxes are necessary to better understand the Earth-atmosphere interactions and improve numerical predictions of weather and climate phenomena. The NASA/NWS Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPORT) Center is currently investigating the potential benefits of assimilating high-resolution datasets derived from the NASA moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the Goddard Space Flight Center Land Information System (LIS). The LIS is a software framework that integrates satellite and ground-based observational and modeled data along with multiple land surface models (LSMs) and advanced computing tools to accurately characterize land surface states and fluxes. The LIS can be run uncoupled to provide a high-resolution land surface initial condition, and can also be run in a coupled mode with WRF to integrate surface and soil quantities using any of the LSMs available in LIS. The LIS also includes the ability to optimize the initialization of surface and soil variables by tuning the spin-up time period and atmospheric forcing parameters, which cannot be done in the standard WRF. Among the datasets available from MODIS, a leaf-area index field and composite SST analysis are used to improve the lower boundary and initial conditions to the LIS/WRF coupled model over both land and water. Experiments will be conducted to measure the potential benefits from using the coupled LIS/WRF model over the Florida peninsula during May 2004. This month experienced relatively benign weather conditions, which will allow the experiments to focus on the local and mesoscale impacts of the high-resolution MODIS datasets and optimized soil and surface initial conditions. Follow-on experiments will examine the utility of such an optimized WRF configuration for more complex weather scenarios such as convective initiation. This paper will provide an overview of the experiment design and present preliminary results from selected cases in May 2004.

25 CFR 152.23 - Applications for sale, exchange or gift.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Applications for sale, exchange or gift. 152.23 Section..., Exchanges and Conveyances of Trust Or Restricted Lands § 152.23 Applications for sale, exchange or gift. Applications for the sale, exchange or gift of trust or restricted land shall be filed in the form approved by...

Investigation of Seasonal Landscape Freeze/Thaw Cycles in Relation to Cloud Structure in the High Northern Latitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Cosmo

2011-01-01

The seasonal freezing and thawing of Earth's cryosphere (the portion of Earth's surface permanently or seasonally frozen) has an immense impact on Earth's climate as well as on its water, carbon and energy cycles. During the spring, snowmelt and the transition between frozen and non-frozen states lowers Earth's surface albedo. This change in albedo causes more solar radiation to be absorbed by the land surface, raising surface soil and air temperatures as much as 5 C within a few days. The transition of ice into liquid water not only raises the surface humidity, but also greatly affects the energy exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere as the phase change creates a latent energy dominated system. There is strong evidence to suggest that the thawing of the cryosphere during spring and refreezing during autumn is correlated to local atmospheric conditions such as cloud structure and frequency. Understanding the influence of land surface freeze/thaw cycles on atmospheric structure can help improve our understanding of links between seasonal land surface state and weather and climate, providing insight into associated changes in Earth's water, carbon, and energy cycles that are driven by climate change.Information on both the freeze/thaw states of Earth's land surface and cloud characteristics is derived from data sets collected by NOAA's Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on NASA's Earth Observing System(AMSR-E), NASA's CloudSat, and NASA's SeaWinds-on-QuickSCAT Earth remote sensing satellite instruments. These instruments take advantage of the microwave spectrum to collect an ensemble of atmospheric and land surface data. Our analysis uses data from radars (active instruments which transmit a microwave signal toward Earth and measure the resultant backscatter) and radiometers (passive devices which measure Earth's natural microwave emission) to accurately characterize salient details on Earth's surface and atmospheric states. By comparing the cloud measurements and the surface freeze-thaw data sets, a correlation between the two phenomena can be developed.

Exchangeable cations-mediated photodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on smectite surface under visible light.

PubMed

Jia, Hanzhong; Li, Li; Chen, Hongxia; Zhao, Yue; Li, Xiyou; Wang, Chuanyi

2015-04-28

Clay minerals saturated with different exchangeable cations are expected to play various roles in photodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via direct and/or indirect pathways on clay surfaces. In the present study, anthracene and phenanthrene were selected as molecule probes to investigate the roles of exchangeable cations on their photodegradation under visible light irradiation. For five types of cation-modified smectite clays, the photodegradation rate of anthracene and phenanthrene follows the order: Fe(3+)>Al(3+)>Cu(2+)>Ca(2+)>K(+)>Na(+), which is consistent with the binding energy of cation-π interactions between PAHs and exchangeable cations. The result suggests that PAHs photolysis rate depends on cation-π interactions on clay surfaces. Meanwhile, the deposition of anthracene at the Na(+)-smectite and K(+)-smectite surface favors solar light absorption, resulting in enhanced direct photodecomposition of PAHs. On the other hand, smectite clays saturated with Fe(3+), Al(3+), and Cu(2+) are highly photoreactive and can act as potential catalysts giving rise to oxidative radicals such as O2(-) , which initiate the transformation of PAHs. The present work provides valuable insights into understanding the transformation and fate of PAHs in the natural soil environment and sheds light on the development of technologies for contaminated land remediation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Local Climate Changes Forced by Changes in Land Use and topography in the Aburrá Valley, Colombia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zapata Henao, M. Z.; Hoyos Ortiz, C. D.

2017-12-01

One of the challenges in the numerical weather models is the adequate representation of soil-vegetation-atmosphere interaction at different spatial scales, including scenarios with heterogeneous land cover and complex mountainous terrain. The interaction determines the energy, mass and momentum exchange at the surface and could affect different variables including precipitation, temperature and wind. In order to quantify the long-term climate impact of changes in local land use and to assess the role of topography, two numerical experiments were examined. The first experiment allows assessing the continuous growth of urban areas within the Aburrá Valley, a complex terrain region located in Colombian Andes. The Weather Research Forecast model (WRF) is used as the basis of the experiment. The basic setup involves two nested domains, one representing the continental scale (18 km) and the other the regional scale (2 km). The second experiment allows drastic topography modification, including changing the valley configuration to a plateau. The control run for both experiments corresponds to a climatological scenario. In both experiments the boundary conditions correspond to the climatological continental domain output. Surface temperature, surface winds and precipitation are used as the main variables to compare both experiments relative to the control run. The results of the first experiment show a strong relationship between land cover and the variables, specially for surface temperature and wind speed, due to the strong forcing land cover imposes on the albedo, heat capacity and surface roughness, changing temperature and wind speed magnitudes. The second experiment removes the winds spatial variability related with hill slopes, the direction and magnitude are modulated only by the trade winds and roughness of land cover.

From biota to chemistry and climate: towards a comprehensive description of trace gas exchange between the biosphere and atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arneth, A.; Sitch, S.; Bondeau, A.; Butterbach-Bahl, K.; Foster, P.; Gedney, N.; de Noblet-Ducoudré, N.; Prentice, I. C.; Sanderson, M.; Thonicke, K.; Wania, R.; Zaehle, S.

2010-01-01

Exchange of non-CO2 trace gases between the land surface and the atmosphere plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and climate. Recent studies have highlighted its importance for interpretation of glacial-interglacial ice-core records, the simulation of the pre-industrial and present atmosphere, and the potential for large climate-chemistry and climate-aerosol feedbacks in the coming century. However, spatial and temporal variations in trace gas emissions and the magnitude of future feedbacks are a major source of uncertainty in atmospheric chemistry, air quality and climate science. To reduce such uncertainties Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) are currently being expanded to mechanistically represent processes relevant to non-CO2 trace gas exchange between land biota and the atmosphere. In this paper we present a review of important non-CO2 trace gas emissions, the state-of-the-art in DGVM modelling of processes regulating these emissions, identify key uncertainties for global scale model applications, and discuss a methodology for model integration and evaluation.

From biota to chemistry and climate: towards a comprehensive description of trace gas exchange between the biosphere and atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arneth, A.; Sitch, S.; Bondeau, A.; Butterbach-Bahl, K.; Foster, P.; Gedney, N.; de Noblet-Ducoudré, N.; Prentice, I. C.; Sanderson, M.; Thonicke, K.; Wania, R.; Zaehle, S.

2009-07-01

Exchange of non-CO2 trace gases between the land surface and the atmosphere plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and climate. Recent studies have highlighted its importance for interpretation of glacial-interglacial ice-core records, the simulation of the pre-industrial and present atmosphere, and the potential for large climate-chemistry and climate-aerosol feedbacks in the coming century. However, spatial and temporal variations in trace gas emissions and the magnitude of future feedbacks are a major source of uncertainty in atmospheric chemistry, air quality and climate science. To reduce such uncertainties Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) are currently being expanded to mechanistically represent processes relevant to non-CO2 trace gas exchange between land biota and the atmosphere. In this paper we present a review of important non-CO2 trace gas emissions, the state-of-the-art in DGVM modelling of processes regulating these emissions, identify key uncertainties for global scale model applications, and discuss a methodology for model integration and evaluation.

Reviews and syntheses: An empirical spatiotemporal description of the global surface-atmosphere carbon fluxes: opportunities and data limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zscheischler, Jakob; Mahecha, Miguel D.; Avitabile, Valerio; Calle, Leonardo; Carvalhais, Nuno; Ciais, Philippe; Gans, Fabian; Gruber, Nicolas; Hartmann, Jens; Herold, Martin; Ichii, Kazuhito; Jung, Martin; Landschützer, Peter; Laruelle, Goulven G.; Lauerwald, Ronny; Papale, Dario; Peylin, Philippe; Poulter, Benjamin; Ray, Deepak; Regnier, Pierre; Rödenbeck, Christian; Roman-Cuesta, Rosa M.; Schwalm, Christopher; Tramontana, Gianluca; Tyukavina, Alexandra; Valentini, Riccardo; van der Werf, Guido; West, Tristram O.; Wolf, Julie E.; Reichstein, Markus

2017-08-01

Understanding the global carbon (C) cycle is of crucial importance to map current and future climate dynamics relative to global environmental change. A full characterization of C cycling requires detailed information on spatiotemporal patterns of surface-atmosphere fluxes. However, relevant C cycle observations are highly variable in their coverage and reporting standards. Especially problematic is the lack of integration of the carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange of the ocean, inland freshwaters and the land surface with the atmosphere. Here we adopt a data-driven approach to synthesize a wide range of observation-based spatially explicit surface-atmosphere CO2 fluxes from 2001 to 2010, to identify the state of today's observational opportunities and data limitations. The considered fluxes include net exchange of open oceans, continental shelves, estuaries, rivers, and lakes, as well as CO2 fluxes related to net ecosystem productivity, fire emissions, loss of tropical aboveground C, harvested wood and crops, as well as fossil fuel and cement emissions. Spatially explicit CO2 fluxes are obtained through geostatistical and/or remote-sensing-based upscaling, thereby minimizing biophysical or biogeochemical assumptions encoded in process-based models. We estimate a bottom-up net C exchange (NCE) between the surface (land, ocean, and coastal areas) and the atmosphere. Though we provide also global estimates, the primary goal of this study is to identify key uncertainties and observational shortcomings that need to be prioritized in the expansion of in situ observatories. Uncertainties for NCE and its components are derived using resampling. In many regions, our NCE estimates agree well with independent estimates from other sources such as process-based models and atmospheric inversions. This holds for Europe (mean ± 1 SD: 0.8 ± 0.1 PgC yr-1, positive numbers are sources to the atmosphere), Russia (0.1 ± 0.4 PgC yr-1), East Asia (1.6 ± 0.3 PgC yr-1), South Asia (0.3 ± 0.1 PgC yr-1), Australia (0.2 ± 0.3 PgC yr-1), and most of the Ocean regions. Our NCE estimates give a likely too large CO2 sink in tropical areas such as the Amazon, Congo, and Indonesia. Overall, and because of the overestimated CO2 uptake in tropical lands, our global bottom-up NCE amounts to a net sink of -5.4 ± 2.0 PgC yr-1. By contrast, the accurately measured mean atmospheric growth rate of CO2 over 2001-2010 indicates that the true value of NCE is a net CO2 source of 4.3 ± 0.1 PgC yr-1. This mismatch of nearly 10 PgC yr-1 highlights observational gaps and limitations of data-driven models in tropical lands, but also in North America. Our uncertainty assessment provides the basis for setting priority regions where to increase carbon observations in the future. High on the priority list are tropical land regions, which suffer from a lack of in situ observations. Second, extensive pCO2 data are missing in the Southern Ocean. Third, we lack observations that could enable seasonal estimates of shelf, estuary, and inland water-atmosphere C exchange. Our consistent derivation of data uncertainties could serve as prior knowledge in multicriteria optimization such as the Carbon Cycle Data Assimilation System (CCDAS) and atmospheric inversions, without over- or under-stating bottom-up data credibility. In the future, NCE estimates of carbon sinks could be aggregated at national scale to compare with the official national inventories of CO2 fluxes in the land use, land use change, and forestry sector, upon which future emission reductions are proposed.

43 CFR 3435.2 - Qualified exchange proponents: Limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Exchange § 3435.2 Qualified exchange proponents: Limitations. (a) Any person who holds a Federal coal lease.... 3435.2 Section 3435.2 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF... title, the Secretary may issue a new coal lease in exchange for the relinquishment of outstanding leases...

36 CFR 254.11 - Exchanges at approximately equal value.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... equal value. 254.11 Section 254.11 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LANDOWNERSHIP ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.11 Exchanges at approximately equal value. (a) The authorized officer may exchange lands which are of approximately equal value upon a determination that: (1...

Vegetation controls on the biophysical surface properties at global scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forzieri, Giovanni; Cescatti, Alessandro

2016-04-01

Leaf area index (LAI) plays an important role in determining resistances to heat, moisture and momentum exchanges between the land surface and atmosphere. Exploring how variations in LAI may induce changes in the surface energy balance is a key to understanding vegetation-climate interactions and for predicting biophysical climate impacts associated to changes in land cover. To this end, we analyzed remote sensing-observed dynamics in LAI, surface energy fluxes and climate drivers at global scale. We investigated the link between interannual variability of LAI and the components of the surface energy budget under diverse climate gradients. Results show that a 25% increase in annual LAI may induce up to 2% increase in available surface energy, as consequence of higher short wave absorption due to reduced albedos, up to 20% increase and 10% decrease in latent and sensible heat, respectively, leading to a decrease of the Bowen ratio in densely vegetated canopies. Opposite patterns are found for a reduction in LAI of similar magnitude. Such changes are strongly modulated by concurrent year-to-year variations and climatological means of air temperature, precipitation and snow cover as well as by land cover-specific physiological processes. Boreal and semi-arid regions appear to be mostly exposed to large changes in biophysical surface processes induced by interannual fluctuations in LAI. The combination of the emergent patters translates into variations in the long-wave outgoing radiation that reflect the surface warming/cooling associated to LAI changes. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the vegetation control on biophysical surface properties and define a set of observational-based diagnostics of LAI-dependent land surface-atmosphere interactions.

Numerical Study on the Stomatal Responses to Dry-Hot Wind Episodes and Its Effects on Land-Atmosphere Interactions.

PubMed

Wang, Shu; Zheng, Hui; Liu, Shuhua; Miao, Yucong; Li, Jing

2016-01-01

The wheat production in midland China is under serious threat by frequent Dry-Hot Wind (DHW) episodes with high temperature, low moisture and specific wind as well as intensive heat transfer and evapotranspiration. The numerical simulations of these episodes are important for monitoring grain yield and estimating agricultural water demand. However, uncertainties still remain despite that enormous experiments and modeling studies have been conducted concerning this issue, due to either inaccurate synoptic situation derived from mesoscale weather models or unrealistic parameterizations of stomatal physiology in land surface models. Hereby, we investigated the synoptic characteristics of DHW with widely-used mesoscale model Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and the effects of leaf physiology on surface evapotranspiration by comparing two land surface models: The Noah land surface model, and Peking University Land Model (PKULM) with stomata processes included. Results show that the WRF model could well replicate the synoptic situations of DHW. Two types of DHW were identified: (1) prevailing heated dry wind stream forces the formation of DHW along with intense sensible heating and (2) dry adiabatic processes overflowing mountains. Under both situations, the PKULM can reasonably model the stomatal closure phenomena, which significantly decreases both evapotranspiration and net ecosystem exchange of canopy, while these phenomena cannot be resolved in the Noah simulations. Therefore, our findings suggest that the WRF-PKULM coupled method may be a more reliable tool to investigate and forecast DHW as well as be instructive to crop models.

Numerical Study on the Stomatal Responses to Dry-Hot Wind Episodes and Its Effects on Land-Atmosphere Interactions

PubMed Central

Zheng, Hui; Liu, Shuhua; Miao, Yucong; Li, Jing

2016-01-01

The wheat production in midland China is under serious threat by frequent Dry-Hot Wind (DHW) episodes with high temperature, low moisture and specific wind as well as intensive heat transfer and evapotranspiration. The numerical simulations of these episodes are important for monitoring grain yield and estimating agricultural water demand. However, uncertainties still remain despite that enormous experiments and modeling studies have been conducted concerning this issue, due to either inaccurate synoptic situation derived from mesoscale weather models or unrealistic parameterizations of stomatal physiology in land surface models. Hereby, we investigated the synoptic characteristics of DHW with widely-used mesoscale model Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and the effects of leaf physiology on surface evapotranspiration by comparing two land surface models: The Noah land surface model, and Peking University Land Model (PKULM) with stomata processes included. Results show that the WRF model could well replicate the synoptic situations of DHW. Two types of DHW were identified: (1) prevailing heated dry wind stream forces the formation of DHW along with intense sensible heating and (2) dry adiabatic processes overflowing mountains. Under both situations, the PKULM can reasonably model the stomatal closure phenomena, which significantly decreases both evapotranspiration and net ecosystem exchange of canopy, while these phenomena cannot be resolved in the Noah simulations. Therefore, our findings suggest that the WRF-PKULM coupled method may be a more reliable tool to investigate and forecast DHW as well as be instructive to crop models. PMID:27648943

The surface latent heat flux anomalies related to major earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Feng; Shen, Xuhui; Kang, Chunli; Xiong, Pan; Hong, Shunying

2011-12-01

SLHF (Surface Latent Heat Flux) is an atmospheric parameter, which can describe the heat released by phase changes and dependent on meteorological parameters such as surface temperature, relative humidity, wind speed etc. There is a sharp difference between the ocean surface and the land surface. Recently, many studies related to the SLHF anomalies prior to earthquakes have been developed. It has been shown that the energy exchange enhanced between coastal surface and atmosphere prior to earthquakes can increase the rate of the water-heat exchange, which will lead to an obviously increases in SLHF. In this paper, two earthquakes in 2010 (Haiti earthquake and southwest of Sumatra in Indonesia earthquake) have been analyzed using SLHF data by STD (standard deviation) threshold method. It is shows that the SLHF anomaly may occur in interpolate earthquakes or intraplate earthquakes and coastal earthquakes or island earthquakes. And the SLHF anomalies usually appear 5-6 days prior to an earthquake, then disappear quickly after the event. The process of anomaly evolution to a certain extent reflects a dynamic energy change process about earthquake preparation, that is, weak-strong-weak-disappeared.

The Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX): Its structure, connection to other international initiatives and future directions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wagener, T.; Hogue, T.; Schaake, J.; Duan, Q.; Gupta, H.; Andreassian, V.; Hall, A.; Leavesley, G.

2006-01-01

The Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX) is an international project aimed at developing enhanced techniques for the a priori estimation of parameters in hydrological models and in land surface parameterization schemes connected to atmospheric models. The MOPEX science strategy involves: database creation, a priori parameter estimation methodology development, parameter refinement or calibration, and the demonstration of parameter transferability. A comprehensive MOPEX database has been developed that contains historical hydrometeorological data and land surface characteristics data for many hydrological basins in the United States (US) and in other countries. This database is being continuously expanded to include basins from various hydroclimatic regimes throughout the world. MOPEX research has largely been driven by a series of international workshops that have brought interested hydrologists and land surface modellers together to exchange knowledge and experience in developing and applying parameter estimation techniques. With its focus on parameter estimation, MOPEX plays an important role in the international context of other initiatives such as GEWEX, HEPEX, PUB and PILPS. This paper outlines the MOPEX initiative, discusses its role in the scientific community, and briefly states future directions.

Spice In Martian Soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seiferlin, K.; Spohn, T.; Spice Team

The Netlander mission offers a unique opportunity to study the surface and the inte- rior of Mars at four different locations at the same time. In addition to real "network"- science, where the presence of four stations is a 'must' to address global science as- pects, local, landing site-related instruments can more than double our knowledge of the surface of Mars, compared to the three landing sites (Viking 1 and 2, Pathfinder) we are currently familiar with. The SPICE instrument will characterize the soil at the landing sites. Force sensors integrated into the seismometer legs (three per station) will determine the mechanical strength of the soil. Thermal sensors will measure the local soil temperature, the thermal inertia and the thermal diffusivity independently, thus allowing us to determine the thermal conductivity and the volumetric heat capac- ity of the soil. These properties will tell us about (1) soil cementation ("duricrust"), (2) volatile exchange with the atmosphere, (3) grain size, (4) near-surface stratigra- phy, and (5) will finally provide ground truth for remote sensing data such as that from Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer.

Regional Mapping of Coupled Fluxes of Carbon and Water Using Multi-Sensor Fusion Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schull, M. A.; Anderson, M. C.; Semmens, K. A.; Yang, Y.; Gao, F.; Hain, C.; Houborg, R.

2014-12-01

In an ever-changing climate there is an increasing need to measure the fluxes of water, energy and carbon for decision makers to implement policies that will help mitigate the effects of climate change. In an effort to improve drought monitoring, water resource management and agriculture assessment capabilities, a multi-scale and multi-sensor framework for routine mapping of land-surface fluxes of water and energy at field to regional scales has been established. The framework uses the ALEXI (Atmosphere Land Exchange Inverse)/DisALEXI (Disaggregated ALEXI) suite of land-surface models forced by remotely sensed data from Landsat, MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), and GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite). Land-surface temperature (LST) can be an effective substitute for in-situ surface moisture observations and a valuable metric for constraining land-surface fluxes at sub-field scales. The adopted multi-scale thermal-based land surface modeling framework facilitates regional to local downscaling of water and energy fluxes by using a combination of shortwave reflective and thermal infrared (TIR) imagery from GOES (4-10 km; hourly), MODIS (1 km; daily), and Landsat (30-100 m; bi-weekly). In this research the ALEXI/DisALEXI modeling suite is modified to incorporate carbon fluxes using a stomatal resistance module, which replaces the Priestley-Taylor latent heat approximation. In the module, canopy level nominal light-use-efficiency (βn) is the parameter that modulates the flux of water and carbon in and out of the canopy. Leaf chlorophyll (Chl) is a key parameter for quantifying variability in photosynthetic efficiency to facilitate the spatial distribution of coupled carbon and water retrievals. Spatial distribution of Chl are retrieved from Landsat (30 m) using a surface reflectance dataset as input to the REGularized canopy reFLECtance (REGFLEC) tool. The modified ALEXI/DisALEXI suite is applied to regions of rain fed and irrigated soybean and maize agricultural landscapes within the continental U.S. and flux estimates are compared with flux tower observations.

Assimilation of Freeze - Thaw Observations into the NASA Catchment Land Surface Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farhadi, Leila; Reichle, Rolf H.; DeLannoy, Gabrielle J. M.; Kimball, John S.

2014-01-01

The land surface freeze-thaw (F-T) state plays a key role in the hydrological and carbon cycles and thus affects water and energy exchanges and vegetation productivity at the land surface. In this study, we developed an F-T assimilation algorithm for the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System, version 5 (GEOS-5) modeling and assimilation framework. The algorithm includes a newly developed observation operator that diagnoses the landscape F-T state in the GEOS-5 Catchment land surface model. The F-T analysis is a rule-based approach that adjusts Catchment model state variables in response to binary F-T observations, while also considering forecast and observation errors. A regional observing system simulation experiment was conducted using synthetically generated F-T observations. The assimilation of perfect (error-free) F-T observations reduced the root-mean-square errors (RMSE) of surface temperature and soil temperature by 0.206 C and 0.061 C, respectively, when compared to model estimates (equivalent to a relative RMSE reduction of 6.7 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively). For a maximum classification error (CEmax) of 10 percent in the synthetic F-T observations, the F-T assimilation reduced the RMSE of surface temperature and soil temperature by 0.178 C and 0.036 C, respectively. For CEmax=20 percent, the F-T assimilation still reduces the RMSE of model surface temperature estimates by 0.149 C but yields no improvement over the model soil temperature estimates. The F-T assimilation scheme is being developed to exploit planned operational F-T products from the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission.

Mesoscale Convective Systems in SCSMEX: Simulated by a Regional Climate Model and a Cloud Resolving Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.-K.; Wang, Y.; Qian, I.; Lau, W.; Shie, C.-L.; Starr, David (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A Regional Land-Atmosphere Climate Simulation (RELACS) System is being developed and implemented at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. One of the major goals of RELACS is to use a regional scale model with improved physical processes, in particular land-related processes, to understand the role of the land surface and its interaction with convection and radiation as well as the water and energy cycles in Indo-China/ South China Sea (SCS)/China, N. America and S. America. The Penn State/NCAR MM5 atmospheric modeling system, a state of the art atmospheric numerical model designed to simulate regional weather and climate, has been successfully coupled to the Goddard Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-C loud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model. PLACE allows for the effects of vegetation, and thus important physical processes such as evapotranspiration and interception are included. The PLACE model incorporates vegetation type and has been shown in international comparisons to accurately predict evapotranspiration and runoff over a wide variety of land surfaces. The coupling of MM5 and PLACE creates a numerical modeling system with the potential to more realistically simulate the atmosphere and land surface processes including land-sea interaction, regional circulations such as monsoons, and flash flood events. RELACS has been used to simulate the onset of the South China Sea Monsoon in 1986, 1997 and 1998. Sensitivity tests on various land surface models, cumulus parameterization schemes (CPSs), sea surface temperature (SST) variations and midlatitude influences have been performed. These tests have indicated that the land surface model has a major impact on the circulation over the S. China Sea. CPSs can effect the precipitation pattern while SST variation can effect the precipitation amounts over both land and ocean. RELACS has also been used to understand the soil-precipitation interaction and feedback associated with a flood event that occurred in and around China's Yantz River during 1998. The exact location (region) of the flooding can be effected by the soil-rainfall feedback. Also, the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model which allows for realistic moist processes as well as explicit interactions between cloud and radiation, and cloud and surface processes will be used to simulate convective systems associated with the onset of the South China Sea Monsoon in 1998. The GCE model also includes the same PLACE and radiation scheme used in the RELACS. A detailed comparison between the results from the GCE model and RELACS will be performed.

Mesoscale Convective Systems in SCSMEX: Simulated by a Regional Climate Model and a Cloud Resolving Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.-K.; Wang, Y.; Lau, W.; Jia, Y.; Johnson, D.; Shie, C.-L.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A Regional Land-Atmosphere Climate Simulation (RELACS) System is being developed and implemented at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. One of the major goals of RELACS is to use a regional scale model with improved physical processes, in particular land-related processes, to understand the role of the land surface and its interaction with convection and radiation as well as the water and energy cycles in Indo-China/South China Sea (SCS)/China, North America and South America. The Penn State/NCAR MM5 atmospheric modeling system, a state of the art atmospheric numerical model designed to simulate regional weather and climate, has been successfully coupled to the Goddard Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model, PLACE allows for the effect A vegetation, and thus important physical processes such as evapotranspiration and interception are included. The PLACE model incorporates vegetation type and has been shown in international comparisons to accurately predict evapotranspiration and runoff over a wide variety of land surfaces. The coupling of MM5 and PLACE creates a numerical modeling system with the potential to more realistically simulate the atmosphere and land surface processes including land-sea interaction, regional circulations such as monsoons, and flash flood events. RELACS has been used to simulate the onset of the South China Sea Monsoon in 1986, 1991 and 1998. Sensitivity tests on various land surface models, cumulus parameterization schemes (CPSs), sea surface temperature (SST) variations and midlatitude influences have been performed. These tests have indicated that the land surface model has a major impact on the circulation over the South China Sea. CPSs can effect the precipitation pattern while SST variation can effect the precipitation amounts over both land and ocean. RELACS has also been used to understand the soil-precipitation interaction and feedback associated with a flood event that occurred in and around China's Yantz River during 1998. The exact location (region) of the flooding can be effected by the soil-rainfall feedback. Also, the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model which allows for realistic moist processes as well as explicit interactions between cloud and radiation, and cloud and surface processes will be used to simulate convective systems associated with the onset of the South China Sea Monsoon in 1998. The GCE model also includes the same PLACE and radiation scheme used in the RELACS. A detailed comparison between the results from the GCE model and RELACS will be performed.

43 CFR 3905.10 - Oil shale lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Oil shale lease exchanges. 3905.10 Section... MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR RANGE MANAGEMENT (4000) OIL SHALE MANAGEMENT-GENERAL Lease Exchanges § 3905.10 Oil shale lease exchanges. To facilitate the recovery of oil shale, the BLM may consider land...

Seasonality of Arctic Mediterranean Exchanges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieper, Christoph; Quadfasel, Detlef

2015-04-01

The Arctic Mediterranean communicates through a number of passages with the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Most of the volume exchange happens at the Greenland-Scotland-Ridge: warm and saline Atlantic Water flows in at the surface, cold, dense Overflow Water flows back at the bottom and fresh and cold Polar Water flows out along the East Greenland coast. All surface inflows show a seasonal signal whereas only the outflow through the Faroe Bank Channel exhibits significant seasonality. Here we present a quantification of the seasonal cycle of the exchanges across the Greenland-Scotland ridge based on volume estimates of the in- and outflows within the last 20 years (ADCP and altimetry). Our approach is comparatistic: we compare different properties of the seasonal cycle like the strength or the phase between the different in- and outflows. On the seasonal time scale the in- and outflows across the Greenland-Scotland-Ridge are not balanced. The net flux thus has to be balanced by the other passages on the Canadian Archipelago, Bering Strait as well as runoff from land.

Soil Moisture, Coastline Curvature, and Sea Breeze Initiated Precipitation Over Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, R. David; Lynn, Barry H.; Boone, Aaron; Tao, Wei-Kuo

1999-01-01

Land surface-atmosphere interaction plays a key role in the development of summertime convection and precipitation over the Florida peninsula. Land-ocean temperature contrasts induce sea-breeze circulations along both coasts. Clouds develop along sea-breeze fronts, and significant precipitation can occur during the summer months. However, other factors such as soil moisture distribution and coastline curvature may modulate the timing, location, and intensity of sea breeze initiated precipitation. Here, we investigate the role of soil moisture and coastline curvature on Florida precipitation using the 3-D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud model coupled with the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model. This study utilizes data from the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CaPE) collected on 27 July 1991. Our numerical simulations suggest that a realistic distribution of soil moisture influences the location and intensity of precipitation but not the timing of precipitation. In contrast, coastline curvature affects the timing and location of precipitation but has little influence on peak rainfall rates. However, both factors (soil moisture and coastline curvature) are required to fully account for observed rainfall amounts.

Responses of surface ozone air quality to anthropogenic nitrogen deposition in the Northern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yuanhong; Zhang, Lin; Tai, Amos P. K.; Chen, Youfan; Pan, Yuepeng

2017-08-01

Human activities have substantially increased atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen to the Earth's surface, inducing unintentional effects on ecosystems with complex environmental and climate consequences. One consequence remaining unexplored is how surface air quality might respond to the enhanced nitrogen deposition through surface-atmosphere exchange. Here we combine a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) and a global land model (Community Land Model, CLM) to address this issue with a focus on ozone pollution in the Northern Hemisphere. We consider three processes that are important for surface ozone and can be perturbed by the addition of atmospheric deposited nitrogen - namely, emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone dry deposition, and soil nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. We find that present-day anthropogenic nitrogen deposition (65 Tg N a-1 to the land), through enhancing plant growth (represented as increases in vegetation leaf area index, LAI, in the model), could increase surface ozone from increased biogenic VOC emissions (e.g., a 6.6 Tg increase in isoprene emission), but it could also decrease ozone due to higher ozone dry deposition velocities (up to 0.02-0.04 cm s-1 increases). Meanwhile, deposited anthropogenic nitrogen to soil enhances soil NOx emissions. The overall effect on summer mean surface ozone concentrations shows general increases over the globe (up to 1.5-2.3 ppbv over the western US and South Asia), except for some regions with high anthropogenic NOx emissions (0.5-1.0 ppbv decreases over the eastern US, western Europe, and North China). We compare the surface ozone changes with those driven by the past 20-year climate and historical land use changes. We find that the impacts from anthropogenic nitrogen deposition can be comparable to the climate- and land-use-driven surface ozone changes at regional scales and partly offset the surface ozone reductions due to land use changes reported in previous studies. Our study emphasizes the complexity of biosphere-atmosphere interactions, which can have important implications for future air quality prediction.

Estimating Morning Change in Land Surface Temperature from MODIS Day/Night Observations: Applications for Surface Energy Balance Modeling.

PubMed

Hain, Christopher R; Anderson, Martha C

2017-10-16

Observations of land surface temperature (LST) are crucial for the monitoring of surface energy fluxes from satellite. Methods that require high temporal resolution LST observations (e.g., from geostationary orbit) can be difficult to apply globally because several geostationary sensors are required to attain near-global coverage (60°N to 60°S). While these LST observations are available from polar-orbiting sensors, providing global coverage at higher spatial resolutions, the temporal sampling (twice daily observations) can pose significant limitations. For example, the Atmosphere Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) surface energy balance model, used for monitoring evapotranspiration and drought, requires an observation of the morning change in LST - a quantity not directly observable from polar-orbiting sensors. Therefore, we have developed and evaluated a data-mining approach to estimate the mid-morning rise in LST from a single sensor (2 observations per day) of LST from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on the Aqua platform. In general, the data-mining approach produced estimates with low relative error (5 to 10%) and statistically significant correlations when compared against geostationary observations. This approach will facilitate global, near real-time applications of ALEXI at higher spatial and temporal coverage from a single sensor than currently achievable with current geostationary datasets.

Comparison of Land Skin Temperature from a Land Model, Remote Sensing, and In-situ Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Aihui; Barlage, Michael; Zeng, Xubin; Draper, Clara Sophie

2014-01-01

Land skin temperature (Ts) is an important parameter in the energy exchange between the land surface and atmosphere. Here hourly Ts from the Community Land Model Version 4.0, MODIS satellite observations, and in-situ observations in 2003 were compared. Compared with the in-situ observations over four semi-arid stations, both MODIS and modeled Ts show negative biases, but MODIS shows an overall better performance. Global distribution of differences between MODIS and modeled Ts shows diurnal, seasonal, and spatial variations. Over sparsely vegetated areas, the model Ts is generally lower than the MODIS observed Ts during the daytime, while the situation is opposite at nighttime. The revision of roughness length for heat and the constraint of minimum friction velocity from Zeng et al. [2012] bring the modeled Ts closer to MODIS during the day, and have little effect on Ts at night. Five factors contributing to the Ts differences between the model and MODIS are identified, including the difficulty in properly accounting for cloud cover information at the appropriate temporal and spatial resolutions, and uncertainties in surface energy balance computation, atmospheric forcing data, surface emissivity, and MODIS Ts data. These findings have implications for the cross-evaluation of modeled and remotely sensed Ts, as well as the data assimilation of Ts observations into Earth system models.

Analyzing energy-water exchange dynamics in the Thar desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raja, P.; Singh, Nilendu; Srinivas, C. V.; Singhal, Mohit; Chauhan, Pankaj; Singh, Maharaj; Sinha, N. K.

2017-07-01

Regions of strong land-atmosphere coupling will be more susceptible to the hydrological impacts in the intensifying hydrological cycle. In this study, micrometeorological experiments were performed to examine the land-atmosphere coupling strength over a heat low region (Thar desert, NW India), known to influence the Indian summer monsoon (ISM). Within the vortex of Thar desert heat low, energy-water exchange and coupling behavior were studied for 4 consecutive years (2011-2014) based on sub-hourly measurements of radiative-convective flux, state parameters and sub-surface thermal profiles using lead-lag analysis between various E-W balance components. Results indicated a strong (0.11-0.35) but variable monsoon season (July-September) land-atmosphere coupling events. Coupling strength declined with time, becomes negative beyond 10-day lag. Evapotranspiration (LE) influences rainfall at the monthly time-scale (20-40 days). Highly correlated monthly rainfall and LE anomalies (r = 0.55, P < 0.001) suggested a large precipitation memory linked to the local land surface state. Sensible heating (SH) during March and April are more strongly (r = 0.6-0.7) correlated to ISM rainfall than heating during May or June (r = 0.16-0.36). Analyses show strong and weak couplings among net radiation (Rn)-vapour pressure deficit (VPD), LE-VPD and Rn-LE switching between energy-limited to water-limited conditions. Consistently, +ve and -ve residual energy [(dE) = (Rn - G) - (SH + LE)] were associated with regional wet and dry spells respectively with a lead of 10-40 days. Dew deposition (18.8-37.9 mm) was found an important component in the annual surface water balance. Strong association of variation of LE and rainfall was found during monsoon at local-scale and with regional-scale LE (MERRA 2D) but with a lag which was more prominent at local-scale than at regional-scale. Higher pre-monsoon LE at local-scale as compared to low and monotonous variation in regional-scale LE led to hypothesize that excess energy and water vapour brought through advection caused by pre-monsoon rainfall might have been recycled through rainfall to compensate for early part of monsoon rainfall at local-scale. However, long-term measurements and isotope analysis would be able to strengthen this hypothesis. This study would fill the key gaps in the global flux studies and improve understanding on local E-W exchange pathways, responses and feedbacks.

Calibration, navigation, and registration of MAMS data for FIFE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jedlovec, G. J.; Atkinson, R. J.

1993-01-01

The International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) was conducted to study the interaction of the atmosphere with the land surface and the research problems associated with the interpretation of satellite data over the Earth's land surface. The experimental objectives of the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE) were the simultaneous acquisition of satellite, atmospheric, and surface data and to use these data to understand the processes controlling energy/mass exchange at the surface. The experiment site is a 15 x 15 km area southeast of Manhattan, Kansas, intersected by Interstate 70 and Kansas highway 177. The Konza Prairie portion is 5 x 5 km and is a controlled experiment site consisting primarily of native tall grass prairie vegetation. The remainder of the site is grazing and farm land with trees along creek beds that are scattered over the area. Airborne multispectral imagery from the Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS) was collected over this region on two days during Intensive Field Campaign-1 (1FC-1) to study the time and space variability of remotely-sensed geophysical parameters. These datasets consist of multiple overflights covering about a 60-min period during late morning on June 4, 1987 and shortly after dark on the following day. Image data from each overpass were calibrated and Earth located with respect to each other using aircraft inertial navigation system parameters and ground control points. These were the first MAMS flights made with 10-bit thermal data.

Impacts of incorporating land exchanges between forestry and agriculture in sector models.

Treesearch

Ralph J. Alig; Darius M. Adams; Bruce A. McCarl

1998-01-01

The forest and agriculture sectors are linked by having a portion of their land bases suitable for use in either sector. A substantial part of the southern land base is suitable for either forestry or agriculture use, with most of forestation on U.S. agriculture land in the South. We examine how land exchanges between forestry and agriculture are influenced by specific...

43 CFR 3436.2-2 - Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Federal coal deposits subject to disposal... LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2-2 Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange. The coal deposits offered in exchange by the Secretary shall be...

43 CFR 3436.2-2 - Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Federal coal deposits subject to disposal... LEASES Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.2-2 Federal coal deposits subject to disposal by exchange. The coal deposits offered in exchange by the Secretary shall be...

Simulation of Soil Frost and Thaw Fronts Dynamics with Community Land Model 4.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, J.; Xie, Z.

2016-12-01

Freeze-thaw processes in soils, including changes in frost and thaw fronts (FTFs) , are important physical processes. The movement of FTFs affects soil water and thermal characteristics, as well as energy and water exchanges between land surface and the atmosphere, and then the land surface hydrothermal process. In this study, a two-directional freeze and thaw algorithm for simulating FTFs is incorporated into the community land surface model CLM4.5, which is called CLM4.5-FTF. The simulated FTFs depth and soil temperature of CLM4.5-FTF compared well with the observed data both in D66 station (permafrost) and Hulugou station (seasonally frozen soil). Because the soil temperature profile within a soil layer can be estimated according to the position of FTFs, CLM4.5 performed better in soil temperature simulation. Permafrost and seasonally frozen ground conditions in China from 1980 to 2010 were simulated using the CLM4.5-FTF. Numerical experiments show that the spatial distribution of simulated maximum frost depth by CLM4.5-FTF has seasonal variation obviously. Significant positive active-layer depth trends for permafrost regions and negative maximum freezing depth trends for seasonal frozen soil regions are simulated in response to positive air temperature trends except west of Black Sea.

Investigation of the influence of atmospheric stability and turbulence on land-atmosphere exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osibanjo, O.; Holmes, H.

2015-12-01

Surface energy fluxes are exchanged between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere and impact weather, climate, and air quality. The radiation from the sun triggers the surface-atmosphere interaction during the day as heat is transmitted to the surface and the surface heats the air directly above generating wind (i.e., thermal turbulence) that transports heat, moisture, and momentum in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). This process is impacted by greenhouse gasses (i.e., water vapor, carbon dioxide and other trace gases) that absorb heat emitted by the earth's surface. The concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gasses are increasing leading to changes in ABL dynamics as a result of the changing surface energy balance. The ABL processes are important to characterize because they are difficult to parameterize in global and regional scale atmospheric models. Empirical data can be collected using eddy covariance micrometeorological methods to measure turbulent fluxes (e.g., sensible heat, moisture, and CO2) and quantify the exchange between the surface and the atmosphere. The objective of this work is to calculate surface fluxes using observational data collected during one week in September 2014 from a monitoring site in Echo, Oregon. The site is located in the Columbia Basin with rolling terrain, irrigated farmland, and over 100 wind turbines. The 10m tower was placed in a small valley depression to isolate nighttime cold air pools. This work will present observations of momentum, sensible heat, moisture, and carbon dioxide fluxes from data collected at a sampling frequency of 10Hz at four heights. Atmospheric stability is determined using Monin-Obukov length and flux Richardson number, and the impact of stability on surface-atmosphere exchange is investigated. This work will provide a better understanding of surface fluxes and mixing, particularly during stable ABL periods, and the results can be used to compare with numerical models.

Effects of leaf area index on the coupling between water table, land surface energy fluxes, and planetary boundary layer at the regional scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Y.; Rihani, J.; Langensiepen, M.; Simmer, C.

2013-12-01

Vegetation plays an important role in the exchange of moisture and energy at the land surface. Previous studies indicate that vegetation increases the complexity of the feedbacks between the atmosphere and subsurface through processes such as interception, root water uptake, leaf surface evaporation, and transpiration. Vegetation cover can affect not only the interaction between water table depth and energy fluxes, but also the development of the planetary boundary layer. Leaf Area Index (LAI) is shown to be a major factor influencing these interactions. In this work, we investigate the sensitivity of water table, surface energy fluxes, and atmospheric boundary layer interactions to LAI as a model input. We particularly focus on the role LAI plays on the location and extent of transition zones of strongest coupling and how this role changes over seasonal timescales for a real catchment. The Terrestrial System Modelling Platform (TerrSysMP), developed within the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre 32 (TR32), is used in this study. TerrSysMP consists of the variably saturated groundwater model ParFlow, the land surface model Community Land Model (CLM), and the regional climate and weather forecast model COSMO (COnsortium for Small-scale Modeling). The sensitivity analysis is performed over a range of LAI values for different vegetation types as extracted from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) dataset for the Rur catchment in Germany. In the first part of this work, effects of vegetation structure on land surface energy fluxes and their connection to water table dynamics are studied using the stand-alone CLM and the coupled subsurface-surface components of TerrSysMP (ParFlow-CLM), respectively. The interconnection between LAI and transition zones of strongest coupling are investigated and analyzed through a subsequent set of subsurface-surface-atmosphere coupled simulations implementing the full TerrSysMP model system.

A Water Balance Model for Hill reservoir - Aquifer Exchange Water Flux Quantification and Uncertainty Analysis - Application to the Kamech catchment, Tunisia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouteffeha, Maroua; Dagès, Cécile; Bouhlila, Rachida; Raclot, Damien; Molénat, Jérôme

2013-04-01

In Mediterranean regions, food and water demand increase with population growth leading to considerable changes of the land use and agricultural practices. In North Africa, particularly in the Mediterranean zones, hill reservoirs are water harvesting infrastructures that have been increasingly adopted to mobilize runoff and create alternative water resource that can be used to develop agriculture. Hill reservoirs are also used to prevent from silting of downstream dams. Management of water resources collected in these infrastructures requires a good knowledge of their hydrological functioning. In particular, the rate of water exchanges between the reservoir and the underlying aquifer, called surface-subsurface exchange hereafter, is still an open question. The main purpose of the study is to better know the hydrological functioning of hill reservoirs in quantifying at the annual and intra-annual time scales the flux of surface-subsurface exchange and the uncertainty associated to the flux. The approach is based on the hydrological water balance of the hill reservoir. It was applied to the hill reservoir of the 2.6 km² Kamech catchment (Tunisia), which belongs to the long term Mediterranean hydrological observatory OMERE (Voltz and Albergel, 2002). The dense monitoring of the observation catchment allowed quantifying the fluxes of all hydrological processes governing the reservoir hydrology, and their associated uncertainties. The water balance was established by considering water inputs (direct rainfall, waddy and hillslope runoff, surface-subsurface exchange), water outputs (evaporation, spillway discharge) and hill reservoir water volume changes. The surface-subsurface exchange component was deduced as the default closure term in the water balance. The results first demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach to estimate the net surface-subsurface exchange flux and its uncertainty at various time scales. Its application on the Kamech catchment for two hydrological years (09/2009-08/2010 and 09/2010-08/2011) shows that the net surface-subsurface exchange flux is positive, i.e. the infiltration from the hill reservoir to the aquifer predominates the discharge from the aquifer to the reservoir. Moreover the surface-subsurface exchange constitutes the main output component in the water balance. The annual surface-subsurface exchange flux appeared almost constant from one year to the other one whatever the hydrological conditions variability over the catchment. Moreover, the analysis of the intra-annual variability shows that the flux was nearly constant within every year. Reference: Voltz , M. and Albergel , J., 2002. OMERE : Observatoire Méditerranéen de l'Environnement Rural et de l'Eau - Impact des actions anthropiques sur les transferts de masse dans les hydrosystèmes méditerranéens ruraux. Proposition d'Observatoire de Recherche en Environnement, Ministère de la Recherche.

43 CFR 3436.1-2 - Federal coal deposits subject to lease by exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Federal coal deposits subject to lease by... Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.1-2 Federal coal deposits subject to lease by exchange. The lease offered by the Secretary in exchange for existing coal leases shall be for...

43 CFR 3436.1-2 - Federal coal deposits subject to lease by exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Federal coal deposits subject to lease by... Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.1-2 Federal coal deposits subject to lease by exchange. The lease offered by the Secretary in exchange for existing coal leases shall be for...

ORCHIDEE-MICT (v8.4.1), a land surface model for the high latitudes: model description and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guimberteau, Matthieu; Zhu, Dan; Maignan, Fabienne; Huang, Ye; Yue, Chao; Dantec-Nédélec, Sarah; Ottlé, Catherine; Jornet-Puig, Albert; Bastos, Ana; Laurent, Pierre; Goll, Daniel; Bowring, Simon; Chang, Jinfeng; Guenet, Bertrand; Tifafi, Marwa; Peng, Shushi; Krinner, Gerhard; Ducharne, Agnès; Wang, Fuxing; Wang, Tao; Wang, Xuhui; Wang, Yilong; Yin, Zun; Lauerwald, Ronny; Joetzjer, Emilie; Qiu, Chunjing; Kim, Hyungjun; Ciais, Philippe

2018-01-01

The high-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere are a nexus for the interaction between land surface physical properties and their exchange of carbon and energy with the atmosphere. At these latitudes, two carbon pools of planetary significance - those of the permanently frozen soils (permafrost), and of the great expanse of boreal forest - are vulnerable to destabilization in the face of currently observed climatic warming, the speed and intensity of which are expected to increase with time. Improved projections of future Arctic and boreal ecosystem transformation require improved land surface models that integrate processes specific to these cold biomes. To this end, this study lays out relevant new parameterizations in the ORCHIDEE-MICT land surface model. These describe the interactions between soil carbon, soil temperature and hydrology, and their resulting feedbacks on water and CO2 fluxes, in addition to a recently developed fire module. Outputs from ORCHIDEE-MICT, when forced by two climate input datasets, are extensively evaluated against (i) temperature gradients between the atmosphere and deep soils, (ii) the hydrological components comprising the water balance of the largest high-latitude basins, and (iii) CO2 flux and carbon stock observations. The model performance is good with respect to empirical data, despite a simulated excessive plant water stress and a positive land surface temperature bias. In addition, acute model sensitivity to the choice of input forcing data suggests that the calibration of model parameters is strongly forcing-dependent. Overall, we suggest that this new model design is at the forefront of current efforts to reliably estimate future perturbations to the high-latitude terrestrial environment.

Model evaluation using a community benchmarking system for land surface models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, M.; Hoffman, F. M.; Lawrence, D. M.; Riley, W. J.; Keppel-Aleks, G.; Kluzek, E. B.; Koven, C. D.; Randerson, J. T.

2014-12-01

Evaluation of atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and land surface models is an important step in identifying deficiencies in Earth system models and developing improved estimates of future change. For the land surface and carbon cycle, the design of an open-source system has been an important objective of the International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMB) project. Here we evaluated CMIP5 and CLM models using a benchmarking system that enables users to specify models, data sets, and scoring systems so that results can be tailored to specific model intercomparison projects. Our scoring system used information from four different aspects of global datasets, including climatological mean spatial patterns, seasonal cycle dynamics, interannual variability, and long-term trends. Variable-to-variable comparisons enable investigation of the mechanistic underpinnings of model behavior, and allow for some control of biases in model drivers. Graphics modules allow users to evaluate model performance at local, regional, and global scales. Use of modular structures makes it relatively easy for users to add new variables, diagnostic metrics, benchmarking datasets, or model simulations. Diagnostic results are automatically organized into HTML files, so users can conveniently share results with colleagues. We used this system to evaluate atmospheric carbon dioxide, burned area, global biomass and soil carbon stocks, net ecosystem exchange, gross primary production, ecosystem respiration, terrestrial water storage, evapotranspiration, and surface radiation from CMIP5 historical and ESM historical simulations. We found that the multi-model mean often performed better than many of the individual models for most variables. We plan to publicly release a stable version of the software during fall of 2014 that has land surface, carbon cycle, hydrology, radiation and energy cycle components.

Forecasting and Predicting Coastal Local Sea Level as Support for Coastal Zone Management Decisions and Policy Making (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plag, H.

2009-12-01

Local Sea Level (LSL) rise is one of the major anticipated impacts of future global warming with potentially devastating consequences, particularly in many low-lying, often subsiding, and densely populated coastal areas. Risk and vulnerability assessments in support of informed decisions ask for predictions of the plausible range of future LSL trajectories as input, while mitigation and adaptation to potentially rapid LSL changes would benefit from a forecasting of LSL changes on decadal time scales. Low-frequency to secular changes in LSL are the result of a number of location-dependent processes including ocean temperature and salinity changes, ocean and atmospheric circulation changes, mass exchange of the oceans with other reservoirs in the water cycle, and vertical land motion. Mass exchange between oceans and the ice sheets, glaciers, and land water storage has the potential to change coastal LSL in many geographical regions. LSL changes in response to mass exchange with land-based ice sheets, glaciers and water storage are spatially variable due to vertical land motion induced by the shifting loads and gravitational effects resulting from both the relocation of surface water mass and the deformation of the solid Earth under the load. As a consequence, close to a melting ice mass LSL will fall significantly and far away increase more than the global average. The so-called sea level equation expresses LSL as a function of current and past mass changes in ice sheets, glaciers, land water storage, and the resulting mass redistribution in the oceans. Predictions of mass-induced LSL changes exhibit significant inter-model differences, which introduce a large uncertainty in the prediction of LSL variations caused by changes in ice sheets, glaciers, and land water storage. Together with uncertainties in other contributions, this uncertainty produces a large range of plausible future LSL trajectories, which hampers the development of reasonable adaptation strategies for the coastal zone. While the sea level equation has been tested extensively in postglacial rebound studies for the viscous (post-mass change) contribution, a thorough validation of the elastic (co-mass change) contribution has yet to be done. Accurate observations of concurrent LSL changes, vertical land motion, and gravity changes required for such a test were missing until very recently. For the validation, new observations of LSL changes, vertical land motion, and gravity changes close to rapidly changing ice sheets and glaciers in Greenland, Svalbard, and other regions, as well as satellite altimetry observations of sea surface height changes and satellite gravity mission observations of mass changes in the hydrosphere are now available. With a validated solution, we will be able to better characterize LSL changes due to mass exchange of the oceans with, in particular, ice sheets and glaciers as an important contribution to the plausible range of future LSL trajectories in coastal zones. The current "error budget" will be assessed, and the impact of the uncertainties in LSL forecasts (on decadal time scales) and long-term projections (century time scales) on adaptation and mitigation strategies will be discussed.

SPECIAL - The Savanna Patterns of Energy and Carbon Integrated Across the Landscape campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beringer, J.; Hacker, J.; Hutley, L. B.; Leuning, R.; Arndt, S. K.; Amiri, R.; Bannehr, L.; Cernusak, L. A.; Grover, S.; Hensley, C.; Hocking, D. J.; Isaac, P. R.; Jamali, H.; Kanniah, K.; Livesley, S.; Neininger, B.; Paw U, K.; Sea, W. B.; Straten, D.; Tapper, N. J.; Weinmann, R. A.; Wood, S.; Zegelin, S. J.

2010-12-01

We undertook a significant field campaign (SPECIAL) to examine spatial patterns and processes of land surface-atmosphere exchanges (radiation, heat, moisture, CO2 and other trace gasses) across scales from leaf to landscape scales within Australian savannas. Such savanna ecosystems occur in over 20 countries and cover approximately 15% of the world’s land surface. They consist of a mix of trees and grasses that coexist, but are spatially highly varied in their physical structure, species composition and physiological function. This spatial variation is driven by climate factors (rainfall gradients and seasonality) and disturbances (fire, grazing, herbivory, cyclones). Variations in savanna structure, composition and function (i.e. leaf area and function, stem density, albedo, roughness) interact with the overlying atmosphere directly through exchanges of heat and moisture, which alter the overlying boundary layer. Variability in ecosystem types across the landscape can alter regional to global circulation patterns. Equally, savannas are an important part of the global carbon cycle and can influence the climate through net uptake or release of CO2. We utilized a combination of multiscale measurements including fixed flux towers, aircraft-based flux and regional budget measurements, and satellite remotely sensed quantities to quantify the spatial variability utilizing a continental scale rainfall gradient that resulted in a variety of savanna types. The ultimate goal of our research is to be able to produce robust estimates of regional carbon and water cycles to inform land management policy about how they may respond to future environmental changes.

43 CFR 2203.0-6 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-6 Policy. When determining whether a fee exchange of the Federal coal... Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT... the exchange will create or maintain a situation inconsistent with the Federal anti-trust laws. The...

43 CFR 2203.0-6 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-6 Policy. When determining whether a fee exchange of the Federal coal... Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT... the exchange will create or maintain a situation inconsistent with the Federal anti-trust laws. The...

43 CFR 2203.0-6 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-6 Policy. When determining whether a fee exchange of the Federal coal... Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT... the exchange will create or maintain a situation inconsistent with the Federal anti-trust laws. The...

43 CFR 2203.0-6 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-6 Policy. When determining whether a fee exchange of the Federal coal... Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT... the exchange will create or maintain a situation inconsistent with the Federal anti-trust laws. The...

A Systematic Evaluation of Noah-MP in Simulating Land-Atmosphere Energy, Water, and Carbon Exchanges Over the Continental United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ning; Niu, Guo-Yue; Xia, Youlong; Cai, Xitian; Zhang, Yinsheng; Ma, Yaoming; Fang, Yuanhao

2017-11-01

Accurate simulation of energy, water, and carbon fluxes exchanging between the land surface and the atmosphere is beneficial for improving terrestrial ecohydrological and climate predictions. We systematically assessed the Noah land surface model (LSM) with mutiparameterization options (Noah-MP) in simulating these fluxes and associated variations in terrestrial water storage (TWS) and snow cover fraction (SCF) against various reference products over 18 United States Geological Survey two-digital hydrological unit code regions of the continental United States (CONUS). In general, Noah-MP captures better the observed seasonal and interregional variability of net radiation, SCF, and runoff than other variables. With a dynamic vegetation model, it overestimates gross primary productivity by 40% and evapotranspiration (ET) by 22% over the whole CONUS domain; however, with a prescribed climatology of leaf area index, it greatly improves ET simulation with relative bias dropping to 4%. It accurately simulates regional TWS dynamics in most regions except those with large lakes or severely affected by irrigation and/or impoundments. Incorporating the lake water storage variations into the modeled TWS variations largely reduces the TWS simulation bias more obviously over the Great Lakes with model efficiency increasing from 0.18 to 0.76. Noah-MP simulates runoff well in most regions except an obvious overestimation (underestimation) in the Rio Grande and Lower Colorado (New England). Compared with North American Land Data Assimilation System Phase 2 (NLDAS-2) LSMs, Noah-MP shows a better ability to simulate runoff and a comparable skill in simulating Rn but a worse skill in simulating ET over most regions. This study suggests that future model developments should focus on improving the representations of vegetation dynamics, lake water storage dynamics, and human activities including irrigation and impoundments.

Characterizing the drivers of seedling leaf gas exchange responses to warming and altered precipitation: indirect and direct effects.

PubMed

Smith, Nicholas G; Pold, Grace; Goranson, Carol; Dukes, Jeffrey S

2016-01-01

Anthropogenic forces are projected to lead to warmer temperatures and altered precipitation patterns globally. The impact of these climatic changes on the uptake of carbon by the land surface will, in part, determine the rate and magnitude of these changes. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty in how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to climate in the future. Here, we used a fully factorial warming (four levels) by precipitation (three levels) manipulation experiment in an old-field ecosystem in the northeastern USA to examine the impact of climatic changes on leaf carbon exchange in five species of deciduous tree seedlings. We found that photosynthesis generally increased in response to increasing precipitation and decreased in response to warming. Respiration was less sensitive to the treatments. The net result was greater leaf carbon uptake in wetter and cooler conditions across all species. Structural equation modelling revealed the primary pathway through which climate impacted leaf carbon exchange. Net photosynthesis increased with increasing stomatal conductance and photosynthetic enzyme capacity (V cmax ), and decreased with increasing respiration of leaves. Soil moisture and leaf temperature at the time of measurement most heavily influenced these primary drivers of net photosynthesis. Leaf respiration increased with increasing soil moisture, leaf temperature, and photosynthetic supply of substrates. Counter to the soil moisture response, respiration decreased with increasing precipitation amount, indicating that the response to short- (i.e. soil moisture) versus long-term (i.e. precipitation amount) water stress differed, possibly as a result of changes in the relative amounts of growth and maintenance demand for respiration over time. These data (>500 paired measurements of light and dark leaf gas exchange), now publicly available, detail the pathways by which climate can impact leaf gas exchange and could be useful for testing assumptions in land surface models. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.

Characterizing the drivers of seedling leaf gas exchange responses to warming and altered precipitation: indirect and direct effects

PubMed Central

Smith, Nicholas G.; Pold, Grace; Goranson, Carol; Dukes, Jeffrey S.

2016-01-01

Anthropogenic forces are projected to lead to warmer temperatures and altered precipitation patterns globally. The impact of these climatic changes on the uptake of carbon by the land surface will, in part, determine the rate and magnitude of these changes. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty in how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to climate in the future. Here, we used a fully factorial warming (four levels) by precipitation (three levels) manipulation experiment in an old-field ecosystem in the northeastern USA to examine the impact of climatic changes on leaf carbon exchange in five species of deciduous tree seedlings. We found that photosynthesis generally increased in response to increasing precipitation and decreased in response to warming. Respiration was less sensitive to the treatments. The net result was greater leaf carbon uptake in wetter and cooler conditions across all species. Structural equation modelling revealed the primary pathway through which climate impacted leaf carbon exchange. Net photosynthesis increased with increasing stomatal conductance and photosynthetic enzyme capacity (Vcmax), and decreased with increasing respiration of leaves. Soil moisture and leaf temperature at the time of measurement most heavily influenced these primary drivers of net photosynthesis. Leaf respiration increased with increasing soil moisture, leaf temperature, and photosynthetic supply of substrates. Counter to the soil moisture response, respiration decreased with increasing precipitation amount, indicating that the response to short- (i.e. soil moisture) versus long-term (i.e. precipitation amount) water stress differed, possibly as a result of changes in the relative amounts of growth and maintenance demand for respiration over time. These data (>500 paired measurements of light and dark leaf gas exchange), now publicly available, detail the pathways by which climate can impact leaf gas exchange and could be useful for testing assumptions in land surface models. PMID:27658816

Experimental study of the impact of large-scale wind farms on land-atmosphere exchanges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, wei; Markfort, Corey; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2013-04-01

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy world-wide, and it is expected that many more large-scale wind farms will be built and cover a significant portion of land and ocean surfaces. By extracting kinetic energy from the atmospheric boundary layer and converting it to electricity, wind farms may affect the transport of momentum, heat, moisture and trace gases (e.g. CO2) between the atmosphere and the land surface locally and globally. Understanding wind farm-atmosphere interactions and subsequent environmental impacts are complicated by the effects of turbine array configuration, wind farm size, land-surface characteristics and atmospheric thermal stability. In particular, surface scalar flux is influenced by wind farms and needs to be appropriately parameterized in meso-scale and/or high-resolution numerical models. Wind-tunnel experiments of model wind farms with perfectly aligned and staggered configurations, having the same turbine distribution density, were conducted in a neutral turbulent boundary layer with a surface heat source. Turbulent flow and fluxes over and through the wind farm were measured using a custom x-wire/cold-wire anemometer; and surface scalar flux was measured with an array of surface-mounted heat flux sensors within the quasi-developed flow regime. Although the overall surface heat flux change produced by the wind farms was found to be small, with a net reduction of 4% for the staggered wind farm and nearly zero for the aligned wind farm, the highly heterogeneous spatial distribution of the surface heat flux, dependent on wind farm layout, is significant. The difference between the minimum and maximum surface heat fluxes could be up to 12% and 7% in aligned and staggered wind farms, respectively. This finding is important for planning intensive agriculture practices and optimizing agricultural land use with regard to wind energy project development. The well-controlled wind-tunnel experiments presented here also provide a first comprehensive dataset on turbulent flow and scalar transport in wind farms, which can be further used to develop and validate new parameterizations for surface scalar fluxes in numerical models.

Analysis of Surface Heterogeneity Effects with Mesoscale Terrestrial Modeling Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmer, C.

2015-12-01

An improved understanding of the full variability in the weather and climate system is crucial for reducing the uncertainty in weather forecasting and climate prediction, and to aid policy makers to develop adaptation and mitigation strategies. A yet unknown part of uncertainty in the predictions from the numerical models is caused by the negligence of non-resolved land surface heterogeneity and the sub-surface dynamics and their potential impact on the state of the atmosphere. At the same time, mesoscale numerical models using finer horizontal grid resolution [O(1)km] can suffer from inconsistencies and neglected scale-dependencies in ABL parameterizations and non-resolved effects of integrated surface-subsurface lateral flow at this scale. Our present knowledge suggests large-eddy-simulation (LES) as an eventual solution to overcome the inadequacy of the physical parameterizations in the atmosphere in this transition scale, yet we are constrained by the computational resources, memory management, big-data, when using LES for regional domains. For the present, there is a need for scale-aware parameterizations not only in the atmosphere but also in the land surface and subsurface model components. In this study, we use the recently developed Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform (TerrSysMP) as a numerical tool to analyze the uncertainty in the simulation of surface exchange fluxes and boundary layer circulations at grid resolutions of the order of 1km, and explore the sensitivity of the atmospheric boundary layer evolution and convective rainfall processes on land surface heterogeneity.

Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing for Analysis of Landscape Ecological Processes: Current Insights and Trends. Chapter 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quattrochi, Dale A.; Luvall, Jeffrey C.

2014-01-01

NASA or NOAA Earth-observing satellites are not the only space-based TIR platforms. The European Space Agency (ESA), the Chinese, and other countries have in orbit or plan to launch TIR remote sensing systems. Satellite remote sensing provides an excellent opportunity to study land-atmosphere energy exchanges at the regional scale. A predominant application of TIR data has been in inferring evaporation, evapotranspiration (ET), and soil moisture. In addition to using TIR data for ET and soil moisture analysis over vegetated surfaces, there is also a need for using these data for assessment of drought conditions. The concept of ecological thermodynamics provides a quantification of surface energy fluxes for landscape characterization in relation to the overall amount of energy input and output from specific land cover types.

Inversion of Solid Earth's Varying Shape 2: Using Self-Consistency to Infer Static Ocean Topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blewitt, G.; Clarke, P. J.

2002-12-01

We have developed a spectral approach to invert for the redistribution of mass on the Earth's surface given precise global geodetic measurements of the solid Earth's geometrical shape. We used the elastic load Love number formalism to characterize the redistributed mass as a spherical harmonic expansion, truncated at some degree and order n. [Clarke and Blewitt, this meeting]. Here we incorporate the additional physical constraint that the sea surface in hydrostatic equilibrium corresponds to an equipotential surface, to infer the non-steric component of static ocean topography. Our model rigorously accounts for self-gravitation of the ocean, continental surface mass, and the deformed solid Earth, such that the sea surface adopts a new equipotential surface consistent with ocean-land mass exchange, deformation of the geoid, deformation of the sea floor, and the geographical configuration of the oceans and continents. We develop a self-consistent spectral inversion method to solve for the distribution of continental surface mass that would generate geographic variations in relative mean sea level such that the total (ocean plus continental) mass distribution agrees with the original geodetic estimates to degree and order n. We apply this theory to study the contribution of seasonal inter-hemispheric (degree-1) mass transfer to seasonal variation in static ocean topography, using a published empirical seasonal model for degree-1 surface loading derived using GPS coordinate time series from the global IGS network [Blewitt et al., Science 294, 2,342-2,345, 2001]. The resulting predictions of seasonal variations of relative sea level strongly depend on location, with peak variations ranging from 3 mm to 19 mm. The largest peak variations are predicted in mid-August around Antarctica and the southern hemisphere in general; the lowest variations are predicted in the northern hemisphere. Corresponding maximum continental loading occurs in Canada and Siberia at the water-equivalent level of 200 mm. The RMS spatial variability about global mean sea level at any given time is 20% for geocentric sea level (as measured by satellite altimetry) versus relative sea level, which is a consequence of degree-1 sea floor displacement in the center of figure frame. While land-ocean mass exchange governs global mean relative sea level, at any given point the contribution of geoid deformation to relative sea level can be of similar magnitude, and so can almost cancel or double the effect of change in global mean sea level.While the sea surface takes on the shape of the deformed geoid, the sea surface everywhere seasonally oscillates about the deformed geoid with annual amplitude 6.1 mm. This effect is due mainly to an 8.0+/- 0.7~mm contribution from land-ocean mass exchange, which is then reduced by a 1.9 mm seasonal variation in the mean geoid height above the sea floor (to which a mass-conserved ocean cannot respond). Of this, 0.4 mm is due to the mean geocentric height of the sea floor, and 1.5 mm is due to the mean geocentric height of the geoid over oceanic areas. The seasonal gradients predicted by our inversion might be misinterpreted as basin-scale dynamics. Also, the oceans amplify a land degree-1 load by 20--30%, which suggests that deformation (and models of geocenter displacements) would be sensitive to the accuracy of ocean bottom pressure, particularly in the southern hemisphere.

Quantifying surface albedo and other direct biogeophysical climate forcings of forestry activities.

PubMed

Bright, Ryan M; Zhao, Kaiguang; Jackson, Robert B; Cherubini, Francesco

2015-09-01

By altering fluxes of heat, momentum, and moisture exchanges between the land surface and atmosphere, forestry and other land-use activities affect climate. Although long recognized scientifically as being important, these so-called biogeophysical forcings are rarely included in climate policies for forestry and other land management projects due to the many challenges associated with their quantification. Here, we review the scientific literature in the fields of atmospheric science and terrestrial ecology in light of three main objectives: (i) to elucidate the challenges associated with quantifying biogeophysical climate forcings connected to land use and land management, with a focus on the forestry sector; (ii) to identify and describe scientific approaches and/or metrics facilitating the quantification and interpretation of direct biogeophysical climate forcings; and (iii) to identify and recommend research priorities that can help overcome the challenges of their attribution to specific land-use activities, bridging the knowledge gap between the climate modeling, forest ecology, and resource management communities. We find that ignoring surface biogeophysics may mislead climate mitigation policies, yet existing metrics are unlikely to be sufficient. Successful metrics ought to (i) include both radiative and nonradiative climate forcings; (ii) reconcile disparities between biogeophysical and biogeochemical forcings, and (iii) acknowledge trade-offs between global and local climate benefits. We call for more coordinated research among terrestrial ecologists, resource managers, and coupled climate modelers to harmonize datasets, refine analytical techniques, and corroborate and validate metrics that are more amenable to analyses at the scale of an individual site or region. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Growing importance of atmospheric water demands on the hydrologcial condition of East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, C. E.; Ho, C. H.; Jeong, S. J.; Park, H.

2015-12-01

As global temperature increases, enhanced exchange of fresh water between the surface and atmosphere expected to make dry regions drier and wet regions wetter. This concept is well fitted for the ocean, but oversimplified for the land. How the climate change causes the complex patterns of the continental dryness change is one of challenging questions. Here we investigate the observed dryness changes of the land surface by examining the quantitative influence of several climate parameters on the background aridity changes over East Asia, containing various climate regimes from cold-arid to warm-humid regions, using observations of 189 stations covering the period from 1961 to 2010. Overall mean aridity trend is changed from negative to positive around early 1990s. The turning of dryness trend is largely influenced by sharp increase in atmospheric water demands, regardless of the background climate. The warming induced increase in water demands is larger in warm-humid regions than in cold-arid region due to the Clausius-Clapeyron relation between air temperature and saturation vapor pressure. The results show the drying of anthropogenic warming already begins and influences on the patterns of dryness change over the land surface.

Canopies to Continents: What spatial scales are needed to represent landcover distributions in earth system models?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenther, A. B.; Duhl, T.

2011-12-01

Increasing computational resources have enabled a steady improvement in the spatial resolution used for earth system models. Land surface models and landcover distributions have kept ahead by providing higher spatial resolution than typically used in these models. Satellite observations have played a major role in providing high resolution landcover distributions over large regions or the entire earth surface but ground observations are needed to calibrate these data and provide accurate inputs for models. As our ability to resolve individual landscape components improves, it is important to consider what scale is sufficient for providing inputs to earth system models. The required spatial scale is dependent on the processes being represented and the scientific questions being addressed. This presentation will describe the development a contiguous U.S. landcover database using high resolution imagery (1 to 1000 meters) and surface observations of species composition and other landcover characteristics. The database includes plant functional types and species composition and is suitable for driving land surface models (CLM and MEGAN) that predict land surface exchange of carbon, water, energy and biogenic reactive gases (e.g., isoprene, sesquiterpenes, and NO). We investigate the sensitivity of model results to landcover distributions with spatial scales ranging over six orders of magnitude (1 meter to 1000000 meters). The implications for predictions of regional climate and air quality will be discussed along with recommendations for regional and global earth system modeling.

Observed and modeled carbon and energy fluxes for agricultural sites under North American Carbon Program site-level interim synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lokupitiya, E. Y.; Denning, A.

2010-12-01

Croplands are unique, man-made ecosystems with dynamics mostly dependent on human decisions. Crops uptake a significant amount of Carbon dioxide (CO2) during their short growing seasons. Reliability of the available models to predict the carbon exchanges by croplands is important in estimating the cropland contribution towards overall land-atmosphere carbon exchange and global carbon cycle. The energy exchanges from croplands include both sensible and latent heat fluxes. This study focuses on analyzing the performance of 19 land surface models across five agricultural sites under the site-level interim synthesis of North American Carbon Program (NACP). Model simulations were performed using a common simulation protocol and input data, including gap-filled meteorological data corresponding to each site. The net carbon fluxes (i.e. net ecosystem exchange; NEE) and energy fluxes (sensible and latent heat) predicted by 12 models with sub-hourly/hourly temporal resolution and 7 models with daily temporal resolution were compared against the site-specific gap-filled observed flux tower data. Comparisons were made by site and crop type (i.e. maize, soybean, and wheat), mainly focusing on the coefficient of determination, correlation, root mean square error, and standard deviation. Analyses also compared the diurnal, seasonal, and inter-annual variability of the modeled fluxes against the observed data and the mean modeled data.

The Influence of Soil Moisture and Wind on Rainfall Distribution and Intensity in Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, R. David; Lynn, Barry H.; Boone, Aaron; Tao, Wei-Kuo

1998-01-01

Land surface processes play a key role in water and energy budgets of the hydrological cycle. For example, the distribution of soil moisture will affect sensible and latent heat fluxes, which in turn may dramatically influence the location and intensity of precipitation. However, mean wind conditions also strongly influence the distribution of precipitation. The relative importance of soil moisture and wind on rainfall location and intensity remains uncertain. Here, we examine the influence of soil moisture distribution and wind distribution on precipitation in the Florida peninsula using the 3-D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud model Coupled with the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model. This study utilizes data collected on 27 July 1991 in central Florida during the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CaPE). The idealized numerical experiments consider a block of land (the Florida peninsula) bordered on the east and on the west by ocean. The initial soil moisture distribution is derived from an offline PLACE simulation, and the initial environmental wind profile is determined from the CaPE sounding network. Using the factor separation technique, the precise contribution of soil moisture and wind to rainfall distribution and intensity is determined.

Characteristics of organic soil in black spruce forests: Implications for the application of land surface and ecosystem models in cold regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yi, S.; Manies, K.; Harden, J.; McGuire, A.D.

2009-01-01

Soil organic layers (OL) play an important role in landatmosphere exchanges of water, energy and carbon in cold environments. The proper implementation of OL in land surface and ecosystem models is important for predicting dynamic responses to climate warming. Based on the analysis of OL samples of black spruce (Picea mariana), we recommend that implementation of OL for cold regions modeling: (1) use three general organic horizon types (live, fibrous, and amorphous) to represent vertical soil heterogeneity; (2) implement dynamics of OL over the course of disturbance, as there are significant differences of OL thickness between young and mature stands; and (3) use two broad drainage classes to characterize spatial heterogeneity, as there are significant differences in OL thickness between dry and wet sites. Implementation of these suggestions into models has the potential to substantially improve how OL dynamics influence variability in surface temperature and soil moisture in cold regions. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophys.ical Union.

Effects of short-term variability of meteorological variables on soil temperature in permafrost regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, Christian; Porada, Philipp; Ekici, Altug; Brakebusch, Matthias

2018-03-01

Effects of the short-term temporal variability of meteorological variables on soil temperature in northern high-latitude regions have been investigated. For this, a process-oriented land surface model has been driven using an artificially manipulated climate dataset. Short-term climate variability mainly impacts snow depth, and the thermal diffusivity of lichens and bryophytes. These impacts of climate variability on insulating surface layers together substantially alter the heat exchange between atmosphere and soil. As a result, soil temperature is 0.1 to 0.8 °C higher when climate variability is reduced. Earth system models project warming of the Arctic region but also increasing variability of meteorological variables and more often extreme meteorological events. Therefore, our results show that projected future increases in permafrost temperature and active-layer thickness in response to climate change will be lower (i) when taking into account future changes in short-term variability of meteorological variables and (ii) when representing dynamic snow and lichen and bryophyte functions in land surface models.

The impact of changing the land surface scheme in ACCESS(v1.0/1.1) on the surface climatology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kowalczyk, Eva A.; Stevens, Lauren E.; Law, Rachel M.

The Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) model has been coupled to the UK Met Office Unified Model (UM) within the existing framework of the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS), replacing the Met Office Surface Exchange Scheme (MOSES). Here we investigate how features of the CABLE model impact on present-day surface climate using ACCESS atmosphere-only simulations. The main differences attributed to CABLE include a warmer winter and a cooler summer in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), earlier NH spring runoff from snowmelt, and smaller seasonal and diurnal temperature ranges. The cooler NH summer temperatures in canopy-covered regions aremore » more consistent with observations and are attributed to two factors. Firstly, CABLE accounts for aerodynamic and radiative interactions between the canopy and the ground below; this placement of the canopy above the ground eliminates the need for a separate bare ground tile in canopy-covered areas. Secondly, CABLE simulates larger evapotranspiration fluxes and a slightly larger daytime cloud cover fraction. Warmer NH winter temperatures result from the parameterization of cold climate processes in CABLE in snow-covered areas. In particular, prognostic snow density increases through the winter and lowers the diurnally resolved snow albedo; variable snow thermal conductivity prevents early winter heat loss but allows more heat to enter the ground as the snow season progresses; liquid precipitation freezing within the snowpack delays the building of the snowpack in autumn and accelerates snow melting in spring. Altogether we find that the ACCESS simulation of surface air temperature benefits from the specific representation of the turbulent transport within and just above the canopy in the roughness sublayer as well as the more complex snow scheme in CABLE relative to MOSES.« less

The impact of changing the land surface scheme in ACCESS(v1.0/1.1) on the surface climatology

DOE PAGES

Kowalczyk, Eva A.; Stevens, Lauren E.; Law, Rachel M.; ...

2016-08-23

The Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) model has been coupled to the UK Met Office Unified Model (UM) within the existing framework of the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS), replacing the Met Office Surface Exchange Scheme (MOSES). Here we investigate how features of the CABLE model impact on present-day surface climate using ACCESS atmosphere-only simulations. The main differences attributed to CABLE include a warmer winter and a cooler summer in the Northern Hemisphere (NH), earlier NH spring runoff from snowmelt, and smaller seasonal and diurnal temperature ranges. The cooler NH summer temperatures in canopy-covered regions aremore » more consistent with observations and are attributed to two factors. Firstly, CABLE accounts for aerodynamic and radiative interactions between the canopy and the ground below; this placement of the canopy above the ground eliminates the need for a separate bare ground tile in canopy-covered areas. Secondly, CABLE simulates larger evapotranspiration fluxes and a slightly larger daytime cloud cover fraction. Warmer NH winter temperatures result from the parameterization of cold climate processes in CABLE in snow-covered areas. In particular, prognostic snow density increases through the winter and lowers the diurnally resolved snow albedo; variable snow thermal conductivity prevents early winter heat loss but allows more heat to enter the ground as the snow season progresses; liquid precipitation freezing within the snowpack delays the building of the snowpack in autumn and accelerates snow melting in spring. Altogether we find that the ACCESS simulation of surface air temperature benefits from the specific representation of the turbulent transport within and just above the canopy in the roughness sublayer as well as the more complex snow scheme in CABLE relative to MOSES.« less

Assessment of the water and energy budget simulation of three land surface models: CLM4.5, CoLM2014, and CoLM2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, C.; Lu, H.; Wen, X.

2015-12-01

Land surface model (LSM), which simulates energy, water and momentum exchanges between land and atmosphere, is an important component of Earth System Models (ESM). As shown in CMIP5, different ESMs usually use different LSMs and represent various land surface status. In order to select a land surface model which could be embedded into the ESM developed in Tsinghua University, we firstly evaluate the performance of three LSMs: Community Land Model (CLM4.5) and two different versions of Common Land Model (CoLM2005 and CoLM2014). All of three models were driven by CRUNCEP data and simulation results from 1980 to 2010 were used in this study. Diagnostic data provided by NCAR, global latent and sensible heat flux map estimated by Jung, net radiation from SRB, and in situ observation collected from FluxNet were used as reference data. Two variables, surface runoff and snow depth, were used for evaluating the model performance in water budget simulation, while three variables including net radiation, sensible heat, and latent heat were used for assessing energy budget simulation. For 30 years averaged runoff, global average value of Colm2014 is 0.44mm/day and close to the diagnostic value of 0.75 mm/day, while that of Colm2005 is 0.44mm/day and that of CLM is 0.20mm/day. For snow depth simulation, three models all have overestimation in the Northern Hemisphere and underestimation in the Southern Hemisphere compare to diagnostic data. For 30 years energy budget simulation, at global scale, CoLM2005 performs best in latent heat estimation, CoLM2014 performs best in sensible heat simulation, and CoLM2005 and CoLM2014 make similar performance in net radiation estimation but is still better than CLM. At regional and local scale, comparing to the four years average of flux tower observation, RMSE of CoLM2005 is the smallest for latent heat (9.717 W/m2) , and for sensible heat simulation, RMSE of CoLM2005 (13.048 W/m2) is slightly greater than CLM(10.767 W/m2) but still better than CoLM2014(30.085 W/m2). Our analysis shows that both CoLM 2005 and CoLM 2014 are able to reproduce comparable land surface water and energy fluxes. It implies that the ESM developed in Tsinghua University may use CoLM, a LSM developed and maintained in China, as the land surface component. .

Reconstructing spatial-temporal continuous MODIS land surface temperature using the DINEOF method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Wang; Peng, Bin; Shi, Jiancheng

2017-10-01

Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the key states of the Earth surface system. Remote sensing has the capability to obtain high-frequency LST observations with global coverage. However, mainly due to cloud cover, there are always gaps in the remotely sensed LST product, which hampers the application of satellite-based LST in data-driven modeling of surface energy and water exchange processes. We explored the suitability of the data interpolating empirical orthogonal functions (DINEOF) method in moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer LST reconstruction around Ali on the Tibetan Plateau. To validate the reconstruction accuracy, synthetic clouds during both daytime and nighttime are created. With DINEOF reconstruction, the root mean square error and bias under synthetic clouds in daytime are 4.57 and -0.0472 K, respectively, and during the nighttime are 2.30 and 0.0045 K, respectively. The DINEOF method can well recover the spatial pattern of LST. Time-series analysis of LST before and after DINEOF reconstruction from 2002 to 2016 shows that the annual and interannual variabilities of LST can be well reconstructed by the DINEOF method.

Simulating carbon, water and energy fluxes of a rainforest and an oil palm plantation using the Community Land Model (CLM4.5)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Yuanchao; Bernoux, Martial; Roupsard, Olivier; Panferov, Oleg; Le Maire, Guerric; Tölle, Merja; Knohl, Alexander

2014-05-01

Deforestation and forest degradation driven by the expansion of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations has become the major source of GHG emission in Indonesia. Changes of land surface properties (e.g. vegetation composition, soil property, surface albedo) associated with rainforest to oil palm conversion might alter the patterns of land-atmosphere energy, water and carbon cycles and therefore affect local or regional climate. Land surface modeling has been widely used to characterize the two-way interactions between climate and human disturbances on land surface. The Community Land Model (CLM) is a third-generation land model that simulates a wide range of biogeophysical and biogeochemical processes. This project utilizes the land-cover/land-use change (LCLUC) capability of the latest CLM versions 4/4.5 to characterize quantitatively how anthropogenic land surface dynamics in Indonesia affect land-atmosphere carbon, water and energy fluxes. Before simulating land use changes, the first objective is to parameterize and validate the CLM model at local rainforest and oil palm plantation sites through separate point simulations. This entails creation and parameterization of a new plant functional type (PFT) for oil palm, as well as sensitivity analysis and adaptation of model parameters for the rainforest PFTs. CLM modelled fluxes for the selected sites are to be compared with field observations from eddy covariance (EC) flux towers (e.g. a rainforest site in Bariri, Sulawesi; an oil palm site in Jambi, Sumatra). After validation, the project will proceed to parameterize land-use transformation system using remote sensing data and to simulate the impacts of historical LUCs on carbon, water and energy fluxes. Last but not least, the effects of future LUCs in Indonesia on the fluxes and carbon sequestration capacity will be investigated through scenario study. Historical land cover changes, especially oil palm coverage, are retrieved from Landsat or MODIS archival images. Oil palm concession boundaries are used to define and project future land use scenarios. Initial results include outputs from a single-point simulation for the Bariri rainforest site forced with locally measured meteorological data which already showed significant advantage over global forcing data in predicting net ecosystem exchange and latent and sensible heat fluxes. Modeled fluxes are being compared with EC flux observations and with Mixfor-SVAT model outputs from another project at the same site. In the next few months, focus will be on sensitivity analyses of model parameters including PFT optical, morphological and physiological parameters that are necessary to configure the new oil palm PFT and represent rainforest to oil palm conversion. The new parameterization will contribute to the development of the CLM model and its implementation in the modelling of LUC effects in tropical regions will help understanding land-climate interactions.

Using a passive air sampler to monitor air-soil exchange of organochlorine pesticides in the pasture of the central Tibetan Plateau.

PubMed

Wang, Chuanfei; Wang, Xiaoping; Ren, Jiao; Gong, Ping; Yao, Tandong

2017-02-15

Air-soil exchange is a key process controlling the fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). However, the "sink effect" of soil for POPs in Tibetan pasture has not been clear. In NamCo, in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP) where the land is covered by grass, a modified passive air sampler (PAS) (thickness: 2cm) was tested. Using the PAS, the atmospheric gaseous phase organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) at 11 heights from close-to-surface (2cm) to 200cm above ground, in summer and in winter, were measured. Concentrations of OCPs in summer were higher than those in winter. Both in summer and winter, atmospheric concentrations of OCPs decreased with decreasing height from 200 to 2cm, indicating that OCPs were being deposited from air to soil. Air deposition of OCPs was possibly driven by wind speed. Furthermore, based on air OCPs at 0-3cm near the surface, the interface exchange of OCPs between air and soil was studied by the fugacity method. The results showed that pastural soil in the TP was a "sink" of OCPs even in summer. The mean deposition fluxes of α-HCH, γ-HCH and o,p'-DDT were 0.72, 0.24 and 0.54pg/h/m 2 , respectively, and it was estimated that the level of these pollutants in the soil will double every 24, 66 and 206years, respectively. This study will contribute to the further understanding of global cycling of POPs in different land covers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Methodology for Assessing the Size and Liquidation of the Outer Patchwork of Land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Len, Przemyslaw; Oleniacz, Grzegorz; Skrzypczak, Izabela; Mika, Monika

2017-12-01

A patchwork of land ownership is one of the factors that exert a negative influence on both the organization and the level of agricultural production. Excessive land fragmentation decreases the intensity of agricultural practices and increases production costs, thus leading to a continuous reduction in income. In many areas of Poland, over the years, fields have been divided into smaller and smaller parcels, which, along with the mass migration of people to towns and abroad, resulted in a faulty land ownership structure. Nowadays, it is recommended that measures be taken to eliminate both internal and external patchworks of farmland. Two such agricultural land management measures are land consolidation and land exchange. Rural areas in Poland require profound structural changes related to agricultural production, the size of agricultural holdings, the distribution of farmland in an agricultural holding, as well as demographic, spatial and institutional structure. Land consolidation and land exchange not only result in improved living and working conditions for farmers, but also contribute to enhancing the environmental and cultural assets of a village. The study allowed conducted using checkerboard matrix tables which allow one to determine the share of farmland owned by local and out-of-village non-residents. Research based on data from the estate cadastre. The research used information on the number of land owners, the number of parcels of land, the area of these parcels. The study computed the distance between 34 villages located in Slawno municipality, Opoczno County, Lodz voivodeship. An approach like this allows one to establish a program of exchange of land between these two groups of owners and to eliminate the problematic patchwork of land ownership through land exchange and consolidation.

SMOS Soil Moisture Data Assimilation in the NASA Land Information System: Impact on LSM Initialization and NWP Forecasts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blankenship, Clay; Case, Jonathan L.; Zavodsky, Bradley

2015-01-01

Land surface models are important components of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, partitioning incoming energy into latent and sensitive heat fluxes that affect boundary layer growth and destabilization. During warm-season months, diurnal heating and convective initiation depend strongly on evapotranspiration and available boundary layer moisture, which are substantially affected by soil moisture content. Therefore, to properly simulate warm-season processes in NWP models, an accurate initialization of the land surface state is important for accurately depicting the exchange of heat and moisture between the surface and boundary layer. In this study, soil moisture retrievals from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite radiometer are assimilated into the Noah Land Surface Model via an Ensemble Kalman Filter embedded within the NASA Land Information System (LIS) software framework. The output from LIS-Noah is subsequently used to initialize runs of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) NWP model. The impact of assimilating SMOS retrievals is assessed by initializing the WRF model with LIS-Noah output obtained with and without SMOS data assimilation. The southeastern United States is used as the domain for a preliminary case study. During the summer months, there is extensive irrigation in the lower Mississippi Valley for rice and other crops. The irrigation is not represented in the meteorological forcing used to drive the LIS-Noah integration, but the irrigated areas show up clearly in the SMOS soil moisture retrievals, resulting in a case with a large difference in initial soil moisture conditions. The impact of SMOS data assimilation on both Noah soil moisture fields and on short-term (0-48 hour) WRF weather forecasts will be presented.

Biochar Mechanisms of Heavy Metal Sorption and Potential Utility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ippolito, J.

2015-12-01

Mining-affected lands are a global issue; in the USA alone there are an estimated 500,000 abandoned mines encompassing hundreds of thousands of hectares. Many of these sites generate acidic mine drainage that causes release of heavy metals, and subsequently degradation in environmental quality. Because of its potential liming characteristics, biochar may play a pivotal role as a soil amendment in future mine land reclamation. However, to date, most studies have focused on the use of biochar to sorb metals from solution. Previous studies suggest that metals are complexed by biochar surface function groups (leading to ion exchange, complexation), coordination with Pi electrons (C=C) of carbon, and precipitation of inorganic mineral phases. Several recent studies have focused on the use of biochar for amending mine land soils, showing that biochar can indeed reduce heavy metal lability, yet the mechanism(s) behind labile metal reduction have yet to be established. In a proof-of-concept study, we added lodgepole pine, tamarisk, and switchgrass biochar (0, 5, 10, 15% by weight; 500 oC) to four different western US mine land soils affected by various heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn). Extraction with 0.01M CaCl2 showed that increasing biochar application rate significantly decreased 'bioaccessible' metals in almost all instances. A concomitant increase in solution pH was observed, suggesting that metals may be rendered bio-inaccessible through precipitation as carbonate or (hydr)oxide phases, or sorbed onto mineral surfaces. However, this was only supposition and required further research. Thus, following the 0.01M CaCl2 extraction, biochar-soil mixtures were air-dried and metals were further extracted using the four-step BCR sequential removal procedure. Results from selective extraction suggest that, as compared to the controls, most metals in the biochar-amended mine land soils were associated with exchange sites, carbonate, and oxide phases. Biochar may play a pivotal role as a soil amendment in the future of mine land reclamation, although elevated pH levels should be maintained to prolong sequestration while lessening the possibility of metal resolubilization.

Advances in understanding, models and parameterisations of biosphere-atmosphere ammonia exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flechard, C. R.; Massad, R.-S.; Loubet, B.; Personne, E.; Simpson, D.; Bash, J. O.; Cooter, E. J.; Nemitz, E.; Sutton, M. A.

2013-03-01

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) dominates global emissions of total reactive nitrogen (Nr), while emissions from agricultural production systems contribute about two thirds of global NH3 emissions; the remaining third emanates from oceans, natural vegetation, humans, wild animals and biomass burning. On land, NH3 emitted from the various sources eventually returns to the biosphere by dry deposition to sink areas, predominantly semi-natural vegetation, and by wet and dry deposition as ammonium (NH4+) to all surfaces. However, the land/atmosphere exchange of gaseous NH3 is in fact bi-directional over unfertilized as well as fertilized ecosystems, with periods and areas of emission and deposition alternating in time (diurnal, seasonal) and space (patchwork landscapes). The exchange is controlled by a range of environmental factors, including meteorology, surface layer turbulence, thermodynamics, air and surface heterogeneous-phase chemistry, canopy geometry, plant development stage, leaf age, organic matter decomposition, soil microbial turnover, and, in agricultural systems, by fertilizer application rate, fertilizer type, soil type, crop type, and agricultural management practices. We review the range of processes controlling NH3 emission and uptake in the different parts of the soil-canopy-atmosphere continuum, with NH3 emission potentials defined at the substrate and leaf levels by different [NH4+] / [H+] ratios (Γ). Surface/atmosphere exchange models for NH3 are necessary to compute the temporal and spatial patterns of emissions and deposition at the soil, plant, field, landscape, regional and global scales, in order to assess the multiple environmental impacts of air-borne and deposited NH3 and NH4+. Models of soil/vegetation/atmosphereem NH3 exchange are reviewed from the substrate and leaf scales to the global scale. They range from simple steady-state, "big leaf" canopy resistance models, to dynamic, multi-layer, multi-process, multi-chemical species schemes. Their level of complexity depends on their purpose, the spatial scale at which they are applied, the current level of parameterisation, and the availability of the input data they require. State-of-the-art solutions for determining the emission/sink Γ potentials through the soil/canopy system include coupled, interactive chemical transport models (CTM) and soil/ecosystem modelling at the regional scale. However, it remains a matter for debate to what extent realistic options for future regional and global models should be based on process-based mechanistic versus empirical and regression-type models. Further discussion is needed on the extent and timescale by which new approaches can be used, such as integration with ecosystem models and satellite observations.

Advances in understanding, models and parameterizations of biosphere-atmosphere ammonia exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flechard, C. R.; Massad, R.-S.; Loubet, B.; Personne, E.; Simpson, D.; Bash, J. O.; Cooter, E. J.; Nemitz, E.; Sutton, M. A.

2013-07-01

Atmospheric ammonia (NH3) dominates global emissions of total reactive nitrogen (Nr), while emissions from agricultural production systems contribute about two-thirds of global NH3 emissions; the remaining third emanates from oceans, natural vegetation, humans, wild animals and biomass burning. On land, NH3 emitted from the various sources eventually returns to the biosphere by dry deposition to sink areas, predominantly semi-natural vegetation, and by wet and dry deposition as ammonium (NH4+) to all surfaces. However, the land/atmosphere exchange of gaseous NH3 is in fact bi-directional over unfertilized as well as fertilized ecosystems, with periods and areas of emission and deposition alternating in time (diurnal, seasonal) and space (patchwork landscapes). The exchange is controlled by a range of environmental factors, including meteorology, surface layer turbulence, thermodynamics, air and surface heterogeneous-phase chemistry, canopy geometry, plant development stage, leaf age, organic matter decomposition, soil microbial turnover, and, in agricultural systems, by fertilizer application rate, fertilizer type, soil type, crop type, and agricultural management practices. We review the range of processes controlling NH3 emission and uptake in the different parts of the soil-canopy-atmosphere continuum, with NH3 emission potentials defined at the substrate and leaf levels by different [NH4+] / [H+] ratios (Γ). Surface/atmosphere exchange models for NH3 are necessary to compute the temporal and spatial patterns of emissions and deposition at the soil, plant, field, landscape, regional and global scales, in order to assess the multiple environmental impacts of airborne and deposited NH3 and NH4+. Models of soil/vegetation/atmosphere NH3 exchange are reviewed from the substrate and leaf scales to the global scale. They range from simple steady-state, "big leaf" canopy resistance models, to dynamic, multi-layer, multi-process, multi-chemical species schemes. Their level of complexity depends on their purpose, the spatial scale at which they are applied, the current level of parameterization, and the availability of the input data they require. State-of-the-art solutions for determining the emission/sink Γ potentials through the soil/canopy system include coupled, interactive chemical transport models (CTM) and soil/ecosystem modelling at the regional scale. However, it remains a matter for debate to what extent realistic options for future regional and global models should be based on process-based mechanistic versus empirical and regression-type models. Further discussion is needed on the extent and timescale by which new approaches can be used, such as integration with ecosystem models and satellite observations.

High-Resolution Specification of the Land and Ocean Surface for Improving Regional Mesoscale Model Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Case, Jonathan L.; Lazarus, Steven M.; Splitt, Michael E.; Crosson, William L.; Lapenta, William M.; Jedlovec, Gary J.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.

2008-01-01

The exchange of energy and moisture between the Earth's surface and the atmospheric boundary layer plays a critical role in many meteorological processes. High-resolution, accurate representations of surface properties such as sea-surface temperature (SST), soil temperature and moisture content, ground fluxes, and vegetation are necessary to better understand the Earth-atmosphere interactions and improve numerical predictions of sensible weather. The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has been conducting separate studies to examine the impacts of high-resolution land-surface initialization data from the Goddard Space Flight Center Land Information System (LIS) on subsequent WRF forecasts, as well as the influence of initializing WRF with SST composites derived from the MODIS instrument. This current project addresses the combined impacts of using high-resolution lower boundary data over both land (LIS data) and water (MODIS SSTs) on the subsequent daily WRF forecasts over Florida during May 2004. For this experiment, the WRF model is configured to run on a nested domain with 9- km and 3-kin grid spacing, centered on the Florida peninsula and adjacent coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. A control configuration of WRF is established to take all initial condition data from the NCEP Eta model. Meanwhile, two WRF experimental runs are configured to use high-resolution initialization data from (1) LIS land-surface data only, and (2) a combination of LIS data and high-resolution MODIS SST composites. The experiment involves running 24-hour simulations of the control WRF configuration, the MS-initialized WRF, and the LIS+MODIS-initialized WRF daily for the entire month of May 2004. All atmospheric data for initial and boundary conditions for the Control, LIS, and LIS+MODIS runs come from the NCEP Eta model on a 40-km grid. Verification statistics are generated at land surface observation sites and buoys, and the impacts of the high-resolution lower boundary data on the development and evolution of mesoscale circulations such as sea and land breezes are examined, This paper will present the results of these WRF modeling experiments using LIS and MODIS lower boundary datasets over the Florida peninsula during May 2004.

77 FR 7179 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Land Exchange...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-10

...] Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Land Exchange Between.... ACTION: Notice of intent. SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA... Land Management (BLM) Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office intends to prepare a Draft Environmental...

The CarbonTracker Data Assimilation System for CO2 and δ13C (CTDAS-C13 v1.0): retrieving information on land-atmosphere exchange processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Velde, Ivar R.; Miller, John B.; van der Molen, Michiel K.; Tans, Pieter P.; Vaughn, Bruce H.; White, James W. C.; Schaefer, Kevin; Peters, Wouter

2018-01-01

To improve our understanding of the global carbon balance and its representation in terrestrial biosphere models, we present here a first dual-species application of the CarbonTracker Data Assimilation System (CTDAS). The system's modular design allows for assimilating multiple atmospheric trace gases simultaneously to infer exchange fluxes at the Earth surface. In the prototype discussed here, we interpret signals recorded in observed carbon dioxide (CO2) along with observed ratios of its stable isotopologues 13CO2/12CO2 (δ13C). The latter is in particular a valuable tracer to untangle CO2 exchange from land and oceans. Potentially, it can also be used as a proxy for continent-wide drought stress in plants, largely because the ratio of 13CO2 and 12CO2 molecules removed from the atmosphere by plants is dependent on moisture conditions.The dual-species CTDAS system varies the net exchange fluxes of both 13CO2 and CO2 in ocean and terrestrial biosphere models to create an ensemble of 13CO2 and CO2 fluxes that propagates through an atmospheric transport model. Based on differences between observed and simulated 13CO2 and CO2 mole fractions (and thus δ13C) our Bayesian minimization approach solves for weekly adjustments to both net fluxes and isotopic terrestrial discrimination that minimizes the difference between observed and estimated mole fractions.With this system, we are able to estimate changes in terrestrial δ13C exchange on seasonal and continental scales in the Northern Hemisphere where the observational network is most dense. Our results indicate a decrease in stomatal conductance on a continent-wide scale during a severe drought. These changes could only be detected after applying combined atmospheric CO2 and δ13C constraints as done in this work. The additional constraints on surface CO2 exchange from δ13C observations neither affected the estimated carbon fluxes nor compromised our ability to match observed CO2 variations. The prototype presented here can be of great benefit not only to study the global carbon balance but also to potentially function as a data-driven diagnostic to assess multiple leaf-level exchange parameterizations in carbon-climate models that influence the CO2, water, isotope, and energy balance.

Validation of A One-Dimensional Snow-Land Surface Model at the Sleepers River Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Wen-Yih; Chern, Jiun-Dar

A one-dimensional land surface model, based on conservations of heat and water substance inside the soil and snow, is presented. To validate the model, a stand-alone experiment is carried out with five years of meteorological and hydrological observations collected from the NOAA-ARS Cooperative Snow Research Project (1966-1974) at the Sleepers River watershed in Danville, Vermont, U.S.A. The numerical results show that the model is capable of reproducing the observed soil temperature at different depths during the winter as well as a rapid increase of soil temperature after snow melts in the spring. The model also simulates the density, temperature, thickness, and equivalent water depth of snow reasonably well. The numerical results are sensitive to the fresh snow density and the soil properties used in the model, which affect the heat exchange between the snowpack and the soil.

Air-surface exchange measurements of gaseous elemental mercury over naturally enriched and background terrestrial landscapes in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, G. C.; Howard, D. A.

2012-10-01

This paper presents the first gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) air-surface exchange measurements obtained over naturally enriched and background (< 0.1 μg g-1 Hg) terrestrial landscapes in Australia. Two pilot field studies were carried out during the Australian autumn and winter periods at a copper-gold-cobalt-arsenic-mercury mineral field near Pulganbar, NSW. GEM fluxes using a dynamic flux chamber approach were measured, along with controlling environmental parameters over three naturally enriched and three background substrates. The enriched sites results showed net emission to the atmosphere and a strong correlation between flux and substrate Hg concentration, with average fluxes ranging from 14 ± 1 ng m-2 h-1 to 113 ± 6 ng m-2 h-1. Measurements at background sites showed both emission and deposition. The average Hg flux from all background sites showed an overall net emission of 0.36 ± 0.06 ng m-2 h-1. Fluxes show strong relationships with temperature, radiation, and substrate parameters. A compensation point of 2.48, representative of bare soils was determined. Comparison of the Australian data to North American data confirmed the need for Australian specific mercury air-surface exchange data representative of Australia's unique climatic conditions, vegetation types, land use patterns, and soils.

Impact of a regional drought on terrestrial carbon fluxes and atmospheric carbon: results from a coupled carbon cycle model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, E.; Koster, R. D.; Ott, L. E.; Weir, B.; Mahanama, S. P. P.; Chang, Y.; Zeng, F.

2017-12-01

Understanding the underlying processes that control the carbon cycle is key to predicting future global change. Much of the uncertainty in the magnitude and variability of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) stems from uncertainty in terrestrial carbon fluxes. Budget-based analyses show that such fluxes exhibit substantial interannual variability, but the relative impacts of temperature and moisture variations on regional and global scales are poorly understood. Here we investigate the impact of a regional drought on terrestrial carbon fluxes and CO2 mixing ratios over North America using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) Model. Two 48-member ensembles of NASA GEOS-5 simulations with fully coupled land and atmosphere carbon components are performed - a control ensemble and an ensemble with an artificially imposed dry land surface anomaly for three months (April-June) over the lower Mississippi River Valley. Comparison of the results using the ensemble approach allows a direct quantification of the impact of the regional drought on local and proximate carbon exchange at the land surface via the carbon-water feedback processes.

El Nino-Induced Tropical Ocean/Land Energy Exchange in MERRA-2 and M2AMIP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosilovich, Michael G.; Robertson, Franklin R.

2017-01-01

Studies have shown the correlation and connection of surface temperatures across the globe, ocean and land, related to Tropical SSTs especially El Nino. This climate variability greatly influences regional weather and hydroclimate extremes (e.g. drought and flood). In this paper, we evaluate the relationship of temperatures across the tropical oceans and continents in MERRA-2, and also in a newly developed MERRA-2 AMIP ensemble simulation (M2AMIP). M2AMIP uses the same model and spatial resolution as MERRA-2, producing the same output diagnostics over 10 ensemble members. Composite El Nino temperature data are compared with observations to evaluate the land/sea contrast, variations and phase relationship. The temperature variations are related to surface heat fluxes and the atmospheric temperatures and transport, to identify the processes that lead to the lagged redistribution of heat in the tropics and beyond. Discernable cloud, radiation and data assimilation changes accompany the onset of El Nino affecting continental regions through the progression to and following the peak values. While the model represents these variations in general, regional strengths and weaknesses can be identified.

NREL Meeting to Discuss Camp George West Land Exchange

Science.gov Websites

Meeting to Discuss Camp George West Land Exchange For more information contact: Kerry Masson (303 Golden. DOE officials will discuss long-range plans for use of the property the department will acquire

32 CFR 644.413 - Exchanges of fee-owned land and easement interests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Exchanges of fee-owned land and easement interests. 644.413 Section 644.413 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) REAL PROPERTY REAL ESTATE HANDBOOK Disposal Disposal of Fee-Owned Real Property and Easement Interests § 644.413 Exchanges of fee-owned...

43 CFR 35.22 - Exchange of witness lists, statements and exhibits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exchange of witness lists, statements and exhibits. 35.22 Section 35.22 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior ADMINISTRATIVE REMEDIES FOR FRAUDULENT CLAIMS AND STATEMENTS § 35.22 Exchange of witness lists, statements and exhibits. (a) At least 15 days before the...

Upscaling surface energy fluxes over the North Slope of Alaska using airborne eddy-covariance measurements and environmental response functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serafimovich, Andrei; Metzger, Stefan; Hartmann, Jörg; Kohnert, Katrin; Zona, Donatella; Sachs, Torsten

2018-03-01

The objective of this study was to upscale airborne flux measurements of sensible heat and latent heat and to develop high resolution flux maps. In order to support the evaluation of coupled atmospheric/land-surface models we investigated spatial patterns of energy fluxes in relation to land-surface properties. We used airborne eddy-covariance measurements acquired by the POLAR 5 research aircraft in June-July 2012 to analyze surface fluxes. Footprint-weighted surface properties were then related to 21 529 sensible heat flux observations and 25 608 latent heat flux observations using both remote sensing and modelled data. A boosted regression tree technique was used to estimate environmental response functions between spatially and temporally resolved flux observations and corresponding biophysical and meteorological drivers. In order to improve the spatial coverage and spatial representativeness of energy fluxes we used relationships extracted across heterogeneous Arctic landscapes to infer high-resolution surface energy flux maps, thus directly upscaling the observational data. These maps of projected sensible heat and latent heat fluxes were used to assess energy partitioning in northern ecosystems and to determine the dominant energy exchange processes in permafrost areas. This allowed us to estimate energy fluxes for specific types of land cover, taking into account meteorological conditions. Airborne and modelled fluxes were then compared with measurements from an eddy-covariance tower near Atqasuk. Our results are an important contribution for the advanced, scale-dependent quantification of surface energy fluxes and provide new insights into the processes affecting these fluxes for the main vegetation types in high-latitude permafrost areas.

LOTOS: A Proposed Lower Tropospheric Observing System from the Land Surface through the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohn, S. A.; Lee, W. C.; Carbone, R. E.; Oncley, S.; Brown, W. O. J.; Spuler, S.; Horst, T. W.

2015-12-01

Advances in sensor capabilities, but also in electronics, optics, RF communication, and off-the-grid power are enabling new measurement paradigms. NCAR's Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) is considering new sensors, new deployment modes, and integrated observing strategies to address challenges in understanding within the atmospheric boundary layer and the underlying coupling to the land surface. Our vision is of a network of deployable observing sites, each with a suite of complementary instruments that measure surface-atmosphere exchange, and the state and evolution of the boundary layer. EOL has made good progress on distributed surface energy balance and flux stations, and on boundary layer remote sensing of wind and water vapor, all suitable for deployments of combined instruments and as network of such sites. We will present the status of the CentNet surface network development, the 449-MHz modular wind profiler, and a water vapor and temperature profiling differential absorption lidar (DIAL) under development. We will further present a concept for a test bed to better understand the value of these and other possible instruments in forming an instrument suite flexible for multiple research purposes.

Remote Sensing of Urban Thermal Landscape Characteristics and Their Affects on Local and Regional Meteorology and Air Quality: An Overview of NASA EOS-IDS Project Atlanta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quattrochi, Dale A.; Luvall, Jeffrey C.; Estes, Maurice G., Jr.

1999-01-01

As an entity, the city is a manifestation of human "management" of the land. The act of city-building, however, drastically alters the biophysical environment, which ultimately, impacts local and regional land-atmosphere energy exchange processes. Because of the complexity of both the urban landscape and the attendant energy fluxes that result from urbanization, remote sensing offers the only real way to synoptically quantify these processes. One of the more important land-atmosphere fluxes that occurs over cities relates to the way that thermal energy is partitioned across the heterogeneous urban landscape. The individual land cover and surface material types that comprise the city, such as pavements and buildings, each have their own thermal energy regimes. As the collective urban landscape, the individual thermal energy responses from specific surfaces come together to form the urban heat island phenomena, which prevails as a dome of elevated air temperatures over cities. Although the urban heat island has been known to exist for well over 150 years, it is not understood how differences in thermal energy responses for land covers across the city interact to produce this phenomenon, or how the variability in thermal energy responses from different surface types drive its development. Additionally, it can be hypothesized that as cities grow in size through time, so do their urban heat islands. The interrelationships between urban sprawl and the respective growth of the urban heat island, however, have not been investigated. Moreover, little is known of the consequential effects of urban growth, land cover change, and the urban heat island as they impact local and regional meteorology and air quality.

Impervious Surfaces Alter Soil Bacterial Communities in Urban Areas: A Case Study in Beijing, China

PubMed Central

Hu, Yinhong; Dou, Xiaolin; Li, Juanyong; Li, Feng

2018-01-01

The rapid expansion of urbanization has caused land cover change, especially the increasing area of impervious surfaces. Such alterations have significant effects on the soil ecosystem by impeding the exchange of gasses, water, and materials between soil and the atmosphere. It is unclear whether impervious surfaces have any effects on soil bacterial diversity and community composition. In the present study, we conducted an investigation of bacterial communities across five typical land cover types, including impervious surfaces (concrete), permeable pavement (bricks with round holes), shrub coverage (Buxus megistophylla Levl.), lawns (Festuca elata Keng ex E. Alexeev), and roadside trees (Sophora japonica Linn.) in Beijing, to explore the response of bacteria to impervious surfaces. The soil bacterial communities were addressed by high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We found that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes were the predominant phyla in urban soils. Soil from impervious surfaces presented a lower bacterial diversity, and differed greatly from other types of land cover. Soil bacterial diversity was predominantly affected by Zn, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and soil moisture content (SMC). The composition of the bacterial community was similar under shrub coverage, roadside trees, and lawns, but different from beneath impervious surfaces and permeable pavement. Variance partitioning analysis showed that edaphic properties contributed to 12% of the bacterial community variation, heavy metal pollution explained 3.6% of the variation, and interaction between the two explained 33% of the variance. Together, our data indicate that impervious surfaces induced changes in bacterial community composition and decrease of bacterial diversity. Interactions between edaphic properties and heavy metals were here found to change the composition of the bacterial community and diversity across areas with different types of land cover, and soil properties play a more important role than heavy metals. PMID:29545776

Utility of a Two-source Energy Balance Approach for Daily Mapping of Landsat-scale Fluxes Over Irrigated Agriculture in a Desert Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houborg, R.; McCabe, M. F.; Rosas Aguilar, J.; Anderson, M. C.; Hain, C.

2014-12-01

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is an area characterized by limited fresh water resources, an often inefficient use of these, and relatively poor in-situ monitoring as a result of sparse meteorological observations. Enhanced satellite-based monitoring systems are needed for aiding local water resource and agricultural management activities in these data poor arid environments. A multi-sensor and multi-scale land-surface flux monitoring capacity is being implemented over parts of MENA in order to provide meaningful decision support at relevant spatiotemporal scales. The integrated modeling system uses the Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model and associated flux disaggregation scheme (DisALEXI), and the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) in conjunction with model reanalysis data and remotely sensed data from polar orbiting (Landsat and MODIS; MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and geostationary (MSG; Meteosat Second Generation) satellite platforms to facilitate daily estimates of land surface fluxes down to sub-field scale (i.e. 30 m). Within this modeling system, thermal infrared satellite data provide information about the sub-surface moisture status and plant stress, obviating the need for precipitation input and error-prone soil surface characterizations. In this study, the integrated ALEXI-DisALEXI-STARFM framework is applied over an irrigated agricultural region in Saudi Arabia, and the daily estimates of Landsat scale water, energy and carbon fluxes are evaluated against available flux tower observations and other independent in-situ and satellite-based records. The study addresses the challenges associated with time-continuous sub-field scale mapping of land-surface fluxes in a harsh desert environment, and looks into the optimization of model descriptions and parameterizations and meteorological forcing and vegetation inputs for application over these regions.

Diagnosing the influence of model structure on the simulation of water, energy and carbon fluxes on bark beetle infested forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gochis, D. J.; Gutmann, E. D.; Brooks, P. D.; Reed, D. E.; Ewers, B. E.; Pendall, E.; Biederman, J. A.; Harpold, A. A.; Barnard, H. R.; Hu, J.

2011-12-01

Forest dynamics induced by insect infestation can have a significant, local impact on plant physiological regulation of water, energy and carbon fluxes. Rapid mortality succeeded by more gradually varying land cover changes are presently thought to initiate a cascade of changes to water, energy and carbon budgets at the forest stand scale. Initial model sensitivity results have suggested very strong changes in land-atmosphere exchanges of these variables. Specifically, model results from the Noah land surface model, a relatively simple model, have suggested that loss of transpiration function may result in a nearly 50% increase in seasonal soil moisture values and similar increases in runoff production for locations in the central Rocky Mountains. However, differing model structures, such as the representation of plant canopy architecture, snowpack dynamics, dynamic vegetation and hillslope hydrologic processes, may significantly confound the synthesis of results from different modeling systems. We assess the performance of new suite of model simulations from three different land surface models of differing model structures and complexity levels against a comprehensive set of field observations of land surface flux and state variables. The focus of the analysis is in diagnosing how model structure influences changes in energy, water and carbon budget partitioning prior to and following insect infestation. Specific emphasis in this presentation is placed on verifying variables that characterize top of canopy and within canopy energy and water fluxes. We conclude the presentation with a set of recommendations about the advantages and disadvantages of various model structures in their simulation of insect driven forest dynamics.

Using a GCM analogue model to investigate the potential for Amazonian forest dieback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huntingford, C.; Harris, P. P.; Gedney, N.; Cox, P. M.; Betts, R. A.; Marengo, J. A.; Gash, J. H. C.

A combined GCM analogue model and GCM land surface representation is used to investigate the influences of climatology and land surface parameterisation on modelled Amazonian vegetation change. This modelling structure (called IMOGEN) captures the main features of the changes in surface climate as estimated by a GCM with enhanced atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Advantage is taken of IMOGEN's computational speed which allows multiple simulations to be carried out to assess the robustness of the GCM results. The timing of forest dieback is found to be sensitive to the initial ``pre-industrial'' climate, as well as uncertainties in the representation of land-atmosphere CO2 exchange. Changing from a Q10 form for plant dark and maintanence respiration (as used in the coupled GCM runs) to a respiration proportional to maximum photosynthesis, reduces the biomass lost from Amazonia in the 21st century. Replacing the GCM control climate (which has about 25% too little rain in the annual mean over Amazonia) with an observed climatology increases the CO2 concentration at which rainfall drops to critical levels, and thereby further delays the dieback. On the other hand, calibration of the canopy photosynthesis model against Amazonian flux data tends to lead to earlier forest dieback. Further advances are required in both GCM rainfall simulation and land-surface process representation before a clearer picture will emerge on the timing of possible Amazonian forest dieback. However, it seems likely that these advances will overall lead to projections of later forest dieback as GCM control climates become more realistic.

Cross-compartment evaluation of a fully-coupled hydrometeorological modeling system using comprehensive observation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fersch, Benjamin; Senatore, Alfonso; Kunstmann, Harald

2017-04-01

Fully-coupled hydrometeorological modeling enables investigations about the complex and often non-linear exchange mechanisms among subsurface, land, and atmosphere with respect to water and energy fluxes. The consideration of lateral redistribution of surface and subsurface water in such modeling systems is a crucial enhancement, allowing for a better representation of surface spatial patterns and providing also channel discharge predictions. However, the evaluation of fully-coupled simulations is difficult since the amount of physical detail along with feedback mechanisms leads to high degrees of freedom. Therefore, comprehensive observation data is required to obtain meaningful model configurations. We present a case study for a medium-sized river catchment in southern Germany that includes the calibration of the stand-alone and the evaluation of the fully-coupled WRF-Hydro modeling system with a horizontal resolution of 1 x 1 km2, for the period June to August 2015. ECMWF ERA-Interim reanalysis is used for model driving. Land-surface processes are represented by the Noah-MP land surface model. Land-cover is described by the EU CORINE data set. Observations for model evaluation are obtained from the TERENO Pre-Alpine observatory (http://www.imk-ifu.kit.edu/tereno.php) and are complemented by further measurements from the ScaleX campaign (http://scalex.imk-ifu.kit.edu) such as atmospheric profiles obtained from radiometer sounding and airborne systems as well as soil moisture and -temperature networks. We show how well water budgets and heat-fluxes are being reproduced by the stand-alone WRF, the stand-alone WRF-Hydro and the fully-coupled WRF-Hydro model.

Technical geothermal potential of urban subsurface influenced by land surface effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera, Jaime A.; Blum, Philipp; Bayer, Peter

2016-04-01

Changes in land use are probably one of the most notorious anthropogenic perturbations in urban environments. They significantly change the coupled thermal regime at the ground surface leading in most cases to increased ground surface temperatures (GST). The associated elevated vertical heat fluxes act at different scales and can influence the thermal conditions in several tens of meters in the subsurface. Urban subsurface thus often stores a higher amount of heat than less affected rural surroundings. The stored heat is regarded as a potential source of low-enthalpy geothermal energy to supply the heating energy demands in urban areas. In this work, we explore the technical geothermal potential of urban subsurface via ground coupled heat pumps with borehole heat exchangers (BHE). This is tackled by semi-analytical line-source equations. The commonly used response factors or g-functions are modified to include transient land surface effects. By including this additional source of heat, the new formulation allows to analyse the effect of pre-existing urban warming as well as different exploitation schemes fulfilling standard renewable and sustainable criteria. In our generalized reference scenario, it is demonstrated that energy gains for a single BHE may be up to 40 % when compared to non-urbanized conditions. For a scenario including the interaction of multiple BHEs, results indicate that it would be possible to supply between 6 % and 27 % of the heating demands in Central European urban settlements in a renewable way. The methodology is also applied to a study case of the city of Zurich, Switzerland, where the detailed evolution of land use is available.

Digital modelling of landscape and soil in a mountainous region: A neuro-fuzzy approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viloria, Jesús A.; Viloria-Botello, Alvaro; Pineda, María Corina; Valera, Angel

2016-01-01

Research on genetic relationships between soil and landforms has largely improved soil mapping. Recent technological advances have created innovative methods for modelling the spatial soil variation from digital elevation models (DEMs) and remote sensors. This generates new opportunities for the application of geomorphology to soil mapping. This study applied a method based on artificial neural networks and fuzzy clustering to recognize digital classes of land surfaces in a mountainous area in north-central Venezuela. The spatial variation of the fuzzy memberships exposed the areas where each class predominates, while the class centres helped to recognize the topographic attributes and vegetation cover of each class. The obtained classes of terrain revealed the structure of the land surface, which showed regional differences in climate, vegetation, and topography and landscape stability. The land-surface classes were subdivided on the basis of the geological substratum to produce landscape classes that additionally considered the influence of soil parent material. These classes were used as a framework for soil sampling. A redundancy analysis confirmed that changes of landscape classes explained the variation in soil properties (p = 0.01), and a Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences (p = 0.01) in clay, hydraulic conductivity, soil organic carbon, base saturation, and exchangeable Ca and Mg between classes. Thus, the produced landscape classes correspond to three-dimensional bodies that differ in soil conditions. Some changes of land-surface classes coincide with abrupt boundaries in the landscape, such as ridges and thalwegs. However, as the model is continuous, it disclosed the remaining variation between those boundaries.

Water and CO2 Exchange for Different Land Use in Pampa Biome in Southern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberti, D. R.; de Moraes, O. L. L.; Diaz, M.; Tatsch, J. D.; Acevedo, O. C.; Zimermann, H. R.; Rubert, G. C.; Acosta, R.; Campos Velho, H. F.

2015-12-01

The Pampa is the newest and most unknown Brazilian Biome. It is located in the Southern portion of the country, as well as part of Argentina and the entire Uruguay, and is formed principally by natural grasslands that have been used for centuries for grazing livestock. In recent decades it has gone through a process of intense land use change and degradation, with the replacement of natural vegetation by rice paddy crops, soybean and exotic forests. Recent studies show that the Pampa has only 36% of its original vegetation in Brazil. Research on carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in Pampa Biome are recent. It is known that the Pampa natural areas contain high stocks of soil organic carbon, and therefore their conservation is relevant for climate change mitigation. However, the net exchange of carbon and water between the surface and the atmosphere are unknown. To fill this gap, a flux tower network, SULFLUX - www.ufsm.br/sulfux, was created. Currently, SULFLUX comprises three flux towers in the Pampa biome, two of them being over natural vegetation and the other one over a rice paddy. The flux towers are nearly 100 km apart from each other. We examine the effects of climate on carbon fluxes of through the year 2014. Analysis of temporal variability in water and CO2 fluxes are examined at daily to annual scales. Overall, regional variability in climatic drivers, land use and soil proprieties appears to have a greater effect on evapotranspiration than on net carbon exchange.

Spatial heterogeneity of leaf area index across scales from simulation and remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichenau, Tim G.; Korres, Wolfgang; Montzka, Carsten; Schneider, Karl

2016-04-01

Leaf area index (LAI, single sided leaf area per ground area) influences mass and energy exchange of vegetated surfaces. Therefore LAI is an input variable for many land surface schemes of coupled large scale models, which do not simulate LAI. Since these models typically run on rather coarse resolution grids, LAI is often inferred from coarse resolution remote sensing. However, especially in agriculturally used areas, a grid cell of these products often covers more than a single land-use. In that case, the given LAI does not apply to any single land-use. Therefore, the overall spatial heterogeneity in these datasets differs from that on resolutions high enough to distinguish areas with differing land-use. Detailed process-based plant growth models simulate LAI for separate plant functional types or specific species. However, limited availability of observations causes reduced spatial heterogeneity of model input data (soil, weather, land-use). Since LAI is strongly heterogeneous in space and time and since processes depend on LAI in a nonlinear way, a correct representation of LAI spatial heterogeneity is also desirable on coarse resolutions. The current study assesses this issue by comparing the spatial heterogeneity of LAI from remote sensing (RapidEye) and process-based simulations (DANUBIA simulation system) across scales. Spatial heterogeneity is assessed by analyzing LAI frequency distributions (spatial variability) and semivariograms (spatial structure). Test case is the arable land in the fertile loess plain of the Rur catchment near the Germany-Netherlands border.

To provide for a land exchange with the Trinity Public Utilities District of Trinity County, California, involving the transfer of land to the Bureau of Land Management and the Six Rivers National Forest in exchange for National Forest System land in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and for other purposes.

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Rep. Herger, Wally [R-CA-2

2011-03-29

Senate - 07/24/2012 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Passed HouseHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Dominant controls of transpiration along a hillslope transect inferred from ecohydrological measurements and thermodynamic limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renner, Maik; Hassler, Sibylle K.; Blume, Theresa; Weiler, Markus; Hildebrandt, Anke; Guderle, Marcus; Schymanski, Stanislaus J.; Kleidon, Axel

2016-05-01

We combine ecohydrological observations of sap flow and soil moisture with thermodynamically constrained estimates of atmospheric evaporative demand to infer the dominant controls of forest transpiration in complex terrain. We hypothesize that daily variations in transpiration are dominated by variations in atmospheric demand, while site-specific controls, including limiting soil moisture, act on longer timescales. We test these hypotheses with data of a measurement setup consisting of five sites along a valley cross section in Luxembourg. Both hillslopes are covered by forest dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). Two independent measurements are used to estimate stand transpiration: (i) sap flow and (ii) diurnal variations in soil moisture, which were used to estimate the daily root water uptake. Atmospheric evaporative demand is estimated through thermodynamically constrained evaporation, which only requires absorbed solar radiation and temperature as input data without any empirical parameters. Both transpiration estimates are strongly correlated to atmospheric demand at the daily timescale. We find that neither vapor pressure deficit nor wind speed add to the explained variance, supporting the idea that they are dependent variables on land-atmosphere exchange and the surface energy budget. Estimated stand transpiration was in a similar range at the north-facing and the south-facing hillslopes despite the different aspect and the largely different stand composition. We identified an inverse relationship between sap flux density and the site-average sapwood area per tree as estimated by the site forest inventories. This suggests that tree hydraulic adaptation can compensate for heterogeneous conditions. However, during dry summer periods differences in topographic factors and stand structure can cause spatially variable transpiration rates. We conclude that absorption of solar radiation at the surface forms a dominant control for turbulent heat and mass exchange and that vegetation across the hillslope adjusts to this constraint at the tree and stand level. These findings should help to improve the description of land-surface-atmosphere exchange at regional scales.

Applications of the Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) Model and Highlights of Current Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hain, C.; Mecikalski, J. R.; Schultz, L. A.

2009-12-01

The Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model was developed as an auxiliary means for estimating surface fluxes over large regions primarily using remote-sensing data. The model is unique in that no information regarding antecedent precipitation or moisture storage capacity is required - the surface moisture status is deduced from a radiometric temperature change signal. ALEXI uses the available water fraction (fAW) as a proxy for soil moisture conditions. Combining fAW with ALEXI’s ability to provide valuable information about the partitioning of the surface energy budget, which can dictated largely by soil moisture conditions, accommodates the retrieval of an average fAW from the surface to the rooting depth of the active vegetation. Using this approach has many advantages over traditional energy flux and soil moisture measurements (towers with limited range and large monetary/personnel costs) or approximation methods (parametrization of the relationship between available water and soil moisture) in that data is available both spatially and temporal over a large, non-homogeneous, sometimes densely vegetated area. Being satellite based, the model can be run anywhere thermal infrared satellite information is available. The current ALEXI climatology dates back to March 2000 and covers the continental U.S. Examples of projects underway using the ALEXI soil moisture retrieval tools include the Southern Florida Water Management Project; NASA’s Project Nile, which proposes to acquire hydrological information for the water management in the Nile River basin; and a USDA pro ject to expand the ALEXI framework to include Europe and parts of northern Africa using data from the European geostationary satellites, specifically the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Series.

How intensive agriculture affects surface-atmosphere exchange of nitrogen and carbon compounds over peatland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruemmer, C.; Richter, U.; Schrader, F.; Hurkuck, M.; Kutsch, W. L.

2016-12-01

Mid-latitude peatlands are often exposed to high atmospheric nitrogen deposition when located in close vicinity to agricultural land. As the impacts of altered deposition rates on nitrogen-limited ecosystems are poorly understood, we investigated the surface-atmosphere exchange of several nitrogen and carbon compounds using multiple high-resolution measurement techniques and modeling. Our study site was a protected semi-natural bog ecosystem. Local wind regime and land use in the adjacent area clearly regulated whether total reactive nitrogen (∑Nr) concentrations were ammonia (NH3) or NOx-dominated. Eddy-covariance measurements of NH3 and ∑Nr revealed concentration, temperature and surface wetness-dependent deposition rates. Intermittent periods of NH3 and ∑Nr emission likely attributed to surface water re-emission and soil efflux, respectively, were found, thereby indicating nitrogen oversaturation in this originally N-limited ecosystem. Annual dry plus wet deposition resulted in 20 to 25 kg N ha-1 depending on method and model used, which translated into a four- to fivefold exceedance of the ecosystem-specific critical load. As the bog site had likely been exposed to the observed atmospheric nitrogen burden over several decades, a shift in grass species' composition towards a higher number of nitrophilous plants was already visible. Three years of CO2 eddy flux measurements showed that the site was a small net sink in the range of 33 to 268 g CO2 m-2 yr-1. Methane emissions of 32 g CO2-eq were found to partly offset the sequestered carbon through CO2. Our study demonstrates the applicability of novel micrometeorological measurement techniques in biogeochemical sciences and stresses the importance of monitoring long-term changes in vulnerable ecosystems under anthropogenic pressure and climate change.

Role of Subsurface Physics in the Assimilation of Surface Soil Moisture Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reichle, R. H.

2010-01-01

Root zone soil moisture controls the land-atmosphere exchange of water and energy and exhibits memory that may be useful for climate prediction at monthly scales. Assimilation of satellite-based surface soil moisture observations into a land surface model is an effective way to estimate large-scale root zone soil moisture. The propagation of surface information into deeper soil layers depends on the model-specific representation of subsurface physics that is used in the assimilation system. In a suite of experiments we assimilate synthetic surface soil moisture observations into four different models (Catchment, Mosaic, Noah and CLM) using the Ensemble Kalman Filter. We demonstrate that identical twin experiments significantly overestimate the information that can be obtained from the assimilation of surface soil moisture observations. The second key result indicates that the potential of surface soil moisture assimilation to improve root zone information is higher when the surface to root zone coupling is stronger. Our experiments also suggest that (faced with unknown true subsurface physics) overestimating surface to root zone coupling in the assimilation system provides more robust skill improvements in the root zone compared with underestimating the coupling. When CLM is excluded from the analysis, the skill improvements from using models with different vertical coupling strengths are comparable for different subsurface truths. Finally, the skill improvements through assimilation were found to be sensitive to the regional climate and soil types.

Micrometeorological measurements of ammonia and total reactive nitrogen exchange over semi-natural peatland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brümmer, Christian; Richter, Undine; Schrader, Frederik; Kutsch, Werner

2015-04-01

Intensive agriculture generates a substantial atmospheric burden for nitrogen-limited ecosystems such as peatlands when the latter are located in close vicinity to arable sites and animal houses. The exchange of reactive nitrogen compounds between these bog ecosystems and the atmosphere is still not very well understood due to the lack of suitable measurement techniques. With recent advancements in laser spectrometry, we used a quantum cascade laser spectrometer as well as a custom-built total reactive atmospheric nitrogen (ΣNr) converter (TRANC) coupled to a fast-response chemiluminescence detector to measure NH3 and ΣNr concentrations, respectively. The analyzers' high temporal resolution allowed for determination of the respective nitrogen exchange within eddy covariance-based setups. Field campaigns were conducted at a northwestern German peatland site that is surrounded by an area of highly fertilized agricultural land and intensive livestock production (~1 km distance). The field site is part of a natural park with a very small remaining protected zone of less than 2 km x 2 km. Ammonia and ΣNr concentrations were highly variable between 2 to 110 ppb and 10 to 120 ppb, respectively. Peak values coincided with main fertilization periods on the neighboring agricultural land in early spring and fall. The trend in weekly averaged ΣNr concentrations from TRANC measurements was in good agreement with results from KAPS denuder filter systems when the latter were combined with the missing and apparently highly variable NOx contribution. Wind direction and land use in the closer vicinity clearly regulated whether ΣNr concentrations were NH3 or NOx-dominated. Ammonia uptake rates between 40 ng N m-2 s-1 and near-neutral exchange were observed. The cumulative net uptake for the period of investigation was ~700 g N ha-1 resulting in a dry net deposition of ~4 kg N ha-1 when extrapolated to an entire year, whereas KAPS denuder measurements in combination with dry deposition modeling added up to 8.5 kg N ha-1 yr-1. Values of monthly averaged diurnal flux courses of ΣNr ranged between -40 and +20 ng N m-2 s-1 with the majority of fluxes showing net deposition of ΣNr to the land surface. The cumulative net exchange of ΣNr resulted in an uptake of the ecosystem of only ~1.2 kg N ha-1 yr-1 with intermittent periods showing net ΣNr release. Our study stresses the importance of a thorough method inter-comparison, e.g. with denuder systems and dry deposition modeling. The implementation of adequate ammonia compensation point parameterizations becomes crucial in surface-atmosphere exchange schemes for bog vegetation. We found indication for an oversaturation of the investigated N-limited moorland site caused by agricultural practices such as livestock production and fertilization. Bog plants were temporarily not capable of taking up the surplus nitrogen from the atmosphere, which highlights the importance for a thorough reassessment of protection guidelines for vulnerable ecosystems such as peatlands.

Satellite Estimation of Daily Land Surface Water Vapor Pressure Deficit from AMSR- E

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, L. A.; Kimball, J. S.; McDonald, K. C.; Chan, S. K.; Njoku, E. G.; Oechel, W. C.

2007-12-01

Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is a key variable for monitoring land surface water and energy exchanges, and estimating plant water stress. Multi-frequency day/night brightness temperatures from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on EOS Aqua (AMSR-E) were used to estimate daily minimum and average near surface (2 m) air temperatures across a North American boreal-Arctic transect. A simple method for determining daily mean VPD (Pa) from AMSR-E air temperature retrievals was developed and validated against observations across a regional network of eight study sites ranging from boreal grassland and forest to arctic tundra. The method assumes that the dew point and minimum daily air temperatures tend to equilibrate in areas with low night time temperatures and relatively moist conditions. This assumption was tested by comparing the VPD algorithm results derived from site daily temperature observations against results derived from AMSR-E retrieved temperatures alone. An error analysis was conducted to determine the amount of error introduced in VPD estimates given known levels of error in satellite retrieved temperatures. Results indicate that the assumption generally holds for the high latitude study sites except for arid locations in mid-summer. VPD estimates using the method with AMSR-E retrieved temperatures compare favorably with site observations. The method can be applied to land surface temperature retrievals from any sensor with day and night surface or near-surface thermal measurements and shows potential for inferring near-surface wetness conditions where dense vegetation may hinder surface soil moisture retrievals from low-frequency microwave sensors. This work was carried out at The University of Montana, at San Diego State University, and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

CMIP5 land surface models systematically underestimate inter-annual variability of net ecosystem exchange in semi-arid southwestern North America.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacBean, N.; Scott, R. L.; Biederman, J. A.; Vuichard, N.; Hudson, A.; Barnes, M.; Fox, A. M.; Smith, W. K.; Peylin, P. P.; Maignan, F.; Moore, D. J.

2017-12-01

Recent studies based on analysis of atmospheric CO2 inversions, satellite data and terrestrial biosphere model simulations have suggested that semi-arid ecosystems play a dominant role in the interannual variability and long-term trend in the global carbon sink. These studies have largely cited the response of vegetation activity to changing moisture availability as the primary mechanism of variability. However, some land surface models (LSMs) used in these studies have performed poorly in comparison to satellite-based observations of vegetation dynamics in semi-arid regions. Further analysis is therefore needed to ensure semi-arid carbon cycle processes are well represented in global scale LSMs before we can fully establish their contribution to the global carbon cycle. In this study, we evaluated annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) simulated by CMIP5 land surface models using observations from 20 Ameriflux sites across semi-arid southwestern North America. We found that CMIP5 models systematically underestimate the magnitude and sign of NEE inter-annual variability; therefore, the true role of semi-arid regions in the global carbon cycle may be even more important than previously thought. To diagnose the factors responsible for this bias, we used the ORCHIDEE LSM to test different climate forcing data, prescribed vegetation fractions and model structures. Climate and prescribed vegetation do contribute to uncertainty in annual NEE simulations, but the bias is primarily caused by incorrect timing and magnitude of peak gross carbon fluxes. Modifications to the hydrology scheme improved simulations of soil moisture in comparison to data. This in turn improved the seasonal cycle of carbon uptake due to a more realistic limitation on photosynthesis during water stress. However, the peak fluxes are still too low, and phenology is poorly represented for desert shrubs and grasses. We provide suggestions on model developments needed to tackle these issues in the future.

Modification of Soil Temperature and Moisture Budgets by Snow Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, X.; Houser, P.

2006-12-01

Snow cover significantly influences the land surface energy and surface moisture budgets. Snow thermally insulates the soil column from large and rapid temperature fluctuations, and snow melting provides an important source for surface runoff and soil moisture. Therefore, it is important to accurately understand and predict the energy and moisture exchange between surface and subsurface associated with snow accumulation and ablation. The objective of this study is to understand the impact of land surface model soil layering treatment on the realistic simulation of soil temperature and soil moisture. We seek to understand how many soil layers are required to fully take into account soil thermodynamic properties and hydrological process while also honoring efficient calculation and inexpensive computation? This work attempts to address this question using field measurements from the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CLPX). In addition, to gain a better understanding of surface heat and surface moisture transfer process between land surface and deep soil involved in snow processes, numerical simulations were performed at several Meso-Cell Study Areas (MSAs) of CLPX using the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere (COLA) Simplified Version of the Simple Biosphere Model (SSiB). Measurements of soil temperature and soil moisture were analyzed at several CLPX sites with different vegetation and soil features. The monthly mean vertical profile of soil temperature during October 2002 to July 2003 at North Park Illinois River exhibits a large near surface variation (<5 cm), reveals a significant transition zone from 5 cm to 25 cm, and becomes uniform beyond 25cm. This result shows us that three soil layers are reasonable in solving the vertical variation of soil temperature at these study sites. With 6 soil layers, SSiB also captures the vertical variation of soil temperature during entire winter season, featuring with six soil layers, but the bare soil temperature is underestimated and root-zone soil temperature is overestimated during snow melting; which leads to overestimated temperature variations down to 20 cm. This is caused by extra heat loss from upper soil level and insufficient heat transport from the deep soil. Further work will need to verify if soil temperature displays similar vertical thermal structure for different vegetation and soil types during snow season. This study provides insight to the surface and subsurface thermodynamic and hydrological processes involved in snow modeling which is important for accurate snow simulation.

Evaluation of terrestrial carbon cycle models with atmospheric CO2 measurements: Results from transient simulations considering increasing CO2, climate, and land-use effects

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dargaville, R.J.; Heimann, Martin; McGuire, A.D.; Prentice, I.C.; Kicklighter, D.W.; Joos, F.; Clein, Joy S.; Esser, G.; Foley, J.; Kaplan, J.; Meier, R.A.; Melillo, J.M.; Moore, B.; Ramankutty, N.; Reichenau, T.; Schloss, A.; Sitch, S.; Tian, H.; Williams, L.J.; Wittenberg, U.

2002-01-01

An atmospheric transport model and observations of atmospheric CO2 are used to evaluate the performance of four Terrestrial Carbon Models (TCMs) in simulating the seasonal dynamics and interannual variability of atmospheric CO2 between 1980 and 1991. The TCMs were forced with time varying atmospheric CO2 concentrations, climate, and land use to simulate the net exchange of carbon between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. The monthly surface CO2 fluxes from the TCMs were used to drive the Model of Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry and the simulated seasonal cycles and concentration anomalies are compared with observations from several stations in the CMDL network. The TCMs underestimate the amplitude of the seasonal cycle and tend to simulate too early an uptake of CO2 during the spring by approximately one to two months. The model fluxes show an increase in amplitude as a result of land-use change, but that pattern is not so evident in the simulated atmospheric amplitudes, and the different models suggest different causes for the amplitude increase (i.e., CO2 fertilization, climate variability or land use change). The comparison of the modeled concentration anomalies with the observed anomalies indicates that either the TCMs underestimate interannual variability in the exchange of CO2 between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere, or that either the variability in the ocean fluxes or the atmospheric transport may be key factors in the atmospheric interannual variability.

Plumbing the global carbon cycle: Integrating inland waters into the terrestrial carbon budget

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, J.J.; Prairie, Y.T.; Caraco, N.F.; McDowell, W.H.; Tranvik, L.J.; Striegl, Robert G.; Duarte, C.M.; Kortelainen, Pirkko; Downing, J.A.; Middelburg, J.J.; Melack, J.

2007-01-01

Because freshwater covers such a small fraction of the Earth's surface area, inland freshwater ecosystems (particularly lakes, rivers, and reservoirs) have rarely been considered as potentially important quantitative components of the carbon cycle at either global or regional scales. By taking published estimates of gas exchange, sediment accumulation, and carbon transport for a variety of aquatic systems, we have constructed a budget for the role of inland water ecosystems in the global carbon cycle. Our analysis conservatively estimates that inland waters annually receive, from a combination of background and anthropogenically altered sources, on the order of 1.9 Pg C y-1 from the terrestrial landscape, of which about 0.2 is buried in aquatic sediments, at least 0.8 (possibly much more) is returned to the atmosphere as gas exchange while the remaining 0.9 Pg y-1 is delivered to the oceans, roughly equally as inorganic and organic carbon. Thus, roughly twice as much C enters inland aquatic systems from land as is exported from land to the sea. Over prolonged time net carbon fluxes in aquatic systems tend to be greater per unit area than in much of the surrounding land. Although their area is small, these freshwater aquatic systems can affect regional C balances. Further, the inclusion of inland, freshwater ecosystems provides useful insight about the storage, oxidation and transport of terrestrial C, and may warrant a revision of how the modern net C sink on land is described. ?? 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Process Model for Studying Regional 13C Stable Isotope Exchange between Vegetation and Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J. M.; Chen, B.; Huang, L.; Tans, P.; Worthy, D.; Ishizawa, M.; Chan, D.

2007-12-01

The variation of the stable isotope 13CO2 in the air in exchange with land ecosystems results from fractionation processes in both plants and soil during photosynthesis and respiration. Its diurnal and seasonal variations therefore contain information on the carbon cycle. We developed a model (BEPS-iso) to simulate its exchange between vegetation and the atmosphere. To be useful for regional carbon cycle studies, the model has the following characteristics: (i) it considers the turbulent mixing in the vertical profile from the soil surface to the top of the planetary boundary layer (PBL); (ii) it scales individual leaf photosynthetic discrimination to the whole canopy through the separation of sunlit and shaded leaf groups; (iii) through simulating leaf-level photosynthetic processes, it has the capacity to mechanistically examine isotope discrimination resulting from meteorological forcings, such as radiation, precipitation and humidity; and (iv) through complete modeling of radiation, energy and water fluxes, it also simulates soil moisture and temperature needed for estimating ecosystem respiration and the 13C signal from the soil. After validation using flask data acquired at 20 m level on a tower near Fraserdale, Ontario, Canada, during intensive campaigns (1998-2000), the model has been used for several purposes: (i) to investigate the diurnal and seasonal variations in the disequilibrium in 13C fractionation between ecosystem respiration and photosynthesis, which is an important step in using 13C measurements to separate these carbon cycle components; (ii) to quantify the 13C rectification in the PBL, which differs significantly from CO2 rectification because of the diurnal and seasonal disequilibriums; and (iii) to model the 13C spatial and temporal variations over the global land surface for the purpose of CO2 inversion using 13C as an additional constraint.

Spectral model for long-term computation of thermodynamics and potential evaporation in shallow wetlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de la Fuente, Alberto; Meruane, Carolina

2017-09-01

Altiplanic wetlands are unique ecosystems located in the elevated plateaus of Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. These ecosystems are under threat due to changes in land use, groundwater extractions, and climate change that will modify the water balance through changes in precipitation and evaporation rates. Long-term prediction of the fate of aquatic ecosystems imposes computational constraints that make finding a solution impossible in some cases. In this article, we present a spectral model for long-term simulations of the thermodynamics of shallow wetlands in the limit case when the water depth tends to zero. This spectral model solves for water and sediment temperature, as well as heat, momentum, and mass exchanged with the atmosphere. The parameters of the model (water depth, thermal properties of the sediments, and surface albedo) and the atmospheric downscaling were calibrated using the MODIS product of the land surface temperature. Moreover, the performance of the daily evaporation rates predicted by the model was evaluated against daily pan evaporation data measured between 1964 and 2012. The spectral model was able to correctly represent both seasonal fluctuation and climatic trends observed in daily evaporation rates. It is concluded that the spectral model presented in this article is a suitable tool for assessing the global climate change effects on shallow wetlands whose thermodynamics is forced by heat exchanges with the atmosphere and modulated by the heat-reservoir role of the sediments.

36 CFR 254.14 - Exchange agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Exchange agreement. 254.14... ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.14 Exchange agreement. (a) The parties to a proposed exchange may enter into an exchange agreement subsequent to a decision by the authorized officer to approve the exchange...

36 CFR 254.14 - Exchange agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Exchange agreement. 254.14... ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.14 Exchange agreement. (a) The parties to a proposed exchange may enter into an exchange agreement subsequent to a decision by the authorized officer to approve the exchange...

Optimisation of biocide dose as a function of residual biocide in a heat exchanger pilot plant effluent.

PubMed

Eguía, Emilio; Trueba, Alfredo; Girón, Alfredo; Río-Calonge, Belén; Otero, Félix; Bielva, Carlos

2007-01-01

Biofouling is one of the most serious problems facing numerous industrial processes. In the case of a heat exchanger unit, biological deposits adhering to the inside surface of its tubes reduce heat transfer and, thus, the thermal performance of the cycle. Control of this phenomenon is proving fundamental for both land and marine equipment to operate in optimum working conditions. Hence, it is necessary to apply antifouling methods capable of keeping surfaces free of any kind of biofouling. This paper reports on the behaviour resulting from use of the flow inversion method vs that obtained by using various chemical treatments. The study compares the effectiveness of certain chemical treatments (Na hypochlorite, peracetic acid and a compound formed by Na bromide + Na hypochlorite) for removing a biofouling film that has already formed on the inside surfaces of tubes in a heat exchanger pilot plant. The paper also addresses the issue of optimising the concentration of biocide dose as a function of the residual biocide in order minimise the environmental impact caused by effluent from industrial plants. The results indicate that it is possible to eliminate a biofilm formed on the inside surfaces of tubes by the use of intermittent doses of chemical treatments at low concentrations and over long application times. Furthermore, once the stabilisation phase is reached 6 d after starting the treatment, it is possible to maintain the conditions achieved using only 20% of the initial dosage.

A Multi-scale Approach to Urban Thermal Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gluch, Renne; Quattrochi, Dale A.

2005-01-01

An environmental consequence of urbanization is the urban heat island effect, a situation where urban areas are warmer than surrounding rural areas. The urban heat island phenomenon results from the replacement of natural landscapes with impervious surfaces such as concrete and asphalt and is linked to adverse economic and environmental impacts. In order to better understand the urban microclimate, a greater understanding of the urban thermal pattern (UTP), including an analysis of the thermal properties of individual land covers, is needed. This study examines the UTP by means of thermal land cover response for the Salt Lake City, Utah, study area at two scales: 1) the community level, and 2) the regional or valleywide level. Airborne ATLAS (Advanced Thermal Land Applications Sensor) data, a high spatial resolution (10-meter) dataset appropriate for an environment containing a concentration of diverse land covers, are used for both land cover and thermal analysis at the community level. The ATLAS data consist of 15 channels covering the visible, near-IR, mid-IR and thermal-IR wavelengths. At the regional level Landsat TM data are used for land cover analysis while the ATLAS channel 13 data are used for the thermal analysis. Results show that a heat island is evident at both the community and the valleywide level where there is an abundance of impervious surfaces. ATLAS data perform well in community level studies in terms of land cover and thermal exchanges, but other, more coarse-resolution data sets are more appropriate for large-area thermal studies. Thermal response per land cover is consistent at both levels, which suggests potential for urban climate modeling at multiple scales.

Remote sensing of a coupled carbon-water-energy-radiation balances from the Globe to plot scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Y.; Jiang, C.; Huang, Y.; Kim, J.; Hwang, Y.; Kimm, H.; Kim, S.

2016-12-01

Advancements in near-surface and satellite remote sensing technologies have enabled us to monitor the global terrestrial ecosystems at multiple spatial and temporal scales. An emergent challenge is how to formulate a coupled water, carbon, energy, radiation, and nitrogen cycles from remote sensing. Here, we report Breathing Earth System Simulator (BESS), which coupled radiation (shortwave, longwave, PAR, diffuse PAR), carbon (gross primary productivity, ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem exchange), water (evaporation), and energy (latent and sensible heat) balances across the global land at 1 km resolution, 8 daily between 2000 and 2015 using multiple satellite remote sensing. The performance of BESS was tested against field observations (FLUXNET, BSRN) and other independent products (MPI-BGC, MODIS, GLASS). We found that the coupled model, BESS showed on par with, or better performance than the other products which computed land surface fluxes individually. Lastly, we show one plot-level study conducted in a paddy rice to demonstrate how to couple radiation, carbon, water, nitrogen balances with a series of near-surface spectral sensors.

A Restricted Boltzman Neural Net to Infer Carbon Uptake from OCO-2 Satellite Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halem, M.; Dorband, J. E.; Radov, A.; Barr-Dallas, M.; Gentine, P.

2015-12-01

For several decades, scientists have been using satellite observations to infer climate budgets of terrestrial carbon uptake employing inverse methods in conjunction with ecosystem models and coupled global climate models. This is an extremely important Big Data calculation today since the net annual photosynthetic carbon uptake changes annually over land and removes on average ~20% of the emissions from human contributions to atmospheric loading of CO2 from fossil fuels. Unfortunately, such calculations have large uncertainties validated with in-situ networks of measuring stations across the globe. One difficulty in using satellite data for these budget calculations is that the models need to assimilate surface fluxes of CO2 as well as soil moisture, vegatation cover and the eddy covariance of latent and sensible heat to calculate the carbon fixed in the soil while satellite spectral observations only provide near surface concentrations of CO2. In July 2014, NASA successfully launched OCO-2 which provides 3km surface measurements of CO2 over land and oceans. We have collected nearly one year of Level 2 XCO2 data from the OCO-2 satellite for 3 sites of ~200 km2 at equatorial, temperate and high latitudes. Each selected site was part of the Fluxnet or ARM system with tower stations for measuring and collecting CO2 fluxes on an hourly basis, in addition to eddy transports of the other parameters. We are also planning to acquire the 4km NDVI products from MODIS and registering the data to the 3km XCO2 footprints for the three sites. We have implemented a restricted Boltzman machine on the quantum annealing D-Wave computer, a novel deep learning neural net, to be used for training with station data to infer CO2 fluxes from collocated XCO2, MODIS vegetative land cover and MERRA reanalysis surface exchange products. We will present performance assessments of the D-Wave Boltzman machine for generating XCO2 fluxes from the OCO-2 satellite observations for the 3 sites by validating with monthly station flux data for one year as a potential assimilation input to the LIS model for obtaining the Net Ecosystem Exchange.

To authorize a land exchange involving the acquisition of private land adjacent to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona for inclusion in the refuge in exchange for certain Bureau of Land Management lands in Riverside County, California, and for other purposes.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-42

2013-08-02

Senate - 09/16/2014 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (All Actions) Notes: For further action, see H.R.3979, which became Public Law 113-291 on 12/19/2014. Tracker: This bill has the status Passed HouseHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Effects of Land Use Change for Crops on Water and Carbon Budgets in the Midwest USA

DOE PAGES

Sun, Jian; Twine, Tracy; Hill, Jason; ...

2017-02-07

By increasing the demand for food and bioenergy, the global landscape has altered dramatically in recent years. Land use and land cover change affects the environmental system in many ways through biophysical and biogeochemical mechanisms. Here, we evaluate the impacts of land use and land cover change driven by recent crop expansion and conversion on the water budget, carbon exchange, and carbon storage in the Midwest USA. A dynamic global vegetation model was used to simulate and examine the impacts of landscape change in a historical case based on crop distribution data from the United States Department of Agriculture Nationalmore » Agricultural Statistics Services. Furthermore, the simulation results indicate that recent crop expansion not only decreased soil carbon sequestration (60 Tg less of soil organic carbon) and net carbon flux into ecosystems (3.7 Tg • year -1 less of net biome productivity), but also lessened water consumption through evapotranspiration (1.04 x 10 10 m 3 • year -1 less) over 12 states in the Midwest. More water yield at the land surface does not necessarily make more water available for vegetation. Crop residue removal might also exacerbate the soil carbon loss.« less

Effects of Land Use Change for Crops on Water and Carbon Budgets in the Midwest USA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Jian; Twine, Tracy; Hill, Jason

By increasing the demand for food and bioenergy, the global landscape has altered dramatically in recent years. Land use and land cover change affects the environmental system in many ways through biophysical and biogeochemical mechanisms. Here, we evaluate the impacts of land use and land cover change driven by recent crop expansion and conversion on the water budget, carbon exchange, and carbon storage in the Midwest USA. A dynamic global vegetation model was used to simulate and examine the impacts of landscape change in a historical case based on crop distribution data from the United States Department of Agriculture Nationalmore » Agricultural Statistics Services. Furthermore, the simulation results indicate that recent crop expansion not only decreased soil carbon sequestration (60 Tg less of soil organic carbon) and net carbon flux into ecosystems (3.7 Tg • year -1 less of net biome productivity), but also lessened water consumption through evapotranspiration (1.04 x 10 10 m 3 • year -1 less) over 12 states in the Midwest. More water yield at the land surface does not necessarily make more water available for vegetation. Crop residue removal might also exacerbate the soil carbon loss.« less

Learning the Rhythm of the Seasons in the Face of Global Change: Phenological Research in the 21st Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Richardson, Andrew D.; Knapp, Alan K.; Fisher, Jeremy I.; Graham, Eric A.; Abatzoglou, John; Wilson, Bruce E.; Breshears, David D.; Hanebry, Geoffrey M.; Hanes, Jonathan M.;

36 CFR 254.4 - Agreement to initiate an exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... exchange. 254.4 Section 254.4 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LANDOWNERSHIP ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.4 Agreement to initiate an exchange. (a) Exchanges may be proposed by the Forest Service or by any person, State, or local government. Initial exchange proposals...

43 CFR 2201.7-2 - Exchange agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Exchange agreement. 2201.7-2 Section 2201... Exchanges-Specific Requirements § 2201.7-2 Exchange agreement. (a) The parties to a proposed exchange may enter into an exchange agreement subsequent to a decision by the authorized officer to approve the...

43 CFR 2201.7-2 - Exchange agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Exchange agreement. 2201.7-2 Section 2201... Exchanges-Specific Requirements § 2201.7-2 Exchange agreement. (a) The parties to a proposed exchange may enter into an exchange agreement subsequent to a decision by the authorized officer to approve the...

43 CFR 2201.7-2 - Exchange agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Exchange agreement. 2201.7-2 Section 2201... Exchanges-Specific Requirements § 2201.7-2 Exchange agreement. (a) The parties to a proposed exchange may enter into an exchange agreement subsequent to a decision by the authorized officer to approve the...

A Bayesian Framework for Coupled Estimation of Key Unknown Parameters of Land Water and Energy Balance Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farhadi, L.; Abdolghafoorian, A.

2015-12-01

The land surface is a key component of climate system. It controls the partitioning of available energy at the surface between sensible and latent heat, and partitioning of available water between evaporation and runoff. Water and energy cycle are intrinsically coupled through evaporation, which represents a heat exchange as latent heat flux. Accurate estimation of fluxes of heat and moisture are of significant importance in many fields such as hydrology, climatology and meteorology. In this study we develop and apply a Bayesian framework for estimating the key unknown parameters of terrestrial water and energy balance equations (i.e. moisture and heat diffusion) and their uncertainty in land surface models. These equations are coupled through flux of evaporation. The estimation system is based on the adjoint method for solving a least-squares optimization problem. The cost function consists of aggregated errors on state (i.e. moisture and temperature) with respect to observation and parameters estimation with respect to prior values over the entire assimilation period. This cost function is minimized with respect to parameters to identify models of sensible heat, latent heat/evaporation and drainage and runoff. Inverse of Hessian of the cost function is an approximation of the posterior uncertainty of parameter estimates. Uncertainty of estimated fluxes is estimated by propagating the uncertainty for linear and nonlinear function of key parameters through the method of First Order Second Moment (FOSM). Uncertainty analysis is used in this method to guide the formulation of a well-posed estimation problem. Accuracy of the method is assessed at point scale using surface energy and water fluxes generated by the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model at the selected AmeriFlux stations. This method can be applied to diverse climates and land surface conditions with different spatial scales, using remotely sensed measurements of surface moisture and temperature states

The Aggregate Representation of Terrestrial Land Covers Within Global Climate Models (GCM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shuttleworth, W. James; Sorooshian, Soroosh

1996-01-01

This project had four initial objectives: (1) to create a realistic coupled surface-atmosphere model to investigate the aggregate description of heterogeneous surfaces; (2) to develop a simple heuristic model of surface-atmosphere interactions; (3) using the above models, to test aggregation rules for a variety of realistic cover and meteorological conditions; and (4) to reconcile biosphere-atmosphere transfer scheme (BATS) land covers with those that can be recognized from space; Our progress in meeting these objectives can be summarized as follows. Objective 1: The first objective was achieved in the first year of the project by coupling the Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS) with a proven two-dimensional model of the atmospheric boundary layer. The resulting model, BATS-ABL, is described in detail in a Masters thesis and reported in a paper in the Journal of Hydrology Objective 2: The potential value of the heuristic model was re-evaluated early in the project and a decision was made to focus subsequent research around modeling studies with the BATS-ABL model. The value of using such coupled surface-atmosphere models in this research area was further confirmed by the success of the Tucson Aggregation Workshop. Objective 3: There was excellent progress in using the BATS-ABL model to test aggregation rules for a variety of realistic covers. The foci of attention have been the site of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project Field Experiment (FIFE) in Kansas and one of the study sites of the Anglo-Brazilian Amazonian Climate Observational Study (ABRACOS) near the city of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. These two sites were selected because of the ready availability of relevant field data to validate and initiate the BATS-ABL model. The results of these tests are given in a Masters thesis, and reported in two papers. Objective 4: Progress far exceeded original expectations not only in reconciling BATS land covers with those that can be recognized from space, but also in then applying remotely-sensed land cover data to map aggregate values of BATS parameters for heterogeneous covers and interpreting these parameters in terms of surface-atmosphere exchanges.

36 CFR 254.6 - Segregative effect.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Segregative effect. 254.6... ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.6 Segregative effect. (a) If a proposal is made to exchange Federal lands... segregative effect terminates as follows: (1) Automatically, upon issuance of a patent or other document of...

Spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of global scale climate-groundwater interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuthbert, M. O.; Gleeson, T. P.; Moosdorf, N.; Schneider, A. C.; Hartmann, J.; Befus, K. M.; Lehner, B.

2017-12-01

The interactions between groundwater and climate are important to resolve in both space and time as they influence mass and energy transfers at Earth's land surface. Despite the significance of these processes, little is known about the spatio-temporal distribution of such interactions globally, and many large-scale climate, hydrological and land surface models oversimplify groundwater or exclude it completely. In this study we bring together diverse global geomatic data sets to map spatial patterns in the sensitivity and degree of connectedness between the water table and the land surface, and use the output from a global groundwater model to assess the locations where the lateral import or export of groundwater is significant. We also quantify the groundwater response time, the characteristic time for groundwater systems to respond to a change in boundary conditions, and map its distribution globally to assess the likely dynamics of groundwater's interaction with climate. We find that more than half of the global land surface significantly exports or imports groundwater laterally. Nearly 40% of Earth's landmass has water tables that are strongly coupled to topography with water tables shallow enough to enable a bi-directional exchange of moisture with the climate system. However, only a small proportion (around 12%) of such regions have groundwater response times of 100 years or less and have groundwater fluxes that would significantly respond to rapid environmental changes over this timescale. We last explore fundamental relationships between aridity, groundwater response times and groundwater turnover times. Our results have wide ranging implications for understanding and modelling changes in Earth's water and energy balance and for informing robust future water management and security decisions.

Investigation of Cyprus thermal tenancy using nine year MODIS LST data and Fourier analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skarlatos, D.; Miliaresis, G.; Georgiou, A.

2013-08-01

Land Surface Temperature (LST) is an extremely important parameter that controls the exchange of long wave radiation between surface and atmosphere. It is a good indicator of the energy balance at the Earth's surface and it is one of the key parameters in the physics of land-surface processes on regional as well as global scale. This paper utilizes monthly night and day averaged LST MODIS imagery over Cyprus for a 9 year period. Fourier analysis and Least squares estimation fitting are implemented to analyze mean daily data over Cyprus in an attempt to investigate possible temperature tenancy over these years and possible differences among areas with different land cover and land use, such as Troodos Mountain and Nicosia, the main city in the center of the island. The analysis of data over a long time period, allows questions such as whether there is a tenancy to temperature increase, to be answered in a statistically better way, provided that `noise' is removed correctly. Dealing with a lot of data, always provides a more accurate estimation, but on the other hand, more noise in implemented on the data, especially when dealing with temperature which is subject to daily and annual cycles. A brief description over semi-automated data acquisition and standardization using object-oriented programming and GIS-based techniques, will be presented. The paper fully describes the time series analysis implemented, the Fourier method and how it was used to analyze and filter mean daily data with high frequency. Comparison of mean monthly daily LST against day and night LSTs is also performed over the 9 year period in order to investigate whether use of the extended data series provide significant advantage over short.

Coupling fast all-season soil strength land surface model with weather research and forecasting model to assess low-level icing in complex terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sines, Taleena R.

Icing poses as a severe hazard to aircraft safety with financial resources and even human lives hanging in the balance when the decision to ground a flight must be made. When analyzing the effects of ice on aviation, a chief cause for danger is the disruption of smooth airflow, which increases the drag force on the aircraft therefore decreasing its ability to create lift. The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model Advanced Research WRF (WRF-ARW) is a collaboratively created, flexible model designed to run on distributed computing systems for a variety of applications including forecasting research, parameterization research, and real-time numerical weather prediction. Land-surface models, one of the physics options available in the WRF-ARW, output surface heat and moisture flux given radiation, precipitation, and surface properties such as soil type. The Fast All-Season Soil STrength (FASST) land-surface model was developed by the U.S. Army ERDC-CRREL in Hanover, New Hampshire. Designed to use both meteorological and terrain data, the model calculates heat and moisture within the surface layer as well as the exchange of these parameters between the soil, surface elements (such as snow and vegetation), and atmosphere. Focusing on the Presidential Mountain Range of New Hampshire under the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Icing Assessments in Cold and Alpine Environments project, one of the main goals is to create a customized, high resolution model to predict and assess ice accretion in complex terrain. The purpose of this research is to couple the FASST land-surface model with the WRF to improve icing forecasts in complex terrain. Coupling FASST with the WRF-ARW may improve icing forecasts because of its sophisticated approach to handling processes such as meltwater, freezing, thawing, and others that would affect the water and energy budget and in turn affect icing forecasts. Several transformations had to take place in order for the FASST land-surface model and WRF-ARW to work together as fully coupled models. Changes had to be made to the WRF-ARW build mechanisms (Chapter 1, section a) so that FASST would be recognized as a new option that could be chosen through the namelist and compiled with other modules. Similarly, FASST had to be altered to no longer read meteorological data from a file, but accept input from WRF-ARW at each time step in a way that did not alter the integrity or run-time processes of the model. Several icing events were available to test the newly coupled model as well as the performance of other available land-surface models from the WRF-ARW. A variation of event intensities and durations from these events were chosen to give a broader view of the land-surface models' abilities to accurately predict icing in complex terrain. Non- icing events were also used in testing to ensure the land-surface models were not predicting ice in the events where none occurred. When compared to the other land-surface models and observations FASST showed a warm bias in several regions. As the forecasts progressed, FASST appeared to attempt to correct this bias and performed similarly to the other land-surface models and at times better than these land-surface models in areas of the domain not affected by this bias. To correct this warm bias, future investigation should be conducted into the reasoning behind this warm bias, including but not limited to: FASST operation and elevation modeling, WRF-ARW variables and forecasting methods, as well as allowing for spin-up prior to forecast times. Following the correction to the warm bias, FASST can be parallelized to allow for operational forecast performance and included in the WRF-ARW forecasting suite for future software releases. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Sources of Uncertainty in Predicting Land Surface Fluxes Using Diverse Data and Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dungan, Jennifer L.; Wang, Weile; Michaelis, Andrew; Votava, Petr; Nemani, Ramakrishma

2010-01-01

In the domain of predicting land surface fluxes, models are used to bring data from large observation networks and satellite remote sensing together to make predictions about present and future states of the Earth. Characterizing the uncertainty about such predictions is a complex process and one that is not yet fully understood. Uncertainty exists about initialization, measurement and interpolation of input variables; model parameters; model structure; and mixed spatial and temporal supports. Multiple models or structures often exist to describe the same processes. Uncertainty about structure is currently addressed by running an ensemble of different models and examining the distribution of model outputs. To illustrate structural uncertainty, a multi-model ensemble experiment we have been conducting using the Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS) will be discussed. TOPS uses public versions of process-based ecosystem models that use satellite-derived inputs along with surface climate data and land surface characterization to produce predictions of ecosystem fluxes including gross and net primary production and net ecosystem exchange. Using the TOPS framework, we have explored the uncertainty arising from the application of models with different assumptions, structures, parameters, and variable definitions. With a small number of models, this only begins to capture the range of possible spatial fields of ecosystem fluxes. Few attempts have been made to systematically address the components of uncertainty in such a framework. We discuss the characterization of uncertainty for this approach including both quantifiable and poorly known aspects.

Assessing the impact of future land use and land cover changes on climate over Brazilian semiarid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunha, A. M.; Alvalá, R. S.; Kubota, P. Y.; Vieira, R.

2013-12-01

The continental surface vegetal cover has been considerably changed by human activities, mainly through natural vegetation conversion in grasslands. Such changes in surface cover may impact the regional and global climates, through of the changes in biophysical processes and CO2 exchanges between vegetation and atmosphere. In recent decades, most of the Brazilian territory has been presenting transformation in the land use/cover spatial patterns. The typical vegetation of the Brazilian semiarid, known as caatinga (closed shrubland) had been replaced by pasture lands. Based on that, the main objective of this work was to investigate the impacts of future land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) on surface processes and on the climate of Brazilian semiarid region. Numerical experiments using the AGCM/CPTEC/IBIS were performed in order to investigate the impacts of LCLUC on the climate of Brazilian semiarid due to the replacement of natural vegetation by pasture and degraded areas. The climate impacts of LUCC were assessed using climate simulations considering two scenarios of vegetation distribution: i) Potential Vegetation (Control) and ii) Future scenario of the vegetation: maximum pasture limited by areas of desert and semidesert. These degraded areas were obtained from the future projection of the biome distribution in South America developed by Salazar Velasquez (2009) using CPTEC PVMReg and emission scenarios A2 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In general, the simulation results showed that the LCLUC, due to the changes in relevant surface variables, has caused alterations in local and neighborhood regions climate. The LCLUC leads to a decrease in mean rainfall during dry season at study area. A meridional dipole pattern with near surface temperature increase (reduction) in the northern (southern) areas of semiarid was found. The results also highlight that LUCC led to changes in the components of the surface energy and carbon balance. These results suggest that LCLUC, even on a small scale in Brazil's semiarid region, can cause climate impacts, in local and regional scale. Finally, we highlight that the diagnosis of the evolution of LUCC and its climatic implications are essential to guide policy makers in regard to resources application and on policies development, in order to achieve a better management and planning for this important region of the country.

Recent developments and emergent challenges in Ecohydrology: Focus on the belowground frontier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, D. S.

2017-12-01

The broad spectrum of ecohydrology issues touch on many areas of research in hydrology. But what are the emerging themes and challenges that represent the core of ecohydrology as a maturing discipline? To answer this question the ecohydrology lens was applied to manuscripts published in Water Resources Research over period of 2015 through July 2017. The 235 manuscripts retrieved can be broadly grouped into catchment hydrology, riparian-hyporheic-stream processes, critical zone, land-atmosphere exchange, wetlands, and sustainability. Three dominant crosscutting themes (i.e., coevolution, interfaces, and energy exchange) account for more than half the papers retrieved. In the context of ecohydrology, coevolution refers to the development of physical systems in concert with biological systems and their interactions. In an ecohydrology context, interfaces refer to subsurface, and sometime surface connections that influence transport (e.g., solutes concentration-discharge) influenced by vegetative plumbing, ecophysiology, animal behavior, and microbial processes. Energy exchange in ecohydrology connects vegetative processes to movement of water to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. Across these themes there is emerging theory and methodology that emphasizes the integrated roles of biology and hydrology in the subsurface. In particular, there is a notable surge of interest in the role of plant roots on subsurface processes. But these are hard to observe and remain challenging to model. By adopting principles of coevolution, in particular, significant advances will be made in modeling plant roots and their depths, corroborated with new geophysical and tracer tools, for improving understanding of critical zone development, subsurface flow processes, and land-atmosphere energy exchange.

Spatiotemporal structure of wind farm-atmospheric boundary layer interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cervarich, Matthew; Baidya Roy, Somnath; Zhou, Liming

2013-04-01

Wind power is currently one of the fastest growing energy sources in the world. Most of the growth is in the utility sector consisting of large wind farms with numerous industrial-scale wind turbines. Wind turbines act as a sink of mean kinetic energy and a source of turbulent kinetic energy in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). In doing so, they modify the ABL profiles and land-atmosphere exchanges of energy, momentum, mass and moisture. This project explores theses interactions using remote sensing data and numerical model simulations. The domain is central Texas where 4 of the world's largest wind farms are located. A companion study of seasonally-averaged Land Surface Temperature data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on TERRA and AQUA satellites shows a warming signal at night and a mixed cooling/warming signal during the daytime within the wind farms. In the present study, wind farm-ABL interactions are simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The simulations show that the model is capable of replicating the observed signal in land surface temperature. Moreover, similar warming/cooling effect, up to 1C, was observed in seasonal mean 2m air temperature as well. Further analysis show that enhanced turbulent mixing in the rotor wakes is responsible for the impacts on 2m and surface air temperatures. The mixing is due to 2 reasons: (i) turbulent momentum transport to compensate the momentum deficit in the wakes of the turbines and (ii) turbulence generated due to motion of turbine rotors. Turbulent mixing also alters vertical profiles of moisture. Changes in land-atmosphere temperature and moisture gradient and increase in turbulent mixing leads to more than 10% change in seasonal mean surface sensible and latent heat flux. Given the current installed capacity and the projected installation across the world, wind farms are likely becoming a major driver of anthropogenic land use change on Earth. Hence, understanding WF-ABL interactions and its effects is of significant scientific and societal importance.

Characterization of land surface energy fluxes in a tropical lowland rice paddy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Dibyendu; Tripathi, Rahul; Chatterjee, Sumanta; Debnath, Manish; Shahid, Mohammad; Bhattacharyya, Pratap; Swain, Chinmaya Kumar; Tripathy, Rojalin; Bhattacharya, Bimal K.; Nayak, Amaresh Kumar

2018-04-01

A field experiment was conducted in 2015 to study the land surface energy fluxes from tropical lowland rice paddy in eastern India with an objective to determine the mass, momentum, and energy exchange rates between rice paddies and the atmosphere. All the land surface energy fluxes were measured by eddy covariance (EC) system (make Campbell Scientific) in dry season (DS, 1-125 Julian days), dry fallow (DF, 126-181 Julian days), wet season (WS, 182-324 Julian days), and wet fallow (WF, 325-365 Julian days). The rice was cultivated in dry season (January-May) and wet season (July-November) in low wet lands and the ground is kept fallow during the remainder of the year. Results showed that albedo varied from 0.09 to 0.24 and showed positive value from morning 6:00 h until evening 18:00 h. Mean soil temperature (T g) was highest in DF, while the skin temperature (T s) was highest in WS. Average Bowen ratio (B) ranged from 0.21 to 0.64 and large variation in B was observed during the fallow periods as compared to the cropping seasons. The magnitude of aerodynamic, canopy, and climatological resistances increased with the progress of cropping season and their magnitudes decreased during the end of both cropping seasons and found minimum during the fallow periods. At a constant vapor pressure deficit (VPD) at 0.16, 0.18, 0.15, and 0.43 kPa, latent heat flux (LE) initially increased, but later it tended to level off with an increase in VPD. The actual evapotranspiration (ETa) during both the cropping seasons was higher than the fallow period. This study can be used as a source of default values for many land surface energy fluxes which are required in various meteorological or air-quality models for rice paddies. A larger imbalance of energy was observed during the wet season as the energy is stored and perhaps advected in the fresh water.

Evaluation of surface layer flux parameterizations using in-situ observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Jeremy; Zhu, Ping

2017-09-01

Appropriate calculation of surface turbulent fluxes between the atmosphere and the underlying ocean/land surface is one of the major challenges in geosciences. In practice, the surface turbulent fluxes are estimated from the mean surface meteorological variables based on the bulk transfer model combined with the Monnin-Obukhov Similarity (MOS) theory. Few studies have been done to examine the extent to which such a flux parameterization can be applied to different weather and surface conditions. A novel validation method is developed in this study to evaluate the surface flux parameterization using in-situ observations collected at a station off the coast of Gulf of Mexico. The main findings are: (a) the theoretical prediction that uses MOS theory does not match well with those directly computed from the observations. (b) The largest spread in exchange coefficients is shown in strong stable conditions with calm winds. (c) Large turbulent eddies, which depend strongly on the mean flow pattern and surface conditions, tend to break the constant flux assumption in the surface layer.

Coupled atmosphere-biophysics-hydrology models for environmental modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walko, R.L.; Band, L.E.; Baron, Jill S.; Kittel, T.G.F.; Lammers, R.; Lee, T.J.; Ojima, D.; Pielke, R.A.; Taylor, C.; Tague, C.; Tremback, C.J.; Vidale, P.L.

2000-01-01

The formulation and implementation of LEAF-2, the Land Ecosystem–Atmosphere Feedback model, which comprises the representation of land–surface processes in the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), is described. LEAF-2 is a prognostic model for the temperature and water content of soil, snow cover, vegetation, and canopy air, and includes turbulent and radiative exchanges between these components and with the atmosphere. Subdivision of a RAMS surface grid cell into multiple areas of distinct land-use types is allowed, with each subgrid area, or patch, containing its own LEAF-2 model, and each patch interacts with the overlying atmospheric column with a weight proportional to its fractional area in the grid cell. A description is also given of TOPMODEL, a land hydrology model that represents surface and subsurface downslope lateral transport of groundwater. Details of the incorporation of a modified form of TOPMODEL into LEAF-2 are presented. Sensitivity tests of the coupled system are presented that demonstrate the potential importance of the patch representation and of lateral water transport in idealized model simulations. Independent studies that have applied LEAF-2 and verified its performance against observational data are cited. Linkage of RAMS and TOPMODEL through LEAF-2 creates a modeling system that can be used to explore the coupled atmosphere–biophysical–hydrologic response to altered climate forcing at local watershed and regional basin scales.

Development and Deployment of Unmanned Aircraft Instrumentation for Measuring Quantities Related to Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Boer, G.; Lawrence, D.; Elston, J.; Argrow, B. M.; Palo, S. E.; Curry, N.; Finamore, W.; Mack, J.; LoDolce, G.; Schmid, B.; Long, C. N.; Bland, G.; Maslanik, J. A.; Gao, R. S.; Telg, H.; Semmer, S.; Maclean, G.; Ivey, M.; Hock, T. F.; Bartram, B.; Bendure, A.; Stachura, M.

2015-12-01

Use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in evaluation of geophysical parameters is expanding at a rapid rate. Despite limitation imposed by necessary regulations related to operation of UAS in the federal airspace, several groups have developed and deployed a variety of UAS and the associated sensors to make measurements of the atmosphere, land surface, ocean and cryosphere. Included in this grouping is work completed at the University of Colorado - Boulder, which has an extended history of operating UAS and expanding their use in the earth sciences. Collaborative projects between the department of Aerospace Engineering, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (RECUV), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Centers for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have resulted in deployment of UAS to a variety of environments, including the Arctic. In this presentation, I will give an overview of some recent efforts lead by the University of Colorado to develop and deploy a variety of UAS. Work presented will emphasize recent campaigns and instrument development and testing related to understanding the land-atmosphere interface. Specifically, information on systems established for evaluating surface radiation (including albedo), turbulent exchange of water vapor, heat and gasses, and aerosol processes will be presented, along with information on the use of terrestrial ecosystem sensing to provide critical measurments for the evaluation of lower atmospheric flux measurements.

The impact of land use change on the energy and water fluxes between atmosphere and tropical vegetation in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falk, U.; Ibrom, A.; Kreilein, H.; Oltchev, A.; Gravenhorst, G.

2003-12-01

The conversion of tropical rain forest to agriculturally used land is a widespread process throughout Indonesia. Besides the effects on the biological diversity and the hydrological functions of a forest, this also has an impact on the turbulent exchange processes between vegetation and atmosphere, the radiative properties of the surface and therefore on atmospheric boundary layer and local climate. Within the framework of the project STORMA "Stability of rain forest margins" (SFB 552, University Goettingen, financed by the German Research Foundation), the energy and water fluxes above one of the major land use types, a Cacao plantation, were investigated using the Eddy-Covariance method. Simultaneously meteorological measurements of the variables wind speed and velocity, temperature, humidity, rainfall, soil heat flux and the components of the radiation budget were performed, in order to complete the energy balance and investigate the dependencies of the turbulent exchange processes on the atmospheric boundary conditions. The measurements are being compared to a SVAT model, providing the heat flux into the vegetation. Energy balance closure is used as a means to check the quality of the measured fluxes. The comparison to measurements above undisturbed rain forest by means of the ratio of sensible to latent heat flux, the Bowen ratio, indicates a significantly different boundary layer regime of the atmosphere above the Cacao.

The Role of Vegetation Response to Elevated CO2 in Modifying Land-Atmosphere Feedback Across the Central United States Agro-Ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drewry, D.; Kumar, P.; Sivapalan, M.; Long, S.; Liang, X.

2009-05-01

Recent local-scale observational studies have demonstrated significant modifications to the partitioning of incident energy by two key mid-west agricultural species, soy and corn, as ambient atmospheric CO2 concentrations are experimentally augmented to projected future levels. The uptake of CO2 by soy, which utilizes the C3 photosynthetic pathway, has likewise been observed to significantly increase under elevated growth CO2 concentrations. Changes to the sensible and latent heat exchanges between the land surface and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) across large portions of the mid-western US has the potential to affect ABL growth and composition, and consequently feed-back to the near-surface environment (air temperature and vapor content) experienced by the vegetation. Here we present a simulation analysis that examines the changes in land-atmosphere feedbacks associated with projected increases in ambient CO2 concentrations over extended soy/corn agricultural areas characteristic of the US mid-west. The model canopies are partitioned into several layers, allowing for resolution of the shortwave and longwave radiation regimes that drive photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and leaf energy balance in each layer, along with the canopy microclimate. The canopy component of the model is coupled to a multi-layer soil-root model that computes soil moisture and heat transport and root water uptake. Model skill in capturing the sub-diurnal variability in canopy-atmosphere exchange is evaluated through multi-year records of canopy-top eddy covariance CO2, water vapor and heat fluxes collected at the Bondville (Illinois) FluxNet site. An evaluation of the ability of the model to simulate observed changes in energy balance components (canopy temperature, net radiation and soil heat flux) under elevated CO2 concentrations projected for 2050 (550 ppm) is made using observations collected at the SoyFACE Free Air Carbon Enrichment (FACE) experimental facilities located in central Illinois, by incorporating observed acclimations in leaf biochemsitry and canopy structure. The simulation control volume is then extended by coupling the canopy models to a simple model of daytime mixed-layer (ML) growth and composition, ie. air temperature and vapor content. Through this coupled canopy-ABL model we quantify the impact of elevated CO2 and vegetation acclimation on ML growth, temperature and vapor content and the consequent feedbacks to the land surface by way of the near-surface environment experienced by the vegetation. Particular focus is placed on the role of short-term drought, and possible changes in land cover composition between soy, a C3 crop, and corn, a more water-use efficient C4 crop, on modulating the strength of these CO2-induced feedbacks.

The Skogaryd Research Site - Integration of terrestrial and freshwater greenhouse gas sources and sinks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klemedtsson, L.

2012-04-01

Forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, and management as well as climate can cause major effects on the balance of C between the atmosphere and the plant/soil system. With regard to our commitments to the Kyoto and post-Kyoto actions on climate change, we need reliable predictions on how this balance is affected by management and climate. In 2006 the Skogaryd Research Forest was established in the southwest of Sweden (58°23'N, 12°09'E). The overall goal is to quantify net greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from drained spruce forest soils, by determining the individual fluxes and pools of C and nitrogen and elucidating their connection to site fertility, drainage status and abiotic parameters. The generated data will be used in GHG models, for model validations and ultimately emissions predictions. During 2006-2009 the research has focused on two sites, mineral and organic soils, both dominated by Norway spruce (Picea abies). Both sites are drained fertile soils but with different land-use history that have affected their physical properties. Measurements include: net ecosystem exchange of CO2, shoot photosynthesis and respiration at different locations within the canopy, stem respiration, emissions of N2O and CH4 using manual chambers, soil respiration with automatic chambers including a trenching experiment where root, ectomycorrhizal, and heterotrophic respiration are separated, fine root production using minirhizotrons, and ectomycorrhizal mycelia production. The organic site also includes a wood ash fertilization experiment. From 2010 the research has been expanded by the project Landscape Greenhouse Gas Exchange (LAGGE) to the whole watershed, from the pristine mire system via streams, riparian zones, forests, to lakes and the subsequent exchange between the atmosphere and surface waters. The current accounting of forests as carbon sinks has relied on measurements of vertical carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange between vegetation and the atmosphere. The budgets have ignored dissolved carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) transport in water to streams and lakes and the subsequent exchange between the atmosphere and surface waters. Aquatic habitats can be significant net sources of CO2 and methane (CH4) and potential hot spots for N2O release, all important for natural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Inland waters need to be included in the C and GHG balances for terrestrial landscapes. This project aims to quantify GHG balances at the landscape scale in forested regions that include land-atmosphere, land-water, and water-atmosphere exchange of CO2, CH4 and N2O. Different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems will be linked holistically, using site specific techniques at different scales, from aircraft (km2) to chambers (m2) to develop integrated models that can be used to quantify net GHG flux for management strategies. The LAGGE project involves six Swedish universities and site is open for more cooperations.

Towards a more efficient and robust representation of subsurface hydrological processes in Earth System Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosolem, R.; Rahman, M.; Kollet, S. J.; Wagener, T.

2017-12-01

Understanding the impacts of land cover and climate changes on terrestrial hydrometeorology is important across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Earth System Models (ESMs) provide a robust platform for evaluating these impacts. However, current ESMs lack the representation of key hydrological processes (e.g., preferential water flow, and direct interactions with aquifers) in general. The typical "free drainage" conceptualization of land models can misrepresent the magnitude of those interactions, consequently affecting the exchange of energy and water at the surface as well as estimates of groundwater recharge. Recent studies show the benefits of explicitly simulating the interactions between subsurface and surface processes in similar models. However, such parameterizations are often computationally demanding resulting in limited application for large/global-scale studies. Here, we take a different approach in developing a novel parameterization for groundwater dynamics. Instead of directly adding another complex process to an established land model, we examine a set of comprehensive experimental scenarios using a very robust and establish three-dimensional hydrological model to develop a simpler parameterization that represents the aquifer to land surface interactions. The main goal of our developed parameterization is to simultaneously maximize the computational gain (i.e., "efficiency") while minimizing simulation errors in comparison to the full 3D model (i.e., "robustness") to allow for easy implementation in ESMs globally. Our study focuses primarily on understanding both the dynamics for groundwater recharge and discharge, respectively. Preliminary results show that our proposed approach significantly reduced the computational demand while model deviations from the full 3D model are considered to be small for these processes.

36 CFR 254.8 - Notice of exchange proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Notice of exchange proposal... LANDOWNERSHIP ADJUSTMENTS Land Exchanges § 254.8 Notice of exchange proposal. (a) Upon entering into an agreement to initiate an exchange, the authorized officer shall publish a notice once a week for four...

Spatial Analysis of Soil Subsidence in Peat Meadow Areas in Friesland in Relation to Land and Water Management, Climate Change, and Adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brouns, Karlijn; Eikelboom, Tessa; Jansen, Peter C.; Janssen, Ron; Kwakernaak, Cees; van den Akker, Jan J. H.; Verhoeven, Jos T. A.

2015-02-01

Dutch peatlands have been subsiding due to peat decomposition, shrinkage and compression, since their reclamation in the 11th century. Currently, subsidence amounts to 1-2 cm/year. Water management in these areas is complex and costly, greenhouse gases are being emitted, and surface water quality is relatively poor. Regional and local authorities and landowners responsible for peatland management have recognized these problems. In addition, the Netherlands Royal Meteorological Institute predicts higher temperatures and drier summers, which both are expected to enhance peat decomposition. Stakeholder workshops have been organized in three case study areas in the province of Friesland to exchange knowledge on subsidence and explore future subsidence rates and the effects of land use and management changes on subsidence rates. Subsidence rates were up to 3 cm/year in deeply drained parcels and increased when we included climate change in the modeling exercises. This means that the relatively thin peat layers in this province (ca 1 m) would shrink or even disappear by the end of the century when current practices continue. Adaptation measures were explored, such as extensive dairy farming and the production of new crops in wetter conditions, but little experience has been gained on best practices. The workshops have resulted in useful exchange of ideas on possible measures and their consequences for land use and water management in the three case study areas. The province and the regional water board will use the results to develop land use and water management policies for the next decades.

How Well are Recent Climate Variability Signals Resolved by Satellite Radiative Flux Estimates?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Franklin R.; Lu, H.-L.

2004-01-01

One notable aspect of Earth s climate is that although the planet appears to be very close to radiative balance at top-of-atmosphere (TOA), the atmosphere itself and underlying surface are not. Profound exchanges of energy between the atmosphere and oceans, land and cryosphere occur over a range of time scales. Recent evidence from broadband satellite measurements suggests that even these TOA fluxes contain some detectable variations. Our ability to measure and reconstruct radiative fluxes at the surface and at the top of atmosphere is improving rapidly. Understanding the character of radiative flux estimates and relating them to variations in other energy fluxes and climate state variables is key to improving our understanding of climate. In this work we will evaluate several recently released estimates of radiative fluxes, focusing primarily on surface estimates. The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project FD radiative flux profiles are available from rnid-1983 to near present and have been constructed by driving the radiative transfer physics from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) global model with ISCCP clouds and HlRS operational soundings profiles. Full and clear sky SW and LW fluxes are produced. A similar product from the NASA/GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget Project using different radiative flux codes and thermodynamics from the NASA/Goddard Earth Observing System assimilation model makes a similar calculation of surface fluxes. However this data set currently extends only through 1995. Several estimates of downward LW flux at the surface inferred from microwave data are also examined. Since these products have been evaluated with Baseline Surface Radiation Network data over land we focus over ocean regions and use the DOE/NOAA/NASA Shipboard Ocean Atmospheric Radiation (SOAR) surface flux measurements to characterize performance of these data sets under both clear and cloudy conditions. Some aspects of performance are stratified according to SST and vertical motion regimes. Comparisons to the TRMM/CERES SRB data in 1998 are also interpreted. These radiative fluxes are then analyzed to determine how surface (and TOA) radiative exchanges respond to interannual signals of ENS0 warm and cold events. Our analysis includes regional changes as well as integrated signals over land, ocean and various latitude bands. Changes in water vapor and cloud forcing signatures are prominent on interannual time scales. Prominent signals are also found in the SW fluxes for the Pinatubo volcanic event. These systematic changes in fluxes are related to changes in large-scale circulations and energy transport in the atmosphere and ocean. Some estimates of signal-to-noise and reliability are discussed to place our results in context.

The Pascal Mars Scout Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haberle, R. M.; Fonda, Mark (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Except for Earth, Mars is the planet most amenable to surface-based climate studies. Its surface is accessible, and the kind of observations that are needed, such as meteorological measurements from a long-lived global network, are readily achievable. Weather controls the movement of dust, the exchange of water between the surface and atmosphere, and the cycling of CO2 between the poles. We know there is a weather signal, we know how to measure it, and we know how to interpret it. Pascal seeks to understand the long-term global behavior of near-surface weather systems on Mars, how they interact with its surface, and, therefore, how they control its climate system. To achieve this, Pascal delivers 18 Science Stations to the surface of the planet that operate for three Mars years (5.6 Earth years). The network has stations operating in the tropics, midlatitudes, and polar regions of both hemispheres. During entry, descent, and landing, each Pascal probe acquires deceleration measurements to determine thermal structure, and descent images to characterize local terrain. On the surface, each Science Station takes daily measurements of pressure, opacity, temperature, wind speed, and water vapor concentration and monthly panoramic images of the landing environment. These data will characterize the planet's climate system and how atmosphere-surface interactions control it. The Pascal mission is named after 17th century French Scientist, Blaise Pascal, who pioneered measurements of atmospheric pressure. Pressure is the most critical measurement because it records the "heartbeat" of the planet's general circulation and climate system.

Hydrologic Remote Sensing and Land Surface Data Assimilation.

PubMed

Moradkhani, Hamid

2008-05-06

Accurate, reliable and skillful forecasting of key environmental variables such as soil moisture and snow are of paramount importance due to their strong influence on many water resources applications including flood control, agricultural production and effective water resources management which collectively control the behavior of the climate system. Soil moisture is a key state variable in land surface-atmosphere interactions affecting surface energy fluxes, runoff and the radiation balance. Snow processes also have a large influence on land-atmosphere energy exchanges due to snow high albedo, low thermal conductivity and considerable spatial and temporal variability resulting in the dramatic change on surface and ground temperature. Measurement of these two variables is possible through variety of methods using ground-based and remote sensing procedures. Remote sensing, however, holds great promise for soil moisture and snow measurements which have considerable spatial and temporal variability. Merging these measurements with hydrologic model outputs in a systematic and effective way results in an improvement of land surface model prediction. Data Assimilation provides a mechanism to combine these two sources of estimation. Much success has been attained in recent years in using data from passive microwave sensors and assimilating them into the models. This paper provides an overview of the remote sensing measurement techniques for soil moisture and snow data and describes the advances in data assimilation techniques through the ensemble filtering, mainly Ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and Particle filter (PF), for improving the model prediction and reducing the uncertainties involved in prediction process. It is believed that PF provides a complete representation of the probability distribution of state variables of interests (according to sequential Bayes law) and could be a strong alternative to EnKF which is subject to some limitations including the linear updating rule and assumption of jointly normal distribution of errors in state variables and observation.

Analysis of global land surface albedo climatology and spatial-temporal variation during 1981-2010 from multiple satellite products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Tao; Liang, Shunlin; Song, Dan-Xia

2014-09-01

For several decades, long-term time series data sets of multiple global land surface albedo products have been generated from satellite observations. These data sets have been used as one of the key variables in climate change studies. This study aims to assess the surface albedo climatology and to analyze long-term albedo changes, from nine satellite-based data sets for the period 1981-2010, on a global basis. Results show that climatological surface albedo data sets derived from satellite observations can be used to validate, calibrate, and further improve surface albedo simulations and parameterizations in current climate models. However, the albedo products derived from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project and the Global Energy and Water Exchanges Project have large seasonal biases. At latitudes higher than 50°, the maximal difference in winter zonal albedo ranges from 0.1 to 0.4 among the nine satellite data sets. Satellite-based albedo data sets agree relatively well during the summer at high latitudes, with a standard deviation of 0.04 for the 70°-80° zone in both hemispheres. The fine-resolution (0.05°) data sets agree well with each other for all the land cover types in middle to low latitudes; however, large spread was identified for their albedos at middle to high latitudes over land covers with mixed snow and sparse vegetation. By analyzing the time series of satellite-based albedo products over the past three decades, albedo of the Northern Hemisphere was found to be decreasing in July, likely due to the shrinking snow cover. Meanwhile, albedo in January was found to be increasing, likely because of the expansion of snow cover in northern winter. However, to improve the albedo estimation at high latitudes, and ultimately the climate models used for long-term climate change studies, a still better understanding of differences between satellite-based albedo data sets is required.

The carbon cycle in the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS-ESM1) - Part 1: Model description and pre-industrial simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Law, Rachel M.; Ziehn, Tilo; Matear, Richard J.; Lenton, Andrew; Chamberlain, Matthew A.; Stevens, Lauren E.; Wang, Ying-Ping; Srbinovsky, Jhan; Bi, Daohua; Yan, Hailin; Vohralik, Peter F.

2017-07-01

Earth system models (ESMs) that incorporate carbon-climate feedbacks represent the present state of the art in climate modelling. Here, we describe the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS)-ESM1, which comprises atmosphere (UM7.3), land (CABLE), ocean (MOM4p1), and sea-ice (CICE4.1) components with OASIS-MCT coupling, to which ocean and land carbon modules have been added. The land carbon model (as part of CABLE) can optionally include both nitrogen and phosphorous limitation on the land carbon uptake. The ocean carbon model (WOMBAT, added to MOM) simulates the evolution of phosphate, oxygen, dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity and iron with one class of phytoplankton and zooplankton. We perform multi-centennial pre-industrial simulations with a fixed atmospheric CO2 concentration and different land carbon model configurations (prescribed or prognostic leaf area index). We evaluate the equilibration of the carbon cycle and present the spatial and temporal variability in key carbon exchanges. Simulating leaf area index results in a slight warming of the atmosphere relative to the prescribed leaf area index case. Seasonal and interannual variations in land carbon exchange are sensitive to whether leaf area index is simulated, with interannual variations driven by variability in precipitation and temperature. We find that the response of the ocean carbon cycle shows reasonable agreement with observations. While our model overestimates surface phosphate values, the global primary productivity agrees well with observations. Our analysis highlights some deficiencies inherent in the carbon models and where the carbon simulation is negatively impacted by known biases in the underlying physical model and consequent limits on the applicability of this model version. We conclude the study with a brief discussion of key developments required to further improve the realism of our model simulation.

43 CFR 3436.1-2 - Federal coal deposits subject to lease by exchange.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Federal coal deposits subject to lease by... Coal Lease and Coal Land Exchanges: Alluvial Valley Floors § 3436.1-2 Federal coal deposits subject to... Federal coal deposits determined to be acceptable for further consideration for coal leasing pursuant to...

Uncertainties in estimates of fAPAR for photosynthesis (fAPARPSN) in tropical, Arctic/boreal, coastal, and wetland-dominant regions when approximated with fAPARcanopy and NDVI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Q.; Yao, T.

2016-12-01

The climate is affected by the land surface through regulating the exchange of mass and energy with the atmosphere. The energy that reaches the land surface has three pathways: (1) reflected into atmosphere; (2) absorbed for photosynthesis; and (3) discarded as latent and sensible heat or emitted as fluorescence. Vegetation removes CO2 from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis, but also releases CO2 back into the atmosphere through the process of respiration. The complex set of vegetation-soil-atmosphere interactions requires that a realistic land-surface parameterization be included in any climate model or general circulation model (GCM) to accurately simulate canopy photosynthesis and stomatal conductance.We retrieve fraction of PAR absorbed by chlorophyll (fAPARchl) with an advanced canopy-leaf-soil-snow-water coupled radiative transfer model. Most ecological models and land-surface models that simulate vegetation GPP with remote sensing data utilize fraction of PAR absorbed by the whole canopy (fAPARcanopy). However, only the PAR absorbed by chlorophyll is potentially available for photosynthesis since the PAR absorbed by non-photosynthetic vegetation section (NPV) of the canopy is not used for photosynthesis. Therefore, fAPARchl (rather than fAPARcanopy) should be utilized to estimate fAPAR for photosynthesis (fAPARPSN), and thus in GPP simulation. Globally selected sites include those sites in tropical, Arctic/boreal, coastal, and wetland-dominant regions. The fAPARchl and fAPARcanopy products for a surrounding area 50 km x 50 km of each site are mapped. The fAPARchl is utilized to estimate GPP, and compared to tower flux GPP for validation. The GPP estimation performance with fAPARchl is also compared with the GPP estimation performance with MOD15A2 FPAR. The fAPARchl product is further implemented into ecological models and land-surface models to simulate vegetation GPP. NDVI is the other proxy of fAPARPSN in GPP estimation. We quantify the uncertainties in estimates of fAPARPSN when approximated with fAPARcanopy and NDVI. The uncertainties are significant and vary spatially, temporally, and with plant functional types.

Eddy covariance flux measurements of net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange from a lowland peatland flux tower network in England and Wales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, Ross; Balzter, Heiko; Burden, Annette; Callaghan, Nathan; Cumming, Alenander; Dixon, Simon; Evans, Jonathan; Kaduk, Joerg; Page, Susan; Pan, Gong; Rayment, Mark; Ridley, Luke; Rylett, Daniel; Worrall, Fred; Evans, Christopher

2016-04-01

Peatlands store disproportionately large amounts of soil carbon relative to other terrestrial ecosystems. Over recent decades, the large amount of carbon stored as peat has proved vulnerable to a range of land use pressures as well as the increasing impacts of climate change. In temperate Europe and elsewhere, large tracts of lowland peatland have been drained and converted to agricultural land use. Such changes have resulted in widespread losses of lowland peatland habitat, land subsidence across extensive areas and the transfer of historically accumulated soil carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2). More recently, there has been growth in activities aiming to reduce these impacts through improved land management and peatland restoration. Despite a long history of productive land use and management, the magnitude and controls on greenhouse gas emissions from lowland peatland environments remain poorly quantified. Here, results of surface-atmosphere measurements of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) from a network of seven eddy covariance (EC) flux towers located at a range of lowland peatland ecosystems across the United Kingdom (UK) are presented. This spatially-dense peatland flux tower network forms part of a wider observation programme aiming to quantify carbon, water and greenhouse gas balances for lowland peatlands across the UK. EC measurements totalling over seventeen site years were obtained at sites exhibiting large differences in vegetation cover, hydrological functioning and land management. The sites in the network show remarkable spatial and temporal variability in NEE. Across sites, annual NEE ranged from a net sink of -194 ±38 g CO2-C m-2 yr-1 to a net source of 784±70 g CO2-C m-2 yr-1. The results suggest that semi-natural sites remain net sinks for atmospheric CO2. Sites that are drained for intensive agricultural production range from a small net sink to the largest observed source for atmospheric CO2 within the flux tower network. Extensively managed grassland and a site that was restored from intensive arable land use represent modest CO2 sources. Temporal variations in CO2 fluxes at sites with permanent vegetation cover are coupled to seasonal and interannual variations in weather conditions and phenology. The type of crop produced and agricultural management drive large temporal differences in the CO2 fluxes of croplands on drained lowland peat soils. The main environmental controls on the spatial and temporal variations in CO2 exchange processes will be discussed.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road; Varied Techniques for Measuring the Land-Atmosphere Exchange of Water and Energy in a California Watershed and the Driving Influences on this Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochendorfer, J.; Viers, J.; Niswonger, R.; Paw U, K.; Haas, E.; Reck, R. A.

2005-12-01

In conjunction with the Cosumnes Research Group, we performed a field study along the Cosumnes River in California's Central Valley. The study included tower-based evapotranspiration estimates, continuous hydrologic measurements, and analysis of remote sensing data. We estimated the effects of phreatophytic evapotranspiration on groundwater from scales as small as an individual stand of trees to as large as the watershed and explored the climactic and hydrologic controls over riparian evapotranspiration. Tower-based evapotranspiration measurements included one eddy covariance tower within a cottonwood forest (Populus fremontii), and one surface temperature/micrometeorological evapotranspiration tower within a willow stand (Salix lasiolepis). The technique used on the surface temperature/micrometeorological evapotranspiration tower was developed and chosen in preference to eddy covariance for a site where a considerable quantity of the riparian ecosystem to atmosphere exchange is advective. Hydrologic techniques included measurements of groundwater depth and volumetric soil moisture. We also examined multitemporal, multiresolution remotely sensed imagery to correlate evapotranspiration rates for a restored cottonwood forest with derived vegetation indices. These indices were evaluated for applicability to other restored riparian habitats within the Cosumnes River Preserve and to help guide future restoration actions as a function of hydrologic connectivity and water demand.

Development OF A Multi-Scale Framework for Mapping Global Evapotranspiration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hain, Christopher R.; Anderson, Martha C.; Schull, Mitchell; Neale, Christopher; Zhan, Xiwu

2017-01-01

As the worlds water resources come under increasing tension due to dual stressors of climate change and population growth, accurate knowledge of water consumption through evapotranspiration (ET) over a range in spatial scales will be critical in developing adaptation strategies. Remote sensing methods for monitoring consumptive water use (e.g, ET) are becoming increasingly important, especially in areas of significant water and food insecurity. One method to estimate ET from satellite-based methods, the Atmosphere Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model uses the change in mid-morning land surface temperature to estimate the partitioning of sensible and latent heat fluxes which are then used to estimate daily ET. This presentation will outline several recent enhancements to the ALEXI modeling system, with a focus on global ET and drought monitoring.

43 CFR 2203.1 - Opportunity for public comment and public meeting on exchange proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.1 Opportunity for public... Federal coal deposits, the authorized officer shall publish and distribute a notice of exchange proposal... meeting on exchange proposal. 2203.1 Section 2203.1 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public...

43 CFR 2203.1 - Opportunity for public comment and public meeting on exchange proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.1 Opportunity for public... Federal coal deposits, the authorized officer shall publish and distribute a notice of exchange proposal... meeting on exchange proposal. 2203.1 Section 2203.1 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public...

43 CFR 2203.1 - Opportunity for public comment and public meeting on exchange proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.1 Opportunity for public... Federal coal deposits, the authorized officer shall publish and distribute a notice of exchange proposal... meeting on exchange proposal. 2203.1 Section 2203.1 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public...

43 CFR 2203.1 - Opportunity for public comment and public meeting on exchange proposal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.1 Opportunity for public... Federal coal deposits, the authorized officer shall publish and distribute a notice of exchange proposal... meeting on exchange proposal. 2203.1 Section 2203.1 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public...

Overview of the mechanisms that could explain the 'Boundary Exchange' at the land-ocean contact.

PubMed

Jeandel, Catherine

2016-11-28

Land to ocean transfer of material largely controls the chemical composition of seawater and the global element cycles. Oceanic isotopic budgets of chemical species, macro- and micronutrients (e.g. Nd, Sr, Si, Mg, Zn, Mo and Ni) have revealed an imbalance between their sources and sinks. Radiogenic isotope budgets underlined the importance of taking into account continental margins as a source of elements to oceans. They also highlighted that the net land-ocean inputs of chemical species probably result from particle-dissolved exchange processes, named 'Boundary Exchange'. Yet, locations where 'Boundary Exchange' occurs are not clearly identified and reviewed here: discharge of huge amount of freshly weathered particles at the river mouths, submarine weathering of deposited sediments along the margins, submarine groundwater discharges and subterranean estuaries. As a whole, we conclude that all of them might contribute to 'Boundary Exchange'. Highlighting their specific roles and the processes at play is a key scientific issue for the second half of GEOTRACES.This article is part of the themed issue 'Biological and climatic impacts of ocean trace element chemistry'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Air-surface exchange measurements of gaseous elemental mercury over naturally enriched and background terrestrial landscapes in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, G. C.; Howard, D. A.

2013-05-01

This paper presents the first gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) air-surface exchange measurements obtained over naturally enriched and background (<0.1 μg g-1 Hg) terrestrial landscapes in Australia. Two pilot field studies were carried out during the Australian autumn and winter periods at a copper-gold-cobalt-arsenic-mercury mineral field near Pulganbar, NSW. GEM fluxes using a dynamic flux chamber approach were measured, along with controlling environmental parameters over three naturally enriched and three background substrates. The enriched sites results showed net emission to the atmosphere and a strong correlation between flux and substrate Hg concentration, with average fluxes ranging from 14 ± 1 ng m-2 h-1 to 113 ± 6 ng m-2 h-1. Measurements at background sites showed both emission and deposition. The average Hg flux from all background sites showed an overall net emission of 0.36 ± 0.06 ng m-2 h-1. Fluxes show strong relationships with temperature, radiation, and substrate parameters. A compensation point of 2.48, representative of bare soils was determined. For periods of deposition, dry deposition velocities ranged from 0.00025 cm s-1 to 0.0083 cm s-1 with an average of 0.0041 ± 0.00018 cm s-1, representing bare soil, nighttime conditions. Comparison of the Australian data to North American data suggests the need for Australian-specific mercury air-surface exchange data representative of Australia's unique climatic conditions, vegetation types, land use patterns and soils.

Greenhouse Gas Exchange in Small Arctic Thaw Ponds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurion, I.; Bégin, P. N.; Bouchard, F.; Preskienis, V.

2014-12-01

Arctic lakes and ponds can represent up to one quarter of the land surface in permafrost landscapes, particularly in lowland tundra landscapes characterized by ice wedge organic polygons. Thaw ponds can be defined as the aquatic ecosystems associated to thawing of organic soils, either resulting from active layer processes and located above low-center peat polygons (hereafter low-center polygonal or LCP ponds), or resulting from thermokarst slumping above melting ice wedges linked to the accelerated degradation of permafrost (hereafter ice-wedge trough or IWT ponds). These ponds can merge together forming larger water bodies, but with relatively stable shores (hereafter merged polygonal or MPG ponds), and with limnological characteristics similar to LCP ponds. These aquatic systems are very small and shallow, and present a different physical structure than the larger thermokarst lakes, generated after years of development and land subsidence. In a glacier valley on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, thermokarst and kettle lakes together represent 29% of the aquatic area, with a thermal profile resembling those of more standard arctic lakes (mixed epilimnion). The IWT ponds (44% of the area) are stratified for a large fraction of the summer despite their shallowness, while LCP and MPG ponds (27% of the area) show a more homogeneous water column. This will affect gas exchange in these diverse aquatic systems, in addition to their unique microbiota and organic carbon lability that control the production and consumption rates of greenhouse gases. The stratification in IWT ponds generates hypoxic conditions at the bottom, and together with the larger availability of organic carbon, stimulates methanogenesis and limits the mitigating action of methanotrophs. Overall, thaw ponds are largely supersaturated in methane, with IWT ponds dominating the emissions in this landscape (92% of total aquatic emissions estimated for the same valley), and they present large variations in emission rates. Conventional wind-based models seem inappropriate to simulate GHG exchanges, as seen when comparing with floating chamber estimations. Surface renewal models that consider heat exchanges are used to estimate flux more accurately, and ebullition flux are measured with submerged funnels to compare with diffusive flux estimations.

Trends in entropy production during ecosystem development in the Amazon Basin.

PubMed

Holdaway, Robert J; Sparrow, Ashley D; Coomes, David A

2010-05-12

Understanding successional trends in energy and matter exchange across the ecosystem-atmosphere boundary layer is an essential focus in ecological research; however, a general theory describing the observed pattern remains elusive. This paper examines whether the principle of maximum entropy production could provide the solution. A general framework is developed for calculating entropy production using data from terrestrial eddy covariance and micrometeorological studies. We apply this framework to data from eight tropical forest and pasture flux sites in the Amazon Basin and show that forest sites had consistently higher entropy production rates than pasture sites (0.461 versus 0.422 W m(-2) K(-1), respectively). It is suggested that during development, changes in canopy structure minimize surface albedo, and development of deeper root systems optimizes access to soil water and thus potential transpiration, resulting in lower surface temperatures and increased entropy production. We discuss our results in the context of a theoretical model of entropy production versus ecosystem developmental stage. We conclude that, although further work is required, entropy production could potentially provide a much-needed theoretical basis for understanding the effects of deforestation and land-use change on the land-surface energy balance.

Multi-Scale Observation and Modelling of Energy and Matter Exchange in the Atmospheric Boundary-Layer (ScaleX Campaigns)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeeman, M. J.; Wolz, K.; Adler, B.; Brenner, C.; De Roo, F.; Emeis, S.; Kalthoff, N.; Mauder, M.; Schäfer, K.; Wohlfahrt, G.; Zhao, P.

2016-12-01

We investigated biosphere-atmosphere exchange processes in relation to the atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) flow in a shallow valley. Land-use heterogeneity and topography can force local atmospheric flow patterns, including local circulations. Such flow patterns can impair current techniques for the quantification and source attribution of surface-exchange fluxes due to flux-divergence, advection and decoupling. Wind field, temperature and humidity structures in the ABL were observed in high resolution with spatially distributed observations in a 1 km3 experimental domain. Remote-sensing observations of wind, temperature and particles in the ABL (Raman-lidar; RASS; ceilometer; microwave radiometer; 3D Doppler-lidar) were combined with a high-resolution network of in-situ observations that included vertical and horizontal profiles of wind, temperature, carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor concentrations. The experiments were co-located with the long-term eddy covariance (EC) observatory Fendt (DE-Fen; ICOS, TERENO) and were part of international cooperative efforts in 2015 and 2016 (the ScaleX campaigns). The gathered experimental data offers a scale-transcending insight in local flow patterns in mountainous terrain and their influence on surface-exchange fluxes of energy and matter as observed by EC and flux-gradient methodology. In addition, the data is used for validation of Large-Eddy Simulations in complex terrain using PALM-LES. Within this modelling framework, virtual measurements are conducted to further assess the importance of three-dimensional advective and horizontal turbulent transport terms.

Quantifying uncertainties of permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, Eleanor J.; Ekici, Altug; Huang, Ye; Chadburn, Sarah E.; Huntingford, Chris; Ciais, Philippe; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Peng, Shushi; Krinner, Gerhard

2017-06-01

The land surface models JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator, two versions) and ORCHIDEE-MICT (Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems), each with a revised representation of permafrost carbon, were coupled to the Integrated Model Of Global Effects of climatic aNomalies (IMOGEN) intermediate-complexity climate and ocean carbon uptake model. IMOGEN calculates atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and local monthly surface climate for a given emission scenario with the land-atmosphere CO2 flux exchange from either JULES or ORCHIDEE-MICT. These simulations include feedbacks associated with permafrost carbon changes in a warming world. Both IMOGEN-JULES and IMOGEN-ORCHIDEE-MICT were forced by historical and three alternative future-CO2-emission scenarios. Those simulations were performed for different climate sensitivities and regional climate change patterns based on 22 different Earth system models (ESMs) used for CMIP3 (phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project), allowing us to explore climate uncertainties in the context of permafrost carbon-climate feedbacks. Three future emission scenarios consistent with three representative concentration pathways were used: RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Paired simulations with and without frozen carbon processes were required to quantify the impact of the permafrost carbon feedback on climate change. The additional warming from the permafrost carbon feedback is between 0.2 and 12 % of the change in the global mean temperature (ΔT) by the year 2100 and 0.5 and 17 % of ΔT by 2300, with these ranges reflecting differences in land surface models, climate models and emissions pathway. As a percentage of ΔT, the permafrost carbon feedback has a greater impact on the low-emissions scenario (RCP2.6) than on the higher-emissions scenarios, suggesting that permafrost carbon should be taken into account when evaluating scenarios of heavy mitigation and stabilization. Structural differences between the land surface models (particularly the representation of the soil carbon decomposition) are found to be a larger source of uncertainties than differences in the climate response. Inertia in the permafrost carbon system means that the permafrost carbon response depends on the temporal trajectory of warming as well as the absolute amount of warming. We propose a new policy-relevant metric - the frozen carbon residence time (FCRt) in years - that can be derived from these complex land surface models and used to quantify the permafrost carbon response given any pathway of global temperature change.

Seasonal variability of the Red Sea, from GRACE time-variable gravity and altimeter sea surface height measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahr, John; Smeed, David; Leuliette, Eric; Swenson, Sean

2014-05-01

Seasonal variability of sea surface height and mass within the Red Sea, occurs mostly through the exchange of heat with the atmosphere and wind-driven inflow and outflow of water through the strait of Bab el Mandab that opens into the Gulf of Aden to the south. The seasonal effects of precipitation and evaporation, of water exchange through the Suez Canal to the north, and of runoff from the adjacent land, are all small. The flow through the Bab el Mandab involves a net mass transfer into the Red Sea during the winter and a net transfer out during the summer. But that flow has a multi-layer pattern, so that in the summer there is actually an influx of cool water at intermediate (~100 m) depths. Thus, summer water in the southern Red Sea is warmer near the surface due to higher air temperatures, but cooler at intermediate depths (especially in the far south). Summer water in the northern Red Sea experiences warming by air-sea exchange only. The temperature profile affects the water density, which impacts the sea surface height but has no effect on vertically integrated mass. Here, we study this seasonal cycle by combining GRACE time-variable mass estimates, altimeter (Jason-1, Jason-2, and Envisat) measurements of sea surface height, and steric sea surface height contributions derived from depth-dependent, climatological values of temperature and salinity obtained from the World Ocean Atlas. We find good consistency, particularly in the northern Red Sea, between these three data types. Among the general characteristics of our results are: (1) the mass contributions to seasonal SSHT variations are much larger than the steric contributions; (2) the mass signal is largest in winter, consistent with winds pushing water into the Red Sea through the Strait of Bab el Mandab in winter, and out during the summer; and (3) the steric signal is largest in summer, consistent with summer sea surface warming.

Air-sea Exchange of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in the Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lammel, G. P.; Heil, A.; Kukucka, P.; Meixner, F. X.; Mulder, M. D.; Prybilova, P.; Prokes, R.; Rusina, T. S.; Song, G. Z.; Vrana, B.

2015-12-01

The marine atmospheric environment is a receptor for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which are advected from sources on land, primary, such as biomass burning by-products (PAHs, dioxins), and secondary, such as volatilization from contaminated soils (PCBs, pesticides). Primary sources do not exist in the marine environment, except for PAHs (ship engines) but following previous atmospheric deposition, the sea surface may turn to a secondary source by reversal of diffusive air-sea mass exchange. No monitoring is in place. We studied the vertical fluxes of a wide range of primary and secondary emitted POPs based on measurements in air and surface seawater at a remote coastal site in the eastern Mediterranean (2012). To this end, silicon rubbers were used as passive water samplers, vertical concentration gradients were determined in air and fluxes were quantified based on Eddy covariance. Diffusive air-sea exchange fluxes of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and semivolatile PAHs were found close to phase equilibrium, except one PAH, retene, a wood burning tracer, was found seasonally net-volatilisational. Some PCBs, p,p'-DDE, penta- and hexachlorobenzene (PeCB, HCB) were mostly net-depositional, while PBDEs were net-volatilizational. Fluxes determined at a a remote coastal site ranged -33 - +2.4 µg m-2 d-1 for PAHs and -4.0 - +0.3 µg m-2 d-1for halogenated compounds (< 0 means net-deposition, > 0 means net-volatilization). It is concluded that nowadays in open seas more pollutants are undergoing reversal of the direction of air-sea exchange. Recgional fire activity records in combination with box model simulations suggest that deposition of retene during summer is followed by a reversal of air-sea exchange. The seawater surface as secondary source of pollution should be assessed based on flux measurements across seasons and over longer time periods.

43 CFR 3435.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3435.1 Section 3435..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Lease Exchange § 3435.1 Coal lease exchanges. Where the Secretary determines that coal exploration, development and mining operations...

43 CFR 3435.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3435.1 Section 3435..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Lease Exchange § 3435.1 Coal lease exchanges. Where the Secretary determines that coal exploration, development and mining operations...

43 CFR 3435.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3435.1 Section 3435..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Lease Exchange § 3435.1 Coal lease exchanges. Where the Secretary determines that coal exploration, development and mining operations...

43 CFR 3435.1 - Coal lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Coal lease exchanges. 3435.1 Section 3435..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASES Lease Exchange § 3435.1 Coal lease exchanges. Where the Secretary determines that coal exploration, development and mining operations...

Forests tend to cool the land surface in the temperate zone: An analysis of the mechanisms controlling radiometric surface temperature change in managed temperate ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoy, P. C.; Katul, G. G.; Juang, J.; Siqueira, M. B.; Novick, K. A.; Essery, R.; Dore, S.; Kolb, T. E.; Montes-Helu, M. C.; Scott, R. L.

2010-12-01

Vegetation is an important control on the surface energy balance and thereby surface temperature. Boreal forests and arctic shrubs are thought to warm the land surface by absorbing more radiation than the vegetation they replace. The surface temperatures of tropical forests tend to be cooler than deforested landscapes due to enhanced evapotranspiration. The effects of reforestation on surface temperature change in the temperate zone is less-certain, but recent modeling efforts suggest forests have a global warming effect. We quantified the mechanisms driving radiometric surface changes following landcover changes using paired ecosystem case studies from the Ameriflux database with energy balance models of varying complexity. Results confirm previous findings that deciduous and coniferous forests in the southeastern U.S. are ca. 1 °C cooler than an adjacent field on an annual basis because aerodynamic/ecophysiological cooling of 2-3 °C outweighs an albedo-related warming of <1 °C. A 50-70% reduction in the aerodynamic resistance to sensible and latent heat exchange in the forests dominated the cooling effect. A grassland ecosystem that succeeded a stand-replacing ponderosa pine fire was ca. 1 °C warmer than unburned stands because a 1.5 °C aerodynamic warming offset a slight surface cooling due to greater albedo and soil heat flux. An ecosystem dominated by mesquite shrub encroachment was nearly 2 °C warmer than a native grassland ecosystem as aerodynamic and albedo-related warming outweighed a small cooling effect due to changes in soil heat flux. The forested ecosystems in these case studies are documented to have higher carbon uptake than the non-forested systems. Results suggest that temperate forests tend to cool the land surface and suggest that previous model-based findings that forests warm the Earth’s surface globally should be reconsidered.Changes to radiometric surface temperature (K) following changes in vegetation using paired ecosystem case studies C4 grassland and shrub ecosystem surface temperatures were adjusted for differences in air temperature across sites.

The impact of historical land use change from 1850 to 2000 on secondary particulate matter and ozone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heald, Colette L.; Geddes, Jeffrey A.

2016-12-01

Anthropogenic land use change (LUC) since preindustrial (1850) has altered the vegetation distribution and density around the world. We use a global model (GEOS-Chem) to assess the attendant changes in surface air quality and the direct radiative forcing (DRF). We focus our analysis on secondary particulate matter and tropospheric ozone formation. The general trend of expansion of managed ecosystems (croplands and pasturelands) at the expense of natural ecosystems has led to an 11 % decline in global mean biogenic volatile organic compound emissions. Concomitant growth in agricultural activity has more than doubled ammonia emissions and increased emissions of nitrogen oxides from soils by more than 50 %. Conversion to croplands has also led to a widespread increase in ozone dry deposition velocity. Together these changes in biosphere-atmosphere exchange have led to a 14 % global mean increase in biogenic secondary organic aerosol (BSOA) surface concentrations, a doubling of surface aerosol nitrate concentrations, and local changes in surface ozone of up to 8.5 ppb. We assess a global mean LUC-DRF of +0.017, -0.071, and -0.01 W m-2 for BSOA, nitrate, and tropospheric ozone, respectively. We conclude that the DRF and the perturbations in surface air quality associated with LUC (and the associated changes in agricultural emissions) are substantial and should be considered alongside changes in anthropogenic emissions and climate feedbacks in chemistry-climate studies.

Influence of increasing active-layer depth and continued permafrost degradation on carbon, water and energy fluxes over two forested permafrost landscapes in the Taiga Plains, NWT, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonnentag, O.; Baltzer, J.; Chasmer, L. E.; Detto, M.; Marsh, P.; Quinton, W. L.

2012-12-01

Recent research suggests an increase in active-layer depth (ALD) in the continuous permafrost zone and degradation of the discontinuous permafrost zone into seasonally frozen. Increasing ALD and continued permafrost degradation will have far-reaching consequences for northern ecosystems including altered regional hydrology and the exposure of additional soil organic carbon (C) to microbial decomposition. These changes might cause positive or negative net feedbacks to the climate system by altering important land surface properties and/or by releasing stored soil organic C to the atmosphere as CO2 and/or CH4. Knowledge gaps exist regarding the links between increasing ALD and/or permafrost degradation, regional hydrology, vegetation composition and structure, land surface properties, and CO2 and CH4 sink-source strengths. The goal of our interdisciplinary project is to shed light on these links by providing a mechanistic understanding of permafrost-thawing consequences for hydrological, ecophysiological and biogeochemical processes at two forested permafrost landscapes in the Taiga Plains, NWT, Canada: Scotty Creek and Havikpak Creek in the discontinuous and in the continuous permafrost zones, respectively (Fig.). The sites will be equipped with identical sets of instrumentation (start: 2013), to measure landscape-scale net exchanges of CO2, CH4, water and energy with the eddy covariance technique. These measurements will be complemented by repeated surveys of surface and frost table topography and vegetation, by land cover-type specific fluxes of CO2 and CH4 measured with a static chamber technique, and by remote sensing-based footprint analysis. With this research we will address the following questions: What is the net effect of permafrost thawing-induced biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks to the climate system? How do these two different types of feedback differ between the discontinuous and continuous permafrost zones? Is the decrease (increase) in net CO2 (CH4) exchange measured over mostly tundra sites in the continuous permafrost zone generalizable to forested landscapes in both the discontinuous and continuous permafrost zones? With this contribution, we report on the project status, present its objectives and hypotheses, and outline its timeline and sampling design.

The Arctic Vegetation Type Change retrieved from Spaceborne Observations and its Influence on the Simulation of Permafrost Thawing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y.; Wang, Z.

2017-12-01

The vegetation types change in Arctic has been studied using 10 years of MODIS land cover product (MCD12Q1). The shrub expansion is observed in Alaska and Northeast Asia, while shrub fraction decreases in North Canada and Southwest Arctic Eurasia. The total Arctic shrub fraction increases 3% in 10 years. The tundra decreases where the shrub expands, and thrives where the shrub retreats. In order to isolate the influence of the vegetation dynamic on the permafrost thawing, the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem in recent decades will be simulated using the Community Land Model (CLM) with and without the vegetation type changes. The energy and carbon exchange on the land surface will also be simulated and compared. Acknowledgement: This work was supported by the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI, PN17081) and the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (2015R1C1A2A01054800).

Comparison of WRF local and nonlocal boundary layer Physics in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ooi, M. C. G.; Chan, A.; Kumarenthiran, S.; Morris, K. I.; Oozeer, M. Y.; Islam, M. A.; Salleh, S. A.

2018-02-01

The urban boundary layer (UBL) is the internal advection layer of atmosphere above urban region which determines the exchanges of momentum, water and other atmospheric constituents between the urban land surface and the free troposphere. This paper tested the performance of three planetary boundary layer (PBL) physics schemes of Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) software to ensure the appropriate representation of vertical structure of UBL in Greater Kuala Lumpur (GKL). Comparison was conducted on the performance of respective PBL schemes to generate vertical and near-surface weather profile and rainfall. Mellor-Yamada- Janjíc (MYJ) local PBL scheme coupled with Eta MM5 surface layer scheme was found to predict the near-surface temperature and wind profile and mixing height better than the nonlocal schemes during the intermonsoonal period with least influences of the synoptic background weather.

Direct estimation of land surface albedo from VIIRS data: Algorithm improvement and preliminary validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Dongdong; Liang, Shunlin; He, Tao; Yu, Yunyue

2013-11-01

surface albedo (LSA), part of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) surface albedo environmental data record (EDR), is an essential variable regulating shortwave energy exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. Two sub-algorithms, the dark pixel sub-algorithm (DPSA) and the bright pixel sub-algorithm (BPSA), were proposed for retrieving LSA from VIIRS data. The BPSA estimates LSA directly from VIIRS top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance through simulation of atmospheric radiative transfer. Several changes have been made to improve the BPSA since the deployment of VIIRS. A database of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) is collected and converted to bidirectional reflectance at VIIRS bands. The converted reflectance is then used as input to the atmospheric radiative transfer model to generate a look-up table (LUT) of regression coefficients with consideration of surface BRDF. Before its implementation in the operational system, the new BPSA is tested on the local infrastructure. The incorporation of the surface BRDF improves the accuracy of LSA estimation and reduces the temporal variation of LSA over stable surfaces. VIIRS LSA retrievals agree well with the MODIS albedo products. Comparison with field measurements at seven Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) Network sites shows that VIIRS LSA retrieved from the LUT with surface BRDF has an R2 value of 0.80 and root mean square error of 0.049, better than MODIS albedo products. The VIIRS results have a slight negative bias of 0.004, whereas the MODIS albedo is underestimated with a larger negative bias of 0.026.

Methane Fluxes from Subtropical Wetlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLucia, N.; Gomez-Casanovas, N.; Bernacchi, C.

2013-12-01

It is well documented that green house gas concentrations have risen at unequivocal rates since the industrial revolution but the disparity between anthropogenic sources and natural sources is uncertain. Wetlands are one example of a natural ecosystem that can be a substantial source or sink for methane (CH4) depending on climate conditions. Due to strict anaerobic conditions required for CH4-generating microorganisms, natural wetlands are one of the main sources for biogenic CH4. Although wetlands occupy less than 5% of total land surface area, they contribute approximately 20% of total CH4 emissions to the atmosphere. The processes regulating CH4 emissions are sensitive to land use and management practices of areas surrounding wetlands. Variation in adjacent vegetation or grazing intensity by livestock can, for example, alter CH4 fluxes from wetland soils by altering nutrient balance, carbon inputs and hydrology. Therefore, understanding how these changes will affect wetland source strength is essential to understand the impact of wetland management practices on the global climate system. In this study we quantify wetland methane fluxes from subtropical wetlands on a working cattle ranch in central Florida near Okeechobee Lake (27o10'52.04'N, 81o21'8.56'W). To determine differences in CH4 fluxes associated with land use and management, a replicated (n = 4) full factorial experiment was designed for wetlands where the surrounding vegetation was (1) grazed or un-grazed and (2) composed of native vegetation or improved pasture. Net exchange of CH4 and CO2 between the land surface and the atmosphere were sampled with a LICOR Li-7700 open path CH4 analyzer and Li-7500A open path CO2/H20 analyzer mounted in a 1-m3 static gas-exchange chamber. Our results showed and verified that CH4 emissions from subtropical wetlands were larger when high soil moisture was coupled with high temperatures. The presence of cattle only amplified these results. These results help quantify GHG emissions from subtropical wetlands while demonstrating the differences in these fluxes based on the surrounding ecosystem.

Estimation of Ecosystem Parameters of the Community Land Model with DREAM: Evaluation of the Potential for Upscaling Net Ecosystem Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendricks Franssen, H. J.; Post, H.; Vrugt, J. A.; Fox, A. M.; Baatz, R.; Kumbhar, P.; Vereecken, H.

2015-12-01

Estimation of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) by land surface models is strongly affected by uncertain ecosystem parameters and initial conditions. A possible approach is the estimation of plant functional type (PFT) specific parameters for sites with measurement data like NEE and application of the parameters at other sites with the same PFT and no measurements. This upscaling strategy was evaluated in this work for sites in Germany and France. Ecosystem parameters and initial conditions were estimated with NEE-time series of one year length, or a time series of only one season. The DREAM(zs) algorithm was used for the estimation of parameters and initial conditions. DREAM(zs) is not limited to Gaussian distributions and can condition to large time series of measurement data simultaneously. DREAM(zs) was used in combination with the Community Land Model (CLM) v4.5. Parameter estimates were evaluated by model predictions at the same site for an independent verification period. In addition, the parameter estimates were evaluated at other, independent sites situated >500km away with the same PFT. The main conclusions are: i) simulations with estimated parameters reproduced better the NEE measurement data in the verification periods, including the annual NEE-sum (23% improvement), annual NEE-cycle and average diurnal NEE course (error reduction by factor 1,6); ii) estimated parameters based on seasonal NEE-data outperformed estimated parameters based on yearly data; iii) in addition, those seasonal parameters were often also significantly different from their yearly equivalents; iv) estimated parameters were significantly different if initial conditions were estimated together with the parameters. We conclude that estimated PFT-specific parameters improve land surface model predictions significantly at independent verification sites and for independent verification periods so that their potential for upscaling is demonstrated. However, simulation results also indicate that possibly the estimated parameters mask other model errors. This would imply that their application at climatic time scales would not improve model predictions. A central question is whether the integration of many different data streams (e.g., biomass, remotely sensed LAI) could solve the problems indicated here.

43 CFR 3905.10 - Oil shale lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Oil shale lease exchanges. 3905.10 Section... MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) OIL SHALE MANAGEMENT-GENERAL Lease Exchanges § 3905.10 Oil shale lease exchanges. To facilitate the recovery of oil shale, the BLM may consider...

43 CFR 3905.10 - Oil shale lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Oil shale lease exchanges. 3905.10 Section... MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) OIL SHALE MANAGEMENT-GENERAL Lease Exchanges § 3905.10 Oil shale lease exchanges. To facilitate the recovery of oil shale, the BLM may consider...

43 CFR 3905.10 - Oil shale lease exchanges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Oil shale lease exchanges. 3905.10 Section... MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS MANAGEMENT (3000) OIL SHALE MANAGEMENT-GENERAL Lease Exchanges § 3905.10 Oil shale lease exchanges. To facilitate the recovery of oil shale, the BLM may consider...

Do land surface models need to include differential plant species responses to drought? Examining model predictions across a mesic-xeric gradient in Europe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Kauwe, M. G.; Zhou, S. -X.; Medlyn, B. E.

Future climate change has the potential to increase drought in many regions of the globe, making it essential that land surface models (LSMs) used in coupled climate models realistically capture the drought responses of vegetation. Recent data syntheses show that drought sensitivity varies considerably among plants from different climate zones, but state-of-the-art LSMs currently assume the same drought sensitivity for all vegetation. We tested whether variable drought sensitivities are needed to explain the observed large-scale patterns of drought impact on the carbon, water and energy fluxes. We implemented data-driven drought sensitivities in the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) LSMmore » and evaluated alternative sensitivities across a latitudinal gradient in Europe during the 2003 heatwave. The model predicted an overly abrupt onset of drought unless average soil water potential was calculated with dynamic weighting across soil layers. We found that high drought sensitivity at the most mesic sites, and low drought sensitivity at the most xeric sites, was necessary to accurately model responses during drought. Furthermore, our results indicate that LSMs will over-estimate drought impacts in drier climates unless different sensitivity of vegetation to drought is taken into account.« less

Implementing the Simple Biosphere Model (SiB) in a general circulation model: Methodologies and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sato, N.; Sellers, P. J.; Randall, D. A.; Schneider, E. K.; Shukla, J.; Kinter, J. L., III; Hou, Y.-T.; Albertazzi, E.

1989-01-01

The Simple Biosphere MOdel (SiB) of Sellers et al., (1986) was designed to simulate the interactions between the Earth's land surface and the atmosphere by treating the vegetation explicitly and relistically, thereby incorporating biophysical controls on the exchanges of radiation, momentum, sensible and latent heat between the two systems. The steps taken to implement SiB in a modified version of the National Meteorological Center's spectral GCM are described. The coupled model (SiB-GCM) was used with a conventional hydrological model (Ctl-GCM) to produce summer and winter simulations. The same GCM was used with a conventional hydrological model (Ctl-GCM) to produce comparable 'control' summer and winter variations. It was found that SiB-GCM produced a more realistic partitioning of energy at the land surface than Ctl-GCM. Generally, SiB-GCM produced more sensible heat flux and less latent heat flux over vegetated land than did Ctl-GCM and this resulted in the development of a much deeper daytime planetary boundary and reduced precipitation rates over the continents in SiB-GCM. In the summer simulation, the 200 mb jet stream and the wind speed at 850 mb were slightly weakened in the SiB-GCM relative to the Ctl-GCM results and equivalent analyses from observations.

Do land surface models need to include differential plant species responses to drought? Examining model predictions across a mesic-xeric gradient in Europe

DOE PAGES

De Kauwe, M. G.; Zhou, S. -X.; Medlyn, B. E.; ...

2015-12-21

Future climate change has the potential to increase drought in many regions of the globe, making it essential that land surface models (LSMs) used in coupled climate models realistically capture the drought responses of vegetation. Recent data syntheses show that drought sensitivity varies considerably among plants from different climate zones, but state-of-the-art LSMs currently assume the same drought sensitivity for all vegetation. We tested whether variable drought sensitivities are needed to explain the observed large-scale patterns of drought impact on the carbon, water and energy fluxes. We implemented data-driven drought sensitivities in the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) LSMmore » and evaluated alternative sensitivities across a latitudinal gradient in Europe during the 2003 heatwave. The model predicted an overly abrupt onset of drought unless average soil water potential was calculated with dynamic weighting across soil layers. We found that high drought sensitivity at the most mesic sites, and low drought sensitivity at the most xeric sites, was necessary to accurately model responses during drought. Furthermore, our results indicate that LSMs will over-estimate drought impacts in drier climates unless different sensitivity of vegetation to drought is taken into account.« less

LAI is the major cause of divergence in CO2 fertilization effect in land surface models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Q.; Luo, Y.; Lu, X.; Wang, Y.; Huang, X.; Lin, G., Sr.

2017-12-01

Concentration-carbon feedback (β), also called CO2 fertilization effect, is an important feedback between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere to alleviate global climate change. However, models participating in C4MIP and CMIP5 predicted diverse CO2 fertilization effects under future CO2 inceasing scenarios. Hence identifing the key processes dominating the divergence of β in land surface models is of significance. We calculated CO2 fertilization effects from leaf level, canopy gross productivity level, net ecosystem productivity level and ecosystem carbon stock level in Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) model. Our results identified LAI is the key factor dominating the divergence of β among C3 plants in CABLE model. Saturation of the ecosystem productivity to increasing CO2 is not only regulated by leaf-level response, but also the response of LAI to increasing CO2. The greatest variation among C3 plants at ecosystem level suggests that other processes such as different allocation patterns and soil carbon dynamics of various vegetation types are also responsible for the divergence. Our results indicate that processes regarding to LAI need to be better calibrated according to experiments and observations in order to better represent the response of ecosystem productivity to increasing CO2.

Stepping towards new parameterizations for non-canonical atmospheric surface-layer conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calaf, M.; Margairaz, F.; Pardyjak, E.

2017-12-01

Representing land-atmosphere exchange processes as a lower boundary condition remains a challenge. This is partially a result of the fact that land-surface heterogeneity exists at all spatial scales and its variability does not "average" out with decreasing scales. Such variability need not rapidly blend away from the boundary thereby impacting the near-surface region of the atmosphere. Traditionally, momentum and energy fluxes linking the land surface to the flow in NWP models have been parameterized using atmospheric surface layer (ASL) similarity theory. There is ample evidence that such representation is acceptable for stationary and planar-homogeneous flows in the absence of subsidence. However, heterogeneity remains a ubiquitous feature eliciting appreciable deviations when using ASL similarity theory, especially in scalars such moisture and air temperature whose blending is less efficient when compared to momentum. The focus of this project is to quantify the effect of surface thermal heterogeneity with scales Ο(1/10) the height of the atmospheric boundary layer and characterized by uniform roughness. Such near-canonical cases describe inhomogeneous scalar transport in an otherwise planar homogeneous flow when thermal stratification is weak or absent. In this work we present a large-eddy simulation study that characterizes the effect of surface thermal heterogeneities on the atmospheric flow using the concept of dispersive fluxes. Results illustrate a regime in which the flow is mostly driven by the surface thermal heterogeneities, in which the contribution of the dispersive fluxes can account for up to 40% of the total sensible heat flux. Results also illustrate an alternative regime in which the effect of the surface thermal heterogeneities is quickly blended, and the dispersive fluxes provide instead a quantification of the flow spatial heterogeneities produced by coherent turbulent structures result of the surface shear stress. A threshold flow-dynamics parameter is introduced to differentiate dispersive fluxes driven by surface thermal heterogeneities from those induced by surface shear. We believe that results from this research are a first step in developing new parameterizations appropriate for non-canonical ASL conditions.

Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, Resource Management Plan Constraints, and Land Exchanges: Cross-Jurisdictional Management and Impacts on Unconventional Fuel Development in Utah's Uinta Basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keiter, Robert; Ruple, John; Holt, Rebecca

Utah is rich in oil shale and oil sands resources. Chief among the challenges facing prospective unconventional fuel developers is the ability to access these resources. Access is heavily dependent upon land ownership and applicable management requirements. Understanding constraints on resource access and the prospect of consolidating resource holdings across a fragmented management landscape is critical to understanding the role Utah’s unconventional fuel resources may play in our nation’s energy policy. This Topical Report explains the historic roots of the “crazy quilt” of western land ownership, how current controversies over management of federal public land with wilderness character could impactmore » access to unconventional fuels resources, and how land exchanges could improve management efficiency. Upon admission to the Union, the State of Utah received the right to title to more than one-ninth of all land within the newly formed state. This land is held in trust to support public schools and institutions, and is managed to generate revenue for trust beneficiaries. State trust lands are scattered across the state in mostly discontinuous 640-acre parcels, many of which are surrounded by federal land and too small to develop on their own. Where state trust lands are developable but surrounded by federal land, federal land management objectives can complicate state trust land development. The difficulty generating revenue from state trust lands can frustrate state and local government officials as well as citizens advocating for economic development. Likewise, the prospect of industrial development of inholdings within prized conservation landscapes creates management challenges for federal agencies. One major tension involves whether certain federal public lands possess wilderness character, and if so, whether management of those lands should emphasize wilderness values over other uses. On December 22, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued Secretarial Order 3310, Protecting Wilderness Characteristics on Lands Managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Supporters argue that the Order merely provides guidance regarding implementation of existing legal obligations without creating new rights or duties. Opponents describe Order 3310 as subverting congressional authority to designate Wilderness Areas and as closing millions of acres of public lands to energy development and commodity production. While opponents succeeded in temporarily defunding the Order’s implementation and forcing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to adopt a more collaborative approach, the fundamental questions remain: Which federal public lands possess wilderness characteristics and how should those lands be managed? The closely related question is: How might management of such resources impact unconventional fuel development within Utah? These questions remain pressing independent of the Order because the BLM, which manages the majority of federal land in Utah, is statutorily obligated to maintain an up-to-date inventory of federal public lands and the resources they contain, including lands with wilderness characteristics. The BLM is also legally obligated to develop and periodically update land use plans, relying on information obtained in its public lands inventory. The BLM cannot sidestep these hard choices, and failure to consider wilderness characteristics during the planning process will derail the planning effort. Based on an analysis of the most recent inventory data, lands with wilderness characteristics — whether already subject to mandatory protection under the Wilderness Act, subject to discretionary protections as part of BLM Resource Management Plan revisions, or potentially subject to new protections under Order 3310 — are unlikely to profoundly impact oil shale development within Utah’s Uinta Basin. Lands with wilderness characteristics are likely to v have a greater impact on oil sands resources, particularly those resources found in the southern part of the state. Management requirements independent of lands with wilderness characteristics far overshadow the challenges posed by wilderness issues. Wilderness character issues aside, a need to improve management integration remains. In researching past efforts to manage across the fragmented landscape we found that unilateral actions have been deeply divisive and engendered distrust among those impacted by the action. This distrust can linger for decades. Collaborative efforts, whether intended to protect lands, foster development, or do both, can represent an attractive alternative to unilateral action. Such collaborative efforts are more likely to succeed when they respond to strong incentives to act, evidence widespread involvement and support, and benefit from a committed champion. Projects are all but certain to fail where participants overreach or one of these elements is missing. For more than three decades, the state and federal government have cooperatively pursued land exchanges in order to “block up” isolated state trust lands and eliminate inholdings. These efforts can advance both conservation and development objectives, and are generally conducted in conjunction with efforts to protect extraordinary federal lands. Congress recognized the value of such exchanges and, as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, directed the Department of the Interior to pursue land exchanges as a means of facilitating environmentally responsible oil shale and oil sands recovery. But land exchanges are not without their challenges. Federal law requires equalizing the value of the lands and resources to be exchanged, and various means of equalizing value have been attempted. More flexible approaches have a higher likelihood of success, but are often criticized as resulting in an economic windfall for one party. Today challenges associated with appraisal and valuation stand as the most significant obstacles in the way of large-scale exchanges. Greater reliance on revenue sharing provisions that prevent an economic windfall to one party and avoid challenges inherent in valuing oil shale and oil sands resources may mark a promising path forward. The success or failure of these efforts could profoundly impact both the prospect of unconventional fuel development and wilderness character protection.« less

Land Use Effects on Atmospheric C-13 Imply a Sizable Terrestrial CO2 Sink in Tropical Latitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Alan R.; Asner, Gregory P.; Tans, Pieter P.; White, James W. C.

2000-01-01

Records of atmospheric CO2 and 13-CO2, can be used to distinguish terrestrial vs. oceanic exchanges of CO2 with the atmosphere. However, this approach has proven difficult in the tropics, partly due to extensive land conversion from C-3 to C-4 vegetation. We estimated the effects of such conversion on biosphere-atmosphere C-13 exchange for 1991 through 1999, and then explored how this 'land-use disequilibrium' altered the partitioning of net atmospheric CO2 exchanges between ocean and land using NOAA-CMDL data and a 2D, zonally averaged atmospheric transport model. Our results show sizable CO2 uptake in C-3-dominated tropical regions in seven of the nine years; 1997 and 1998, which included a strong ENSO event, are near neutral. Since these fluxes include any deforestation source, our findings imply either that such sources are smaller than previously estimated, and/or the existence of a large terrestrial CO2 sink in equatorial latitudes.

Seasonal and Non-seasonal Sea Level Variations by Exchange of Water with Land Hydrology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, Benjamin F.; Au, A. Y.

2004-01-01

The global ocean exchanges a large amount of water, seasonally or non-seasonally, with land hydrology. Apart from the long-term melting of ice sheets and glaciers, the water is exchanged directly as land runoff R, and indirectly via atmosphere in the form of precipitation minus evapo-transpiration P-E. On land, the hydrological budget balance is soil moisture S = P-E-R. The runoff R has been difficult to monitor; but now by combining the following two data sets one can obtain a global estimate, subject to the spatial and temporal resolutions afforded by the data: (1) The space gravity mission GRACE yields monthly S estimate on a spatial scale larger than approx. 1000 km over the last 2.5 years; (2) The atmospheric circulation model output, such as from NCEP, provides proxy estimates for P-E at monthly and approx. 200 km resolutions. We will discuss these estimates and the effects on the global ocean water budget and hence sea level.

Estimation of Transpiration and Water Use Efficiency Using Satellite and Field Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choudhury, Bhaskar J.; Quick, B. E.

2003-01-01

Structure and function of terrestrial plant communities bring about intimate relations between water, energy, and carbon exchange between land surface and atmosphere. Total evaporation, which is the sum of transpiration, soil evaporation and evaporation of intercepted water, couples water and energy balance equations. The rate of transpiration, which is the major fraction of total evaporation over most of the terrestrial land surface, is linked to the rate of carbon accumulation because functioning of stomata is optimized by both of these processes. Thus, quantifying the spatial and temporal variations of the transpiration efficiency (which is defined as the ratio of the rate of carbon accumulation and transpiration), and water use efficiency (defined as the ratio of the rate of carbon accumulation and total evaporation), and evaluation of modeling results against observations, are of significant importance in developing a better understanding of land surface processes. An approach has been developed for quantifying spatial and temporal variations of transpiration, and water-use efficiency based on biophysical process-based models, satellite and field observations. Calculations have been done using concurrent meteorological data derived from satellite observations and four dimensional data assimilation for four consecutive years (1987-1990) over an agricultural area in the Northern Great Plains of the US, and compared with field observations within and outside the study area. The paper provides substantive new information about interannual variation, particularly the effect of drought, on the efficiency values at a regional scale.

Modelling evapotranspiration during precipitation deficits: Identifying critical processes in a land surface model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ukkola, Anna M.; Pitman, Andy J.; Decker, Mark

Surface fluxes from land surface models (LSMs) have traditionally been evaluated against monthly, seasonal or annual mean states. The limited ability of LSMs to reproduce observed evaporative fluxes under water-stressed conditions has been previously noted, but very few studies have systematically evaluated these models during rainfall deficits. We evaluated latent heat fluxes simulated by the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) LSM across 20 flux tower sites at sub-annual to inter-annual timescales, in particular focusing on model performance during seasonal-scale rainfall deficits. The importance of key model processes in capturing the latent heat flux was explored by employing alternative representations of hydrology, leafmore » area index, soil properties and stomatal conductance. We found that the representation of hydrological processes was critical for capturing observed declines in latent heat during rainfall deficits. By contrast, the effects of soil properties, LAI and stomatal conductance were highly site-specific. Whilst the standard model performs reasonably well at annual scales as measured by common metrics, it grossly underestimates latent heat during rainfall deficits. A new version of CABLE, with a more physically consistent representation of hydrology, captures the variation in the latent heat flux during seasonal-scale rainfall deficits better than earlier versions, but remaining biases point to future research needs. Lastly, our results highlight the importance of evaluating LSMs under water-stressed conditions and across multiple plant functional types and climate regimes.« less

Modelling evapotranspiration during precipitation deficits: Identifying critical processes in a land surface model

DOE PAGES

Ukkola, Anna M.; Pitman, Andy J.; Decker, Mark; ...

2016-06-21

Surface fluxes from land surface models (LSMs) have traditionally been evaluated against monthly, seasonal or annual mean states. The limited ability of LSMs to reproduce observed evaporative fluxes under water-stressed conditions has been previously noted, but very few studies have systematically evaluated these models during rainfall deficits. We evaluated latent heat fluxes simulated by the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) LSM across 20 flux tower sites at sub-annual to inter-annual timescales, in particular focusing on model performance during seasonal-scale rainfall deficits. The importance of key model processes in capturing the latent heat flux was explored by employing alternative representations of hydrology, leafmore » area index, soil properties and stomatal conductance. We found that the representation of hydrological processes was critical for capturing observed declines in latent heat during rainfall deficits. By contrast, the effects of soil properties, LAI and stomatal conductance were highly site-specific. Whilst the standard model performs reasonably well at annual scales as measured by common metrics, it grossly underestimates latent heat during rainfall deficits. A new version of CABLE, with a more physically consistent representation of hydrology, captures the variation in the latent heat flux during seasonal-scale rainfall deficits better than earlier versions, but remaining biases point to future research needs. Lastly, our results highlight the importance of evaluating LSMs under water-stressed conditions and across multiple plant functional types and climate regimes.« less

An ecosystem-scale perspective of the net land methanol flux. Synthesis of micrometeorological flux measurements

DOE PAGES

Wohlfahrt, G.; Amelynck, C.; Ammann, C.; ...

2015-07-09

Methanol is the second most abundant volatile organic compound in the troposphere and plays a significant role in atmospheric chemistry. While there is consensus about the dominant role of living plants as the major source and the reaction with OH as the major sink of methanol, global methanol budgets diverge considerably in terms of source/sink estimates, reflecting uncertainties in the approaches used to model and the empirical data used to separately constrain these terms. Here we compiled micrometeorological methanol flux data from eight different study sites and reviewed the corresponding literature in order to provide a first cross-site synthesis ofmore » the terrestrial ecosystem-scale methanol exchange and present an independent data-driven view of the land–atmosphere methanol exchange. Our study shows that the controls of plant growth on production, and thus the methanol emission magnitude, as well as stomatal conductance on the hourly methanol emission variability, established at the leaf level, hold across sites at the ecosystem level. Unequivocal evidence for bi-directional methanol exchange at the ecosystem scale is presented. Deposition, which at some sites even exceeds methanol emissions, represents an emerging feature of ecosystem-scale measurements and is likely related to environmental factors favouring the formation of surface wetness. Methanol may adsorb to or dissolve in this surface water and eventually be chemically or biologically removed from it. Management activities in agriculture and forestry are shown to increase local methanol emission by orders of magnitude; however, they are neglected at present in global budgets. While contemporary net land methanol budgets are overall consistent with the grand mean of the micrometeorological methanol flux measurements, we caution that the present approach of simulating methanol emission and deposition separately is prone to opposing systematic errors and does not allow for full advantage to be taken of the rich information content of micrometeorological flux measurements.« less

An ecosystem-scale perspective of the net land methanol flux: synthesis of micrometeorological flux measurements

PubMed Central

Wohlfahrt, G.; Amelynck, C.; Ammann, C.; Arneth, A.; Bamberger, I.; Goldstein, A. H.; Gu, L.; Guenther, A.; Hansel, A.; Heinesch, B.; Holst, T.; Hörtnagl, L.; Karl, T.; Laffineur, Q.; Neftel, A.; McKinney, K.; Munger, J. W.; Pallardy, S. G.; Schade, G. W.; Seco, R.; Schoon, N.

2015-01-01

Methanol is the second most abundant volatile organic compound in the troposphere and plays a significant role in atmospheric chemistry. While there is consensus about the dominant role of living plants as the major source and the reaction with OH as the major sink of methanol, global methanol budgets diverge considerably in terms of source/sink estimates reflecting uncertainties in the approaches used to model, and the empirical data used to separately constrain these terms. Here we compiled micrometeorological methanol flux data from eight different study sites and reviewed the corresponding literature in order to provide a first cross-site synthesis of the terrestrial ecosystem-scale methanol exchange and present an independent data-driven view of the land–atmosphere methanol exchange. Our study shows that the controls of plant growth on the production, and thus the methanol emission magnitude, and stomatal conductance on the hourly methanol emission variability, established at the leaf level, hold across sites at the ecosystem-level. Unequivocal evidence for bi-directional methanol exchange at the ecosystem scale is presented. Deposition, which at some sites even exceeds methanol emissions, represents an emerging feature of ecosystem-scale measurements and is likely related to environmental factors favouring the formation of surface wetness. Methanol may adsorb to or dissolve in this surface water and eventually be chemically or biologically removed from it. Management activities in agriculture and forestry are shown to increase local methanol emission by orders of magnitude; they are however neglected at present in global budgets. While contemporary net land methanol budgets are overall consistent with the grand mean of the micrometeorological methanol flux measurements, we caution that the present approach of simulating methanol emission and deposition separately is prone to opposing systematic errors and does not allow taking full advantage of the rich information content of micrometeorological flux measurements. PMID:25983744

Evaluation of simulated biospheric carbon dioxide fluxes and atmospheric concentrations using global in situ observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philip, S.; Johnson, M. S.; Potter, C. S.; Genovese, V. B.

2016-12-01

Atmospheric mixing ratios of carbon dioxide (CO2) are largely controlled by anthropogenic emission sources and biospheric sources/sinks. Global biospheric fluxes of CO2 are controlled by complex processes facilitating the exchange of carbon between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. These processes which play a key role in these terrestrial ecosystem-atmosphere carbon exchanges are currently not fully understood, resulting in large uncertainties in the quantification of biospheric CO2 fluxes. Current models with these inherent deficiencies have difficulties simulating the global carbon cycle with high accuracy. We are developing a new modeling platform, GEOS-Chem-CASA by integrating the year-specific NASA-CASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach) biosphere model with the GEOS-Chem (Goddard Earth Observation System-Chemistry) chemical transport model to improve the simulation of atmosphere-terrestrial ecosystem carbon exchange. We use NASA-CASA to explicitly represent the exchange of CO2 between terrestrial ecosystem and atmosphere by replacing the baseline GEOS-Chem land net CO2 flux and forest biomass burning CO2 emissions. We will present the estimation and evaluation of these "bottom-up" land CO2 fluxes, simulated atmospheric mixing ratios, and forest disturbance changes over the last decade. In addition, we will present our initial comparison of atmospheric column-mean dry air mole fraction of CO2 predicted by the model and those retrieved from NASA's OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) satellite instrument and model-predicted surface CO2 mixing ratios with global in situ observations. This evaluation is the first step necessary for our future work planned to constrain the estimates of biospheric carbon fluxes through "top-down" inverse modeling, which will improve our understanding of the processes controlling atmosphere-terrestrial ecosystem greenhouse gas exchanges, especially over regions which lack in situ observations.

B33C-0612: Evaluation of Simulated Biospheric Carbon Dioxide Fluxes and Atmospheric Concentrations Using Global in Situ Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Philip, Sajeev; Johnson, Matthew S.; Potter, Christopher S.; Genovese, Vanessa

2016-01-01

Atmospheric mixing ratios of carbon dioxide (CO2) are largely controlled by anthropogenic emission sources and biospheric sources/sinks. Global biospheric fluxes of CO2 are controlled by complex processes facilitating the exchange of carbon between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. These processes which play a key role in these terrestrial ecosystem-atmosphere carbon exchanges are currently not fully understood, resulting in large uncertainties in the quantification of biospheric CO2 fluxes. Current models with these inherent deficiencies have difficulties simulating the global carbon cycle with high accuracy. We are developing a new modeling platform, GEOS-Chem-CASA by integrating the year-specific NASA-CASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach) biosphere model with the GEOS-Chem (Goddard Earth Observation System-Chemistry) chemical transport model to improve the simulation of atmosphere-terrestrial ecosystem carbon exchange. We use NASA-CASA to explicitly represent the exchange of CO2 between terrestrial ecosystem and atmosphere by replacing the baseline GEOS-Chem land net CO2 flux and forest biomass burning CO2 emissions. We will present the estimation and evaluation of these "bottom-up" land CO2 fluxes, simulated atmospheric mixing ratios, and forest disturbance changes over the last decade. In addition, we will present our initial comparison of atmospheric column-mean dry air mole fraction of CO2 predicted by the model and those retrieved from NASA's OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) satellite instrument and model-predicted surface CO2 mixing ratios with global in situ observations. This evaluation is the first step necessary for our future work planned to constrain the estimates of biospheric carbon fluxes through "top-down" inverse modeling, which will improve our understanding of the processes controlling atmosphere-terrestrial ecosystem greenhouse gas exchanges, especially over regions which lack in situ observations.

NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) Supporting Analyses for National Climate Assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemani, R. R.; Thrasher, B. L.; Wang, W.; Lee, T. J.; Melton, F. S.; Dungan, J. L.; Michaelis, A.

2015-12-01

The NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) is a collaborative computing platform that has been developed with the objective of bringing scientists together with the software tools, massive global datasets, and supercomputing resources necessary to accelerate research in Earth systems science and global change. NEX supports several research projects that are closely related with the National Climate Assessment including the generation of high-resolution climate projections, identification of trends and extremes in climate variables and the evaluation of their impacts on regional carbon/water cycles and biodiversity, the development of land-use management and adaptation strategies for climate-change scenarios, and even the exploration of climate mitigation through geo-engineering. Scientists also use the large collection of satellite data on NEX to conduct research on quantifying spatial and temporal changes in land surface processes in response to climate and land-cover-land-use changes. Researchers, leveraging NEX's massive compute/storage resources, have used statistical techniques to downscale the coarse-resolution CMIP5 projections to fulfill the demands of the community for a wide range of climate change impact analyses. The DCP-30 (Downscaled Climate Projections at 30 arcsecond) for the conterminous US at monthly, ~1km resolution and the GDDP (Global Daily Downscaled Projections) for the entire world at daily, 25km resolution are now widely used in climate research and applications, as well as for communicating climate change. In order to serve a broader community, the NEX team in collaboration with Amazon, Inc, created the OpenNEX platform. OpenNEX provides ready access to NEX data holdings, including the NEX-DCP30 and GDDP datasets along with a number of pertinent analysis tools and workflows on the AWS infrastructure in the form of publicly available, self contained, fully functional Amazon Machine Images (AMI's) for anyone interested in global climate change.

Assessing the Regional/Diurnal Bias between Satellite Retrievals and GEOS-5/MERRA Model Estimates of Land Surface Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scarino, B. R.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Minnis, P.; Bedka, K. M.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric models rely on high-accuracy, high-resolution initial radiometric and surface conditions for better short-term meteorological forecasts, as well as improved evaluation of global climate models. Continuous remote sensing of the Earth's energy budget, as conducted by the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project, allows for near-realtime evaluation of cloud and surface radiation properties. It is unfortunately common for there to be bias between atmospheric/surface radiation models and Earth-observations. For example, satellite-observed surface skin temperature (Ts), an important parameter for characterizing the energy exchange at the ground/water-atmosphere interface, can be biased due to atmospheric adjustment assumptions and anisotropy effects. Similarly, models are potentially biased by errors in initial conditions and regional forcing assumptions, which can be mitigated through assimilation with true measurements. As such, when frequent, broad-coverage, and accurate retrievals of satellite Ts are available, important insights into model estimates of Ts can be gained. The Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) employs a single-channel thermal-infrared method to produce anisotropy-corrected Ts over clear-sky land and ocean surfaces from data taken by geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite imagers. Regional and diurnal changes in model land surface temperature (LST) performance can be assessed owing to the somewhat continuous measurements of the LST offered by GEO satellites - measurements which are accurate to within 0.2 K. A seasonal, hourly comparison of satellite-observed LST with the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Version 5 (GEOS-5) and the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) LST estimates is conducted to reveal regional and diurnal biases. This assessment is an important first step for evaluating the effectiveness of Ts assimilation, as well for determining the impact anisotropy correction has on observation - model bias, and is of critical importance for CERES.

Generating Land Surface Reflectance for the New Generation of Geostationary Satellite Sensors with the MAIAC Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, W.; Wang, Y.; Hashimoto, H.; Li, S.; Takenaka, H.; Higuchi, A.; Lyapustin, A.; Nemani, R. R.

2017-12-01

The latest generation of geostationary satellite sensors, including the GOES-16/ABI and the Himawari 8/AHI, provide exciting capability to monitor land surface at very high temporal resolutions (5-15 minute intervals) and with spatial and spectral characteristics that mimic the Earth Observing System flagship MODIS. However, geostationary data feature changing sun angles at constant view geometry, which is almost reciprocal to sun-synchronous observations. Such a challenge needs to be carefully addressed before one can exploit the full potential of the new sources of data. Here we take on this challenge with Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm, recently developed for accurate and globally robust applications like the MODIS Collection 6 re-processing. MAIAC first grids the top-of-atmosphere measurements to a fixed grid so that the spectral and physical signatures of each grid cell are stacked ("remembered") over time and used to dramatically improve cloud/shadow/snow detection, which is by far the dominant error source in the remote sensing. It also exploits the changing sun-view geometry of the geostationary sensor to characterize surface BRDF with augmented angular resolution for accurate aerosol retrievals and atmospheric correction. The high temporal resolutions of the geostationary data indeed make the BRDF retrieval much simpler and more robust as compared with sun-synchronous sensors such as MODIS. As a prototype test for the geostationary-data processing pipeline on NASA Earth Exchange (GEONEX), we apply MAIAC to process 18 months of data from Himawari 8/AHI over Australia. We generate a suite of test results, including the input TOA reflectance and the output cloud mask, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and the atmospherically-corrected surface reflectance for a variety of geographic locations, terrain, and land cover types. Comparison with MODIS data indicates a general agreement between the retrieved surface reflectance products. Furthermore, the geostationary results satisfactorily capture the movement of clouds and variations in atmospheric dust/aerosol concentrations, suggesting that high quality land surface and vegetation datasets from the advanced geostationary sensors can help complement and improve the corresponding EOS products.

The Role of Surface Energy Exchange for Simulating Wind Inflow: An Evaluation of Multiple Land Surface Models in WRF for the Southern Great Plains Site Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wharton, Sonia; Simpson, Matthew; Osuna, Jessica

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate choice of land surface model (LSM) on the near-surface wind profile, including heights reached by multi-megawatt wind turbines. Simulations of wind profiles and surface energy fluxes were made using five LSMs of varying degrees of sophistication in dealing with soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility in Oklahoma. Surface-flux and wind-profile measurements were available for validation. The WRF model was run for three two-week periods during which varying canopy and meteorological conditions existed. Themore » LSMs predicted a wide range of energy-flux and wind-shear magnitudes even during the cool autumn period when we expected less variability. Simulations of energy fluxes varied in accuracy by model sophistication, whereby LSMs with very simple or no soil-plant-atmosphere feedbacks were the least accurate; however, the most complex models did not consistently produce more accurate results. Errors in wind shear also were sensitive to LSM choice and were partially related to the accuracy of energy flux data. The variability of LSM performance was relatively high, suggesting that LSM representation of energy fluxes in the WRF model remains a significant source of uncertainty for simulating wind turbine inflow conditions.« less

Wind-tunnel experiments of scalar transport in aligned and staggered wind farms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W.; Markfort, C. D.; Porté-Agel, F.

2012-04-01

Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy worldwide, and it is expected that many more large-scale wind farms will be built and will cover a significant portion of land and ocean surfaces. By extracting kinetic energy from the atmospheric boundary layer, wind farms may affect the exchange/transport of momentum, heat and moisture between the atmosphere and land surface. To ensure the long-term sustainability of wind energy, it is important to understand the influence of large-scale wind farms on land-atmosphere interaction. Knowledge of this impact will also be useful to improve parameterizations of wind farms in numerical prediction tools, such as large-scale weather models and large-eddy simulation. Here, we present wind-tunnel measurements of the surface scalar (heat) flux from model wind farms, consisting of more than 10 rows of wind turbines, in a turbulent boundary layer with a surface heat source. Spatially distributed surface heat flux was obtained in idealized aligned and staggered wind farm layouts, having the same turbine distribution density. Measurements, using surface-mounted heat flux sensors, were taken at the 11th out of 12 rows of wind turbines, where the mean flow achieves a quasi-equilibrium state. In the aligned farm, there exist two distinct regions of increased and decreased surface heat flux on either side of turbine columns. The regions are correlated with coherent wake rotation in the turbine-array. On the upwelling side there is decreased flux, while on the downwelling side cool air moves towards the surface causing increased flux. For the staggered farm, the surface heat flux exhibits a relatively uniform distribution and an overall reduction with respect to the boundary layer flow, except in the vicinity of the turbine tower. This observation is also supported by near-surface temperature and turbulent heat flux measured using a customized x-wire/cold-wire. The overall surface heat flux, relative to that of the boundary layer flow without wind turbines, is reduced by approximately 4% in the staggered wind farm and remains nearly the same in the aligned wind farm.

36 CFR 254.14 - Exchange agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... exchange, including, but not limited to, land surveys, appraisals, mineral examinations, timber cruises... surveys and controls, removal of encumbrances, arbitration, curing deficiencies preventing highest and...

36 CFR 254.14 - Exchange agreement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... exchange, including, but not limited to, land surveys, appraisals, mineral examinations, timber cruises... surveys and controls, removal of encumbrances, arbitration, curing deficiencies preventing highest and...

Review of Fuel Cell Technologies for Military Land Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

fuel cell technologies for APUs are Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells ( PEMFC ), direct methanol fuel cells and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC). The...6 4.2 Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells ( PEMFC ...OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer PEM Proton Exchange Membrane PEMFC Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell SOFC Solid Oxide Fuel Cell TRL Technical

Exchange of Librarians between the "City of Brotherly Love" and the "Land Down Under."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarr, Hal; Kotasek, Ivana

1988-01-01

Two participants in an international exchange program describe their experiences. Hal Tarr, a technical services librarian at Peirce Junior College in Pennsylvania, exchanged positions with Ivana Kotasek, head librarian at Port Adelaide College in Australia. Both discuss the logistics of the exchange process and their impressions. (DMM)

A strategy to study regional hydrology and terrestrial ecosystem processes using satellite remote sensing, ground-based data and computer modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vorosmarty, C.; Grace, A.; Moore, B.; Choudhury, B.; Willmott, C. J.

1990-01-01

A strategy is presented for integrating scanning multichannel microwave radiometer data from the Nimbus-7 satellite with meteorological station records and computer simulations of land surface hydrology, terrestrial nutrient cycling, and trace gas emission. Analysis of the observations together with radiative transfer analysis shows that in the tropics the temporal and spatial variations of the polarization difference are determined primarily by the structure and phenology of vegetation and seasonal inundations of major rivers and wetlands. It is concluded that the proposed surface hydrology model, along with climatological records, and, potentially, 37-GHz data for phenology, will provide inputs to a terrestrial ecosystem model that predicts regional net primary production and CO2 gas exchange.

The Role of Subsurface Properties on Transport of Water and Trace Gases: 1D Simulations at Selected Mars Landing Sites.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karatekin, O.; Gloesener, E.; Dehant, V. M. A.

2017-12-01

In this work, water ice stability and water vapour transport through porous martian subsurface are studied using a 1D diffusive model. The role of adsorption on water transfer in martian conditions is investigated as well as the range of parameters that have the largest effect on gas transport. In addition, adsorption kinetics is considered to examine its influence on the water vapor exchange between the subsurface and the atmosphere. As methane has been detected in the martian atmosphere, the subsurface model is then used to study methane diffusion in the CH4/CO2/H2O system from variable depths under the surface. The results of subsurface gas transport at selected locations/landing sites are shown and implications for present/future observations are discussed.

A comparison between energy transfer and atmospheric turbulent exchanges over alpine meadow and banana plantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Zhangwei; Ma, Yaoming; Wen, Zhiping; Ma, Weiqiang; Chen, Shiji

2017-07-01

Banana plantation and alpine meadow ecosystems in southern China and the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are unique in the underlying surfaces they exhibit. In this study, we used eddy covariance and a micrometeorological tower to examine the characteristics of land surface energy exchanges over a banana plantation in southern China and an alpine meadow in the Tibetan Plateau from May 2010 to August 2012. The results showed that the diurnal and seasonal variations in upward shortwave radiation flux and surface soil heat flux were larger over the alpine meadow than over the banana plantation surface. Dominant energy partitioning varied with season. Latent heat flux was the main consumer of net radiation flux in the growing season, whereas sensible heat flux was the main consumer during other periods. The Monin-Obukhov similarity theory was employed for comparative purposes, using sonic anemometer observations of flow over the surfaces of banana plantations in the humid southern China monsoon region and the semi-arid areas of the TP, and was found to be applicable. Over banana plantation and alpine meadow areas, the average surface albedo and surface aerodynamic roughness lengths under neutral atmospheric conditions were ˜0.128 and 0.47 m, and ˜0.223 and 0.01 m, respectively. During the measuring period, the mean annual bulk transfer coefficients for momentum and sensible heat were 1.47 × 10-2 and 7.13 × 10-3, and 2.91 × 10-3 and 1.96 × 10-3, for banana plantation and alpine meadow areas, respectively.

Impact of future land-cover changes on HNO3 and O3 surface dry deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbeke, T.; Lathière, J.; Szopa, S.; de Noblet-Ducoudré, N.

2015-12-01

Dry deposition is a key component of surface-atmosphere exchange of compounds, acting as a sink for several chemical species. Meteorological factors, chemical properties of the trace gas considered and land surface properties are strong drivers of dry deposition efficiency and variability. Under both climatic and anthropogenic pressure, the vegetation distribution over the Earth has been changing a lot over the past centuries and could be significantly altered in the future. In this study, we perform a modeling investigation of the potential impact of land-cover changes between the present day (2006) and the future (2050) on dry deposition velocities at the surface, with special interest for ozone (O3) and nitric acid (HNO3), two compounds which are characterized by very different physicochemical properties. The 3-D chemistry-transport model LMDz-INCA is used, considering changes in vegetation distribution based on the three future projections, RCPs 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5, and present-day (2007) meteorology. The 2050 RCP 8.5 vegetation distribution leads to a rise of up to 7 % (+0.02 cm s-1) in the surface deposition velocity calculated for ozone (Vd,O3) and a decrease of -0.06 cm s-1 in the surface deposition velocity calculated for nitric acid (Vd,HNO3) relative to the present-day values in tropical Africa and up to +18 and -15 %, respectively, in Australia. When taking into account the RCP 4.5 scenario, which shows dramatic land-cover change in Eurasia, Vd,HNO3 increases by up to 20 % (annual-mean value) and reduces Vd,O3 by the same magnitude in this region. When analyzing the impact of surface dry deposition change on atmospheric chemical composition, our model calculates that the effect is lower than 1 ppb on annual-mean surface ozone concentration for both the RCP 8.5 and RCP 2.6 scenarios. The impact on HNO3 surface concentrations is more disparate between the two scenarios regarding the spatial repartition of effects. In the case of the RCP 4.5 scenario, a significant increase of the surface O3 concentration reaching locally by up to 5 ppb (+5 %) is calculated on average during the June-August period. This scenario also induces an increase of HNO3 deposited flux exceeding locally 10 % for monthly values. Comparing the impact of land-cover change to the impact of climate change, considering a 0.93 °C increase of global temperature, on dry deposition velocities, we estimate that the strongest increase over lands occurs in the Northern Hemisphere during winter, especially in Eurasia, by +50 % (+0.07 cm s-1) for Vd,O3 and +100 % (+0.9 cm s-1) for Vd,HNO3. However, different regions are affected by both changes, with climate change impact on deposition characterized by a latitudinal gradient, while the land-cover change impact is much more heterogeneous depending on vegetation distribution modification described in the future RCP scenarios. The impact of long-term land-cover changes on dry deposition is shown to be significant and to differ strongly from one scenario to another. It should therefore be considered in biosphere-atmospheric chemistry interaction studies in order to have a fully consistent picture.

Spatial variation in energy exchange across coastal environments in Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lund, M.; Abermann, J.; Citterio, M.; Hansen, B. U.; Larsen, S. H.; Stiegler, C.; Sørensen, L. L.; van As, D.

2015-12-01

The surface energy partitioning in Arctic terrestrial and marine areas is a crucial process, regulating snow, glacier ice and sea ice melt, and permafrost thaw, as well as modulating Earth's climate on both local, regional, and eventually, global scales. The Arctic region has warmed approximately twice as much as the global average, due to a number of feedback mechanisms related to energy partitioning, most importantly the snow and ice-albedo feedback. However, direct measurements of surface energy budgets in the Arctic are scarce, especially for the cold and dark winter period and over transects going from the ice sheet and glaciers to the sea. This study aims to describe annual cycles of the surface energy budget from various surface types in Arctic Greenland; e.g. glacier, snow, wet and dry tundra and sea ice, based on data from a number of measurement locations across coastal Greenland related to the Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring (GEM) program, including Station Nord/Kronprins Christians Land, Zackenberg/Daneborg, Disko, Qaanaq, Nuuk/Kobbefjord and Upernaviarsuk. Based on the available time series, we will analyze the sensitivity of the energy balance partitioning to variations in meteorological conditions (temperature, cloudiness, precipitation). Such analysis would allow for a quantification of the spatial variation in the energy exchange in aforementioned Arctic environments. Furthermore, this study will identify uncertainties and knowledge gaps in Arctic energy budgets and related climate feedback effects.

43 CFR 3811.2-9 - Lands under Color of Title Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Lands under Color of Title Act. 3811.2-9... Lands Subject to Location and Purchase § 3811.2-9 Lands under Color of Title Act. Lands patented under the Color of Title Act (43 U.S.C. 1068), by exchange under the Taylor Grazing Act (43 U.S.C. 415g) and...

43 CFR 3811.2-9 - Lands under Color of Title Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Lands under Color of Title Act. 3811.2-9... Lands Subject to Location and Purchase § 3811.2-9 Lands under Color of Title Act. Lands patented under the Color of Title Act (43 U.S.C. 1068), by exchange under the Taylor Grazing Act (43 U.S.C. 415g) and...

INRRI-EDM/2016: the first laser retroreflector on the surface of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dell'Agnello, S.; Delle Monache, G.; Porcelli, L.; Boni, A.; Contessa, S.; Ciocci, E.; Martini, M.; Tibuzzi, M.; Intaglietta, N.; Salvatori, L.; Tuscano, P.; Patrizi, G.; Mondaini, C.; Lops, C.; Vittori, R.; Maiello, M.; Flamini, E.; Marchetti, E.; Bianco, G.; Mugnuolo, R.; Cantone, C.

2017-01-01

During Summer 2015 the SCF_Lab (Satellite/lunar/GNSS laser ranging/altimetry and cube/microsat Characterization Facilities Laboratory, http://www.lnf.infn.it/esperimenti/etrusco, Team of INFN-LNF, with support by ASI, carried out an intense activity of final design, manufacturing and testing in order to construct, space qualify and finally integrate INRRI-EDM/2016 on ESA's ExoMars EDM spacecraft (also dubbed "Schiaparelli"), which was successfully launched on March 14, 2016. INRRI (INstrument for landing-Roving laser Retroreflector Investigation) for the EDM (Entry descent and landing Demonstration Module) 2016 mission is a compact, lightweight, passive, maintenance-free array of eight cube corner laser retroreflectors fixed to an aluminum alloy frame through the use of silicon rubber suitable for space applications. INRRI was installed on the top panel of the EDM Central Bay on October 14, 2015. It will enable the EDM to be laser-located from Mars orbiters, through laser ranging and altimetry, lidar atmospheric observations from orbit, laser flashes emitted by orbiters, and lasercom. One or all of the above means of observation can be supported by INRRI when there is an active, laser-equipped orbiter, especially after EDM end-of-life and for a long time. INRRI goals will cover science (Mars geodesy/geophysics, future Mars test of General Relativity, GR), technology and exploration. Concerning the latter two, INRRI will support mars-georeferencing of the EDM landing site, support potential precision lidar-based landing next to the EDM, support test & diagnostics of lasercom for data exchange among Mars orbit, Mars surface and Earth, and it will be a precursor for additional Mars surface retroreflectors, for example on exploration rovers. This paper describes in detail our innovative payload, hopefully the very first to be deployed safely with the lander Schiaparelli on the Mars surface, and its space qualification for the ExoMars EDM 2016 mission. Despite the fate of the Schiaparelli landing, which is still under the investigation of ESA and the industry, this paper remains a valuable reference for next INRRI-like laser retroreflectors arrays.

Estimating the spatial distribution of soil moisture based on Bayesian maximum entropy method with auxiliary data from remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Shengguo; Zhu, Zhongli; Liu, Shaomin; Jin, Rui; Yang, Guangchao; Tan, Lei

2014-10-01

Soil moisture (SM) plays a fundamental role in the land-atmosphere exchange process. Spatial estimation based on multi in situ (network) data is a critical way to understand the spatial structure and variation of land surface soil moisture. Theoretically, integrating densely sampled auxiliary data spatially correlated with soil moisture into the procedure of spatial estimation can improve its accuracy. In this study, we present a novel approach to estimate the spatial pattern of soil moisture by using the BME method based on wireless sensor network data and auxiliary information from ASTER (Terra) land surface temperature measurements. For comparison, three traditional geostatistic methods were also applied: ordinary kriging (OK), which used the wireless sensor network data only, regression kriging (RK) and ordinary co-kriging (Co-OK) which both integrated the ASTER land surface temperature as a covariate. In Co-OK, LST was linearly contained in the estimator, in RK, estimator is expressed as the sum of the regression estimate and the kriged estimate of the spatially correlated residual, but in BME, the ASTER land surface temperature was first retrieved as soil moisture based on the linear regression, then, the t-distributed prediction interval (PI) of soil moisture was estimated and used as soft data in probability form. The results indicate that all three methods provide reasonable estimations. Co-OK, RK and BME can provide a more accurate spatial estimation by integrating the auxiliary information Compared to OK. RK and BME shows more obvious improvement compared to Co-OK, and even BME can perform slightly better than RK. The inherent issue of spatial estimation (overestimation in the range of low values and underestimation in the range of high values) can also be further improved in both RK and BME. We can conclude that integrating auxiliary data into spatial estimation can indeed improve the accuracy, BME and RK take better advantage of the auxiliary information compared to Co-OK, and BME outperforms RK by integrating the auxiliary data in a probability form.

An Integrated Use of Experimental, Modeling and Remote Sensing Techniques to Investigate Carbon and Phosphorus Dynamics in the Humid Tropics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Alan R.; Asner, Gregory P.; Bustamante, Mercedes M. C.

2001-01-01

Moist tropical forests comprise one of the world's largest and most diverse biomes, and exchange more carbon, water, and energy with the atmosphere than any other ecosystem. In recent decades, tropical forests have also become one of the globe's most threatened biomes, subjected to exceptionally high rates of deforestation and land degradation. Thus, the importance of and threats to tropical forests are undeniable, yet our understanding of basic ecosystem processes in both intact and disturbed portions of the moist tropics remains poorer than for almost any other major biome. Our approach in this project was to take a multi-scale, multi-tool approach to address two different problems. First, we wanted to test if land-use driven changes in the cycles of probable limiting nutrients in forest systems were a key driver in the frequently observed pattern of declining pasture productivity and carbon stocks. Given the enormous complexity of land use change in the tropics, in which one finds a myriad of different land use types and intensities overlain on varying climates and soil types, we also wanted to see if new remote sensing techniques would allow some novel links between parameters which could be sensed remotely, and key biogeochemical variables which cannot. Second, we addressed to general questions about the role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle. First, we used a new approach for quantifying and minimizing non-biological artifacts in the NOAA/NASA AVHRR Pathfinder time series of surface reflectance data so that we could address potential links between Amazonian forest dynamics and ENSO cycles. Second, we showed that the disequilibrium in C-13 exchanged between land and atmosphere following tropical deforestation probably has a significant impact on the use of 13-CO2 data to predict regional fluxes in the global carbon cycle.

Modelling atmospheric transport of α-hexachlorocyclohexane in the Northern Hemispherewith a 3-D dynamical model: DEHM-POP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, K. M.; Christensen, J. H.; Brandt, J.; Frohn, L. M.; Geels, C.

2004-07-01

The Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model (DEHM) is a 3-D dynamical atmospheric transport model originally developed to describe the atmospheric transport of sulphur into the Arctic. A new version of the model, DEHM-POP, developed to study the atmospheric transport and environmental fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is presented. During environmental cycling, POPs can be deposited and re-emitted several times before reaching a final destination. A description of the exchange processes between the land/ocean surfaces and the atmosphere is included in the model to account for this multi-hop transport. The α-isomer of the pesticide hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) is used as tracer in the model development. The structure of the model and processes included are described in detail. The results from a model simulation showing the atmospheric transport for the years 1991 to 1998 are presented and evaluated against measurements. The annual averaged atmospheric concentration of α-HCH for the 1990s is well described by the model; however, the shorter-term average concentration for most of the stations is not well captured. This indicates that the present simple surface description needs to be refined to get a better description of the air-surface exchange processes of POPs.

Modelling atmospheric transport of persistent organic pollutants in the Northern Hemisphere with a 3-D dynamical model: DEHM-POP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, K. M.; Christensen, J. H.; Brandt, J.; Frohn, L. M.; Geels, C.

2004-03-01

The Danish Eulerian Hemispheric Model (DEHM) is a 3-D dynamical atmospheric transport model originally developed to describe the atmospheric transport of sulphur into the Arctic. A new version of the model, DEHM-POP, developed to study the atmospheric transport and environmental fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is presented. During environmental cycling, POPs can be deposited and re-emitted several times before reaching a final destination. A description of the exchange processes between the land/ocean surfaces and the atmosphere is included in the model to account for this multi-hop transport. The α-isomer of the pesticide hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) is used as tracer in the model development. The structure of the model and processes included are described in detail. The results from a model simulation showing the atmospheric transport for the years 1991 to 1998 are presented and evaluated against measurements. The annual averaged atmospheric concentration of α-HCH for the 1990s is well described by the model; however, the shorter-term average concentration for most of the stations is not well captured. This indicates that the present simple surface description needs to be refined to get a better description of the air-surface exchange proceses of POPs.

43 CFR 2806.43 - How does BLM calculate rent for passive reflectors and local exchange networks?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... reflectors and local exchange networks? 2806.43 Section 2806.43 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating...-Of-Way § 2806.43 How does BLM calculate rent for passive reflectors and local exchange networks? (a) BLM calculates rent for passive reflectors and local exchange networks by using the same rent...

Influence of Leaf Area Index Prescriptions on Simulations of Heat, Moisture, and Carbon Fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kala, Jatin; Decker, Mark; Exbrayat, Jean-Francois; Pitman, Andy J.; Carouge, Claire; Evans, Jason P.; Abramowitz, Gab; Mocko, David

2013-01-01

Leaf-area index (LAI), the total one-sided surface area of leaf per ground surface area, is a key component of land surface models. We investigate the influence of differing, plausible LAI prescriptions on heat, moisture, and carbon fluxes simulated by the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLEv1.4b) model over the Australian continent. A 15-member ensemble monthly LAI data-set is generated using the MODIS LAI product and gridded observations of temperature and precipitation. Offline simulations lasting 29 years (1980-2008) are carried out at 25 km resolution with the composite monthly means from the MODIS LAI product (control simulation) and compared with simulations using each of the 15-member ensemble monthly-varying LAI data-sets generated. The imposed changes in LAI did not strongly influence the sensible and latent fluxes but the carbon fluxes were more strongly affected. Croplands showed the largest sensitivity in gross primary production with differences ranging from -90 to 60 %. PFTs with high absolute LAI and low inter-annual variability, such as evergreen broadleaf trees, showed the least response to the different LAI prescriptions, whilst those with lower absolute LAI and higher inter-annual variability, such as croplands, were more sensitive. We show that reliance on a single LAI prescription may not accurately reflect the uncertainty in the simulation of the terrestrial carbon fluxes, especially for PFTs with high inter-annual variability. Our study highlights that the accurate representation of LAI in land surface models is key to the simulation of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Hence this will become critical in quantifying the uncertainty in future changes in primary production.

Land-Sea relationships of climate-related records: example of the Holocene in the eastern Canadian Arctic and Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Vernal, Anne; Fréchette, Bianca; Hillaire-Marcel, Claude

2017-04-01

Anne de Vernal, Bianca Fréchette, Claude Hillaire-Marcel Important progresses have been made to reconstruct climate and ocean changes through time. However, there is often a hiatus between the land-based climate reconstructions and paleoceanographical data. The reconstructed parameters are not the same (e.g. surface air temperature vs. sea-surface temperature). Moreover, the spatial (local to regional) and temporal dimensions (seasonal, annual to multi-decadal) of proxy-data are often inconsistent, thus preventing direct correlation of time series and often leading to uncertainties in multi-site, multi-proxy compilations. Here, we address the issue of land-sea relationships in the eastern Canadian Arctic-Baffin Bay-Labrador Sea-western Greenland based on the examination of different climate-related information from marine cores (dinocysts) collected nearshore vs. offshore, ice cores (isotopes), fjord and lake data (pollen). The combined information tends to indicate that "climate" changes are not easily neither adequately captured by temperature and temperature shifts. However, the seasonal contrast of temperatures seems to be a key parameter. Whereas it is often attenuated offshore, it is generally easy to reconstruct nearshore, where water stratification is usually stronger. The confrontation of data also shows a relationship between ice core data and sea-ice cover and/or sea-surface salinity, suggesting that air-sea exchanges in basins surrounding ice sheets play a significant role with respect to their isotopic composition. On the whole, combined onshore-offshore data consistently suggest a two-step shift towards optimal summer and winter conditions the circum Baffin Bay and northern Labrador Sea at 7.5 and 6 ka BP. These delayed optimal conditions seem to result from ice-meltwater discharges maintaining low salinity conditions in marine surface waters and thus a strong seasonality.

[Effects of fly ash on the exchangeable heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb) during sewage sludge composting and land utilization].

PubMed

Sheng, Jun; Lu, Wen-Jing; Wang, Hong-Tao

2007-06-01

A series of composting test using fly ash as stabilizing agent were investigated to study the variation of the exchangeable heavy metals during composting and land utilization. A whole procedure of adsorption and desorption of stabilized heavy metals were analyzed. The result shows that the exchangeable Cu increases while the exchangeable Zn and Pb decrease during composting. Fly ash has significant stabilizing effect on Zn and Pb as evidenced by a decline of 62.47% and 92.61% respectively in the trails with flay ash as stabilizing agent. However there is no obvious change with exchangeable Cu. Although there is a big difference on the activities of heavy metals in different soil types tested, it seems to be ineluctable that addition of sewage sludge composting products cause enrichment of heavy metal in soil.

Lower Gila South Resource Management Plan, La Paz, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal and Yuma Counties, Arizona

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1985-08-01

Implementation of a resource management plan is proposed for 2.0 million surface acres and 1.9 million acres of subsurface minerals in the Lower Gila South resource area, located in La Paz, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, and Yuma counties, Arizona. The preferred alternative would involve range land improvements consisting of construction of 47 miles of fence, 10 reservoirs and 7 wells. Portions of the New Water Mountains, Eagletail Mountains, Woosley Peak, and Table Top Mountains wilderness study areas (WSAs), totaling 190,391 acres, would be designated as wilderness. The remaining portions of these WSAs and eight other WSAs, totaling 431,540 acres, would notmore » be recommended for wilderness designation and would revert to multiple-use management. Approximately 72,123 acres of isolated land parcels would be made available for sale or exchange, approximately 36,845 acres of nonpublic lands would be acquired, 112,160 acres of state and private mineral estate would be acquired, and 23,645 acres of federal minerals would be disposed of to facilitate management. Ten utility corridors would be designated. Mineral access and off-road vehicle use would be restricted on the lands proposed for wilderness designation.« less

Climatic consequences of adopting drought-tolerant vegetation over Los Angeles as a response to California drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vahmani, P.; Ban-Weiss, G.

2016-08-01

During 2012-2014, drought in California resulted in policies to reduce water consumption. One measure pursued was replacing lawns with landscapes that minimize water consumption, such as drought-tolerant vegetation. If implemented at broad scale, this strategy would result in reductions in irrigation and changes in land surface characteristics. In this study, we employ a modified regional climate model to assess the climatic consequences of adopting drought-tolerant vegetation over the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Transforming lawns to drought-tolerant vegetation resulted in daytime warming of up to 1.9°C, largely due to decreases in irrigation that shifted surface energy partitioning toward higher sensible and lower latent heat flux. During nighttime, however, adopting drought-tolerant vegetation caused mean cooling of 3.2°C, due to changes in soil thermodynamic properties and heat exchange dynamics between the surface and subsurface. Our results show that nocturnal cooling effects, which are larger in magnitude and of great importance for public health during heat events, could counterbalance the daytime warming attributed to the studied water conservation strategy. A more aggressive implementation, assuming all urban vegetation was replaced with drought-tolerant vegetation, resulted in an average daytime cooling of 0.2°C, largely due to strengthened sea breeze patterns, highlighting the important role of land surface roughness in this coastal megacity.

Climatic consequences of adopting drought tolerant vegetation over Los Angeles as a response to California drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ban-Weiss, G. A.; Vahmani, P.

2016-12-01

During 2012-2014, drought in California resulted in policies to reduce water consumption. One measure pursued was replacing lawns with landscapes that minimize water consumption, such as drought tolerant vegetation. If implemented at broad scale, this strategy would result in reductions in irrigation, and changes in land surface characteristics. In this study, we employ a modified regional climate model to assess the climatic consequences of adopting drought tolerant vegetation over the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Transforming lawns to drought tolerant vegetation resulted in daytime warming of up to 1.9°C, largely due to decreases in irrigation that shifted surface energy partitioning toward higher sensible and lower latent heat flux. During nighttime, however, adopting drought tolerant vegetation caused mean cooling of about 3°C, due to changes in soil thermodynamic properties and heat exchange dynamics between the surface and ground. Our results show that nocturnal cooling effects, which are larger in magnitude and of great importance for public health during heat events, could counterbalance the daytime warming attributed to the studied water conservation strategy. A more aggressive implementation, assuming all urban vegetation was replaced with drought tolerant vegetation, resulted in an average daytime cooling of 0.2°C, largely due to weakened sea-breeze patterns, highlighting the important role of land surface roughness in this coastal megacity.

Scaling up of Carbon Exchange Dynamics from AmeriFlux Sites to a Super-Region in the Eastern United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hans Peter Schmid; Craig Wayson

The primary objective of this project was to evaluate carbon exchange dynamics across a region of North America between the Great Plains and the East Coast. This region contains about 40 active carbon cycle research (AmeriFlux) sites in a variety of climatic and landuse settings, from upland forest to urban development. The core research involved a scaling strategy that uses measured fluxes of CO{sub 2}, energy, water, and other biophysical and biometric parameters to train and calibrate surface-vegetation-atmosphere models, in conjunction with satellite (MODIS) derived drivers. To achieve matching of measured and modeled fluxes, the ecosystem parameters of the modelsmore » will be adjusted to the dynamically variable flux-tower footprints following Schmid (1997). High-resolution vegetation index variations around the flux sites have been derived from Landsat data for this purpose. The calibrated models are being used in conjunction with MODIS data, atmospheric re-analysis data, and digital land-cover databases to derive ecosystem exchange fluxes over the study domain.« less

Surface atmosphere exchange in dry and a wet regime over the Ganges valley: a comprehensive investigation with direct observations and numerical simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sathyanadh, Anusha; Prabhakaran, Thara; Karipot, Anandakumar

2017-04-01

Land atmosphere interactions in the Ganges Valley basin is a topic of significant importance as it is most vulnerable region due to extreme weather, air pollution, etc. The complete energy balance observations over this region was conducted as part of the CAIPEEX-IGOC (Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment - Integrated Ground based Observational Campaign) experiment for an entire year. These observations give first insight into the partitioning of energy in this vulnerable environment during the dry and wet regimes, which are typically part of the intraseasonal oscillations during the Indian monsoon season. These transitions wet-dry and dry-wet are poorly represented in GCMs and is the motivation for the detailed investigation here. Observations conducted with micrometeorological tower instrumented with eddy covariance sensors, radiation balance, soil heat flux measurements, microwave radiometer, sodar, radiosonde data are used in the present study. A set of numerical investigations of different Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) schemes is also carried out to investigate features of the diurnal cycle during the wet and dry regimes. General behaviour of both local and nonlocal PBL schemes found from the investigation is to accomplish enhanced mixing, leading to a deeper PBL in the valley. However, observations give clear evidence of residual boundary layer characterised by a weak stratification, playing a key role in the exchange of PBL air mass with that of free atmosphere. Impact of changes in parameterization and controlling factors on the PBL height are investigated. Case studies for a dry phase during the incidence of a heat wave and a wet phase during a land depression are presented. Observed diurnal features of the surface meteorological parameters including the surface energy budget components were well captured by local and nonlocal PBL schemes during both the cases. Vertical profiles of temperature, mixing ratio and winds from microwave radiometer, radiosonde sounding and SODAR measurements compared well with the model vertical profiles. All the schemes are able to capture the development of a drying phase, its persistence and revival after the drying, similar to observation. The characteristic features of the drying such as decrease in mixing ratio, PBL warming, enhanced PBL growth, variations in wind speed, etc were reproduced by the model simulations. Results indicate that model is simulating a drier and deeper surface and mixed layer, compared to the observations, which is assisted by enhanced mixing through deep updrafts rooted from the surface layer and downdrafts associated with the subsiding air reaching down to the surface. Two issues are identified with model as a) relating to enhanced mixing also assisted by the subsiding air at top of the boundary layer and b) the energy partitioning at the surface with significantly excess energy partitioned in to sensible heat flux, thus warming the model surface layer. A few aircraft observations are used to investigate entrainment issue and results from these analysis and inferences will be presented. The surface layer eddy covariance measurements of sensible and latent heat fluxes and surface layer relationships are used to tune the surface layer exchanges.

Testing the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) for flood forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batelis, Stamatios-Christos; Rosolem, Rafael; Han, Dawei; Rahman, Mostaquimur

2017-04-01

Land Surface Models (LSM) are based on physics principles and simulate the exchanges of energy, water and biogeochemical cycles between the land surface and lower atmosphere. Such models are typically applied for climate studies or effects of land use changes but as the resolution of LSMs and supporting observations are continuously increasing, its representation of hydrological processes need to be addressed adequately. For example, changes in climate and land use can alter the hydrology of a region, for instance, by altering its flooding regime. LSMs can be a powerful tool because of their ability to spatially represent a region with much finer resolution. However, despite such advantages, its performance has not been extensively assessed for flood forecasting simply because its representation of typical hydrological processes, such as overland flow and river routing, are still either ignored or roughly represented. In this study, we initially test the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) as a flood forecast tool focusing on its river routing scheme. In particular, JULES river routing parameterization is based on the Rapid Flow Model (RFM) which relies on six prescribed parameters (two surface and two subsurface wave celerities, and two return flow fractions). Although this routing scheme is simple, the prescription of its six default parameters is still too generalized. Our aim is to understand the importance of each RFM parameter in a series of JULES simulations at a number of catchments in the UK for the 2006-2015 period. This is carried out, for instance, by making a number of assumptions of parameter behaviour (e.g., spatially uniform versus varying and/or temporally constant or time-varying parameters within each catchment). Hourly rainfall radar in combination with the CHESS (Climate, Hydrological and Ecological research Support System) meteorological daily data both at 1 km2 resolution are used. The evaluation of the model is based on hourly runoff data provided by the National River Flood Archive using a number of model performance metrics. We use a calibrated conceptually-based lumped model, more typically applied in flood studies, as a benchmark for our analysis.

Software for storage and processing coded messages for the international exchange of meteorological information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, V. N.; Botygin, I. A.; Kolochev, A. S.

2017-01-01

The approach allows representing data of international codes for exchange of meteorological information using metadescription as the formalism associated with certain categories of resources. Development of metadata components was based on an analysis of the data of surface meteorological observations, atmosphere vertical sounding, atmosphere wind sounding, weather radar observing, observations from satellites and others. A common set of metadata components was formed including classes, divisions and groups for a generalized description of the meteorological data. The structure and content of the main components of a generalized metadescription are presented in detail by the example of representation of meteorological observations from land and sea stations. The functional structure of a distributed computing system is described. It allows organizing the storage of large volumes of meteorological data for their further processing in the solution of problems of the analysis and forecasting of climatic processes.

Global Validation of MODIS Atmospheric Profile-Derived Near-Surface Air Temperature and Dew Point Estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Famiglietti, C.; Fisher, J.; Halverson, G. H.

2017-12-01

This study validates a method of remote sensing near-surface meteorology that vertically interpolates MODIS atmospheric profiles to surface pressure level. The extraction of air temperature and dew point observations at a two-meter reference height from 2001 to 2014 yields global moderate- to fine-resolution near-surface temperature distributions that are compared to geographically and temporally corresponding measurements from 114 ground meteorological stations distributed worldwide. This analysis is the first robust, large-scale validation of the MODIS-derived near-surface air temperature and dew point estimates, both of which serve as key inputs in models of energy, water, and carbon exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. Results show strong linear correlations between remotely sensed and in-situ near-surface air temperature measurements (R2 = 0.89), as well as between dew point observations (R2 = 0.77). Performance is relatively uniform across climate zones. The extension of mean climate-wise percent errors to the entire remote sensing dataset allows for the determination of MODIS air temperature and dew point uncertainties on a global scale.

Crop physiology calibration in the CLM

DOE PAGES

Bilionis, I.; Drewniak, B. A.; Constantinescu, E. M.

2015-04-15

Farming is using more of the land surface, as population increases and agriculture is increasingly applied for non-nutritional purposes such as biofuel production. This agricultural expansion exerts an increasing impact on the terrestrial carbon cycle. In order to understand the impact of such processes, the Community Land Model (CLM) has been augmented with a CLM-Crop extension that simulates the development of three crop types: maize, soybean, and spring wheat. The CLM-Crop model is a complex system that relies on a suite of parametric inputs that govern plant growth under a given atmospheric forcing and available resources. CLM-Crop development used measurementsmore » of gross primary productivity (GPP) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) from AmeriFlux sites to choose parameter values that optimize crop productivity in the model. In this paper, we calibrate these parameters for one crop type, soybean, in order to provide a faithful projection in terms of both plant development and net carbon exchange. Calibration is performed in a Bayesian framework by developing a scalable and adaptive scheme based on sequential Monte Carlo (SMC). The model showed significant improvement of crop productivity with the new calibrated parameters. We demonstrate that the calibrated parameters are applicable across alternative years and different sites.« less

Crop physiology calibration in the CLM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bilionis, I.; Drewniak, B. A.; Constantinescu, E. M.

Farming is using more of the land surface, as population increases and agriculture is increasingly applied for non-nutritional purposes such as biofuel production. This agricultural expansion exerts an increasing impact on the terrestrial carbon cycle. In order to understand the impact of such processes, the Community Land Model (CLM) has been augmented with a CLM-Crop extension that simulates the development of three crop types: maize, soybean, and spring wheat. The CLM-Crop model is a complex system that relies on a suite of parametric inputs that govern plant growth under a given atmospheric forcing and available resources. CLM-Crop development used measurementsmore » of gross primary productivity (GPP) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) from AmeriFlux sites to choose parameter values that optimize crop productivity in the model. In this paper, we calibrate these parameters for one crop type, soybean, in order to provide a faithful projection in terms of both plant development and net carbon exchange. Calibration is performed in a Bayesian framework by developing a scalable and adaptive scheme based on sequential Monte Carlo (SMC). The model showed significant improvement of crop productivity with the new calibrated parameters. We demonstrate that the calibrated parameters are applicable across alternative years and different sites.« less

Simulation of 1986 South China Sea Monsoon with a Regional Climate Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W. -K.; Lau, W. K.-M.; Jia, Y.; Juang, H.; Wetzel, P.; Qian, J.; Chen, C.

1999-01-01

A Regional Land-Atmosphere Climate Simulation System (RELACS) project is being developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. One of the major goals of RELACS is to use a regional scale model with improved physical processes and in particular land-related processes, to understand the role of the land surface and its interaction with convection and radiation as well as the water/energy cycles in the IndoChina/South China Sea (SCS) region. The Penn State/NCAR MM5 atmospheric modeling system, a state of the art atmospheric numerical model designed to simulate regional weather and climate, has been successfully coupled to the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model. The original MM5 model (without PLACE) includes the option for either a simple slab soil model or a five-layer soil model (MRF) in which the soil moisture availability evolves over time. However, the MM5 soil models do not include the effects of vegetation, and thus important physical processes such as evapotranspiration and interception are precluded. The PLACE model incorporates vegetation type and has been shown in international comparisons to accurately predict evapotranspiration and runoff over a wide variety of land surfaces. The coupling of MM5 and PLACE creates a numerical modeling system with the potential to more realistically simulate atmosphere and land surface processes including land-sea interaction, regional circulations such as monsoons, and flash flood events. In addition, the Penn State/NCAR MM5 atmospheric modeling system has been: (1) coupled to the Goddard Ice Microphysical scheme; (2) coupled to a turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) scheme; (3) modified to ensure cloud budget balance; and (4) incorporated initialization with the Goddard EOS data sets at NASA/Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres. The improved MM5 with two nested domains (60 and 20 km horizontal resolution) was used to simulate convective activity over IndoChina and the South China Sea, during the monsoon season, from May 6 to May 20, 1986. The model results captured several dominant observed features, such as twin cyclones, a depression system over the Bay of Bengal, strong south-westerly winds over IndoChina before and during the on-set of convection over the SCS, and a vortex over the SCS. Two additional MM5 runs with different land process models, Blackadar and MRF, were performed, and their results are compared to the run with PLACE. The preliminary results indicate that the MM5 results using PLACE and Blackadar are in very good agreement, but the results using MRF do not contain the south-westerly wind over IndoChina prior to the on-set of convection over the SCS.

High-resolution simulation of heatwave events in New York City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramamurthy, P.; Li, D.; Bou-Zeid, E.

2017-04-01

Heatwave intensity and frequency are predicted to increase in the coming years, and this will bear adverse consequences to the environmental well-being and the socio-economic fabric in urbanized areas. The hazardous combination of increased heat storage and reduced water retention capacities of the land surface make the urban areas warmer than the surrounding rural areas in what is commonly known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The primary motives of this study are to quantify the interaction of this city-scale UHI with synoptic-scale heatwave episodes and to analyze the factors that mediate this interaction. A modified version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) is utilized to simulate two heatwave episodes in New York City. The land surface scheme in the default WRF model is modified to better represent the surface to atmosphere exchanges over urban areas. Our results indicate that during the heatwave episodes, the daily-averaged UHI in NYC increased by 1.5 K. Furthermore, most of this amplification occurs in the mid-afternoon period when the temperatures peak. Wind direction and urban-rural contrasts in available energy and moisture availability are found to have significant and systematic effects on the UHI, but wind speed plays a secondary role.

Use of Land Surface Temperature Observations in a Two-Source Energy Balance Model Towards Improved Monitoring of Evapotranspiration and Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hain, C.; Anderson, M. C.; Otkin, J.; Semmens, K. A.; Zhan, X.; Fang, L.; Li, Z.

2014-12-01

As the world's water resources come under increasing tension due to the dual stressors of climate change and population growth, accurate knowledge of water consumption through evapotranspiration (ET) over a range in spatial scales will be critical in developing adaptation strategies. However, direct validation of ET models is challenging due to lack of available observations that are sufficiently representative at the model grid scale (10-100 km). Prognostic land-surface models require accurate information about observed precipitation, soil moisture storage, groundwater, and artificial controls on water supply (e.g., irrigation, dams, etc.) to reliably link rainfall to evaporative fluxes. In contrast, diagnostic estimates of ET can be generated, with no prior knowledge of the surface moisture state, by energy balance models using thermal-infrared remote sensing of land-surface temperature (LST) as a boundary condition. One such method, the Atmosphere Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model provides estimates of surface energy fluxes through the use of mid-morning change in LST and radiation inputs. The LST inputs carry valuable proxy information regarding soil moisture and its effect on soil evaporation and canopy transpiration. Additionally, the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) representing anomalies in the ratio of actual-to-potential ET has shown to be a reliable indicator of drought. ESI maps over the continental US show good correspondence with standard drought metrics and with patterns of precipitation, but can be generated at significantly higher spatial resolution due to a limited reliance on ground observations. Furthermore, ESI is a measure of actual stress rather than potential for stress, and has physical relevance to projected crop development. Because precipitation is not used in construction of the ESI, it provides an independent assessment of drought conditions and has particular utility for real-time monitoring in regions with sparse rainfall data or significant delays in meteorological reporting. An initial analysis of a new prototype global ALEXI system using twice-daily observations of MODIS LST will be presented. The newly generated global ET and ESI datasets will be compared to other globally available ET and drought products during a multi-year evaluation period (2000-2013).

Towards a Near Real-Time Satellite-Based Flux Monitoring System for the MENA Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ershadi, A.; Houborg, R.; McCabe, M. F.; Anderson, M. C.; Hain, C.

2013-12-01

Satellite remote sensing has the potential to offer spatially and temporally distributed information on land surface characteristics, which may be used as inputs and constraints for estimating land surface fluxes of carbon, water and energy. Enhanced satellite-based monitoring systems for aiding local water resource assessments and agricultural management activities are particularly needed for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The MENA region is an area characterized by limited fresh water resources, an often inefficient use of these, and relatively poor in-situ monitoring as a result of sparse meteorological observations. To address these issues, an integrated modeling approach for near real-time monitoring of land surface states and fluxes at fine spatio-temporal scales over the MENA region is presented. This approach is based on synergistic application of multiple sensors and wavebands in the visible to shortwave infrared and thermal infrared (TIR) domain. The multi-scale flux mapping and monitoring system uses the Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model and associated flux disaggregation scheme (DisALEXI), and the Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model (STARFM) in conjunction with model reanalysis data and multi-sensor remotely sensed data from polar orbiting (e.g. Landsat and MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)) and geostationary (MSG; Meteosat Second Generation) satellite platforms to facilitate time-continuous (i.e. daily) estimates of field-scale water, energy and carbon fluxes. Within this modeling system, TIR satellite data provide information about the sub-surface moisture status and plant stress, obviating the need for precipitation input and a detailed soil surface characterization (i.e. for prognostic modeling of soil transport processes). The STARFM fusion methodology blends aspects of high frequency (spatially coarse) and spatially fine resolution sensors and is applied directly to flux output fields to facilitate daily mapping of fluxes at sub-field scales. A complete processing infrastructure to automatically ingest and pre-process all required input data and to execute the integrated modeling system for near real-time agricultural monitoring purposes over targeted MENA sites is being developed, and initial results from this concerted effort will be discussed.

Biomarker Production and Preservation on Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buffo, J.; Schmidt, B. E.

2017-12-01

Future landing site selection and sampling techniques for Europa will concentrate on locations of high potential biomarker preservation, however it is unclear what the best targets might be. On Europa, the scenario is quite unlike the depositional surface environments of terrestrial planets we've studied thus far-Europa's surface is passively communicating with putative habitable niches below that extend throughout the ice shell, ocean and sea floor. In this work, I approach biomarker production and preservation on Europa based by considering the many hypotheses that govern the its habitability, the processes that occur within the sea floor, ocean, and ice and exchange between them, and the geologic hypotheses for the formation of its various surfaces to establish, what journey through the planet a biomarker might take to arrive, if possible, at the surface where it is accessible to near-term landed missions. The goal of this project is to construct a simple model through which to consider the context for sampled material that will provide us with the ability to identify limitations in our intuition, understanding of the Europan system, our current hypotheses and data, and provide a road map for developing both areas for new research and identifying technology gaps that we must overcome before we can confidently select a landing site or analyze a sample from the near surface of Europa. I first consider the nature of the environment, i.e. at the sea floor interface, the ocean, or ocean-ice interface, in order to establish what the likely "biomarker" could be and then trace its path through the system: downwelling through the shell, mixing through the ocean, and pathways to the surface. Importantly, many models exist for the production of Europa's surface and subsurface geology that could affect the integrity of a putative biomarker. Often we modulate such considerations as a function of the time-scales over which the geologic process occurs, however such processes will also vary in transportation efficiency, and how any ice and water is incorporated into the ice shell. I will also comment on synergies between the upcoming JUICE and Europa Clipper missions, a putative landed mission, and how these missions could provide invaluable data that allows us to get beneath Europa's icy skin in relatively short order.

Error sources in the real-time NLDAS incident surface solar radiation and an evaluation against field observations and the NARR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, G.; Gao, X.; Sorooshian, S.

2005-12-01

The atmospheric model is sensitive to the land surface interactions and its coupling with Land surface Models (LSMs) leads to a better ability to forecast weather under extreme climate conditions, such as droughts and floods (Atlas et al. 1993; Beljaars et al. 1996). However, it is still questionable how accurately the surface exchanges can be simulated using LSMs, since terrestrial properties and processes have high variability and heterogeneity. Examinations with long-term and multi-site surface observations including both remotely sensed and ground observations are highly needed to make an objective evaluation on the effectiveness and uncertainty of LSMs at different circumstances. Among several atmospheric forcing required for the offline simulation of LSMs, incident surface solar radiation is one of the most significant components, since it plays a major role in total incoming energy into the land surface. The North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) and North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) are two important data sources providing high-resolution surface solar radiation data for the use of research communities. In this study, these data are evaluated against field observations (AmeriFlux) to identify their advantages, deficiencies and sources of errors. The NLDAS incident solar radiation shows a pretty good agreement in monthly mean prior to the summer of 2001, while it overestimates after the summer of 2001 and its bias is pretty close to the EDAS. Two main error sources are identified: 1) GOES solar radiation was not used in the NLDAS for several months in 2001 and 2003, and 2) GOES incident solar radiation when available, was positively biased in year 2002. The known snow detection problem is sometimes identified in the NLDAS, since it is inherited from GOES incident solar radiation. The NARR consistently overestimates incident surface solar radiation, which might produce erroneous outputs if used in the LSMs. Further attention is given to the diurnal cycle of NLDAS. Because LSMs are designed to simulate radiation diurnal variation, they are always running at high temporal resolution (30-minutes to several hours). The NLDAS solar radiation data clearly show much smoothened diurnal cycles than observation in cloudy days, which is due to the lower spatial resolution of the NLDAS inherited from the GOES and the EDAS. Taking these problems discovered above into consideration, it is suggested that the NLDAS project work on reducing the systematic biases in the surface solar radiation estimates, so that the users could take full advantage from the data.

Upper-soil moisture inter-comparison from SMOS's products and land surface models over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polcher, Jan; Barella-Ortiz, Anaïs; Aires, Filipe; Balsamo, Gianpaolo; Gelati, Emiliano; Rodríguez-Fernández, Nemesio

2015-04-01

Soil moisture is a key state variable of the hydrological cycle. It conditions runoff, infiltration and evaporation over continental surfaces, and is key for forecasting droughts and floods. It plays thus an important role in surface-atmosphere interactions. Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) can be measured by in situ measurements, by satellite observations or modelled using land surface models. As a complementary tool, data assimilation can be used to combine both modelling and satellite observations. The work presented here is an inter-comparison of retrieved and modelled SSM data, for the 2010 - 2012 period, over the Iberian Peninsula. The region has been chosen because its vegetation cover is not very dense and includes strong contrasts in the rainfall regimes and thus a diversity of behaviours for SSM. Furthermore this semi-arid region is strongly dependent on a good management of its water resources. Satellite observations correspond to the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) retrievals: the L2 product from an optimal interpolation retrieval, and 3 other products using Neural Network retrievals with different input information: SMOS time indexes, purely SMOS data, or addition of the European Advanced Scaterometer (ASCAT) backscattering, and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) surface temperature information. The modelled soil moistures have been taken from the ORCHIDEE (ORganising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic EcosystEms) and the HTESSEL (Hydrology-Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land) land surface models. Both models are forced with the same atmospheric conditions (as part of the Earth2Observe FP7 project) over the period but they represent the surface soil moisture with very different degrees of complexity. ORCHIDEE has 5 levels in the top 5 centimetres of soil while in HTESSEL this variable is part of the top soil moisture level. The two types of SMOS retrievals are compared to the model outputs in their spatial and temporal characteristics. The comparison with the model helps to identify which retrieval configuration is most consistent with our understanding of surface soil moisture in this region. In particular we have determined how each of the soil moisture products is related to the spatio-temporal variations of rainfall. In large parts of the Iberian Peninsula the co-variance of remote sensed SSM and rainfall is consistent with that of the models. But for some regions questions are raised. The variability of SSM observed by SMOS in the North West of the Iberian Peninsula is similar to that of rainfall, at least this relation of SSM and rainfall is closer than suggested by the two models.

North America's net terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990-2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, A. W.; Andres, R. J.; Davis, K. J.; Hafer, M.; Hayes, D. J.; Huntzinger, D. N.; de Jong, B.; Kurz, W. A.; McGuire, A. D.; Vargas, R.; Wei, Y.; West, T. O.; Woodall, C. W.

2015-01-01

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land-atmosphere CO2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990-2009. Only CO2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate that the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from -890 to -280 Tg C yr-1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, "best" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are -472 ± 281 Tg C yr-1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and -360 Tg C yr-1 (with an interquartile range of -496 to -337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions for the period 1990-2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr-1 and assuming the estimate of -472 Tg C yr-1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was 1720:472, or nearly 4:1.

Development and Testing of Coupled Land-surface, PBL and Shallow/Deep Convective Parameterizations within the MM5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stauffer, David R.; Seaman, Nelson L.; Munoz, Ricardo C.

2000-01-01

The objective of this investigation was to study the role of shallow convection on the regional water cycle of the Mississippi and Little Washita Basins using a 3-D mesoscale model, the PSUINCAR MM5. The underlying premise of the project was that current modeling of regional-scale climate and moisture cycles over the continents is deficient without adequate treatment of shallow convection. It was hypothesized that an improved treatment of the regional water cycle can be achieved by using a 3-D mesoscale numerical model having a detailed land-surface parameterization, an advanced boundary-layer parameterization, and a more complete shallow convection parameterization than are available in most current models. The methodology was based on the application in the MM5 of new or recently improved parameterizations covering these three physical processes. Therefore, the work plan focused on integrating, improving, and testing these parameterizations in the MM5 and applying them to study water-cycle processes over the Southern Great Plains (SGP): (1) the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) described by Wetzel and Boone; (2) the 1.5-order turbulent kinetic energy (TKE)-predicting scheme of Shafran et al.; and (3) the hybrid-closure sub-grid shallow convection parameterization of Deng. Each of these schemes has been tested extensively through this study and the latter two have been improved significantly to extend their capabilities.

Effects of Land Use Change on Evapotranspiration and Water Yield in the Great Lakes Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, D.; Cherkauer, K. A.

2005-12-01

Human activities have affected the exchange of energy and water between atmosphere and land surface through land use change. Conversion of large regions of pre-settlement forest and grassland to a majority cropland cover in the Great Lakes region has resulted in regional scale changes to hydrologic responses. Understanding the impact of historic land use change is important for management of future resources. Effects of land use change on the water and energy cycle of three Great Lakes states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, are analyzed using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model. Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) meteorological and soil data as well as pre-settlement and modern vegetation data taken from the USGS Land Use History of North American (LUHNA) were used as model input. Default vegetation input parameters were adjusted for the region based on a review of published studies. Results from a single grid cell vegetation sensitivity test show that on an average annual basis, forests transpire more than cropland and cropland more than grassland due to seasonal variations in Leaf Area Index (LAI) and stomatal resistances of vegetations. The hydrologic impact of region wide land use change was then analyzed by comparing simulations using both pre-settlement and current vegetation cover but the same meteorological forcings. Simulated changes resulting from land cover change vary with season and vegetation types. Reduction in forest cover increases water yield by decreasing evapotranspiration. Conversion between forest types resulted only in small differences in evaporation and water fluxes response. The most significant hydrologic changes were located in the southern part of the region where land use change has been primarily forest converted to cropland.

The drought of 2012: Effects on photosynthesis and soil respiration in bioenergy cropping systems of the Midwest USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruse, M.; Kucharik, C. J.

2012-12-01

Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and severity of drought conditions across the central US. This heightened risk on producers and economies alike also supports the need to improve our understanding of how extreme environmental conditions impact other ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, which is directly linked to net ecosystem exchange (NEE). In doing so, the scientific community aims to improve the realism of ecosystem models that are relied upon to project changes in large scale and long-term land surface-atmosphere carbon exchange as they are affected by continued land management change and climate change. One such large-scale land management change of the next several decades in the Midwest US could be the expansion of bioenergy cropping systems across the landscape. A wide range of bioenergy cropping systems (e.g., miscanthus, switchgrass, diverse prairie, hybrid poplar) are now targeted to support a feedstock supply chain for production of cellulosic biofuels. Many of these agroecosystems have only recently begun to appear as functional types in dynamic ecosystem models, and a general lack of observational data across a wide range of soils and climate has hampered model development and validation. In response to this shortcoming, from 2009 through 2012, component measurements of ecosystem carbon exchange (total soil respiration and leaf level photosynthetic rates) have been made along with measurements of other soil and meteorological variables in three model bioenergy cropping systems (continuous corn, hybrid poplar and switchgrass) at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) field trial at Arlington, Wisconsin. The three cropping systems encompass a wide range of growth (e.g. C3 vs. C4, annual vs. perennial) and management (e.g., tillage, harvesting) strategies that are predicted to impart different controls on NEE given likely varying biological responses to extreme weather events. Throughout the study period, the field site has been exposed to extreme variations in precipitation and temperature, from what might be considered an ideal/wet year in 2010 to a catastrophic drought in 2012. Measurements of soil temperature during the growing season of 2012 show an increase of 1.7°C to 4.6°C when compared to 2010 and concurrent measurements of volumetric water content decreased from 0.34 in 2010 to 0.05 in 2012. We compare and contrast component measurements of NEE (i.e. soil respiration and leaf level photosynthesis), using chamber-based methods in the field, and their responses to environmental conditions. Some preliminary results show that soil respiration measurements during summer 2012 exhibited a 20% increase to a 43% decrease compared to similar measurements taken in 2010. During the middle of the growing season, the maximum rate of photosynthesis was reduced in 2012 in comparison to 2010 by 36%, 53% and 66% for corn, switchgrass and hybrid poplar, respectively, for light saturated leaves with a temperature near 30°C. These data will aid in the development of better numerical functions in ecosystem models that aim to represent the influence of temperature and soil water potential on the exchange of CO2 between the land surface and the atmosphere in agroecosystems.

Exploring the Interactions between Land Use, Climate Change and Carbon Cycle using Satellite Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, R. L.; Fares, A.; He, Y.; Awal, R.; Risch, E.

2017-12-01

Most climate change impacts are linked to terrestrial vegetation productivity, carbon stocks and land use change. Changes in land use and climate drive the dynamics of terrestrial carbon cycle. These carbon cycle dynamics operate at different spatial and temporal scales. Quantification of the spatial and temporal variability of carbon flux has been challenging because land-atmosphere-carbon exchange is influenced by many factors, including but not limited to, land use change and climate change and variability. The study of terrestrial carbon cycle, mainly gross primary product (GPP), net ecosystem exchange (NEE), soil organic carbon (SOC) and ecosystem respiration (Re) and their interactions with land use and climate change, are critical to understanding the terrestrial ecosystem. The main objective of this study was to examine the interactions among land use, climate change and terrestrial carbon cycling in the state of Texas using satellite measurements. We studied GPP, NEE, Re and SOC distributions for five selected major land covers and all ten climate zones in Texas using Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) carbon products. SMAP Carbon products (Res=9 km) were compared with observed CO2 flux data measured at EC flux site on Prairie View A&M University Research Farm. Results showed the same land cover in different climate zones has significantly different carbon sequestration potentials. For example, cropland of the humid climate zone has higher (-228 g C/m2) carbon sequestration potentials than the semiarid climate zone (-36 g C/m2). Also, shrub land in the humid zone and in the semiarid zone showed high (-120 g C/m2) and low (-36 g C/m2) potentials of carbon sequestration, respectively, in the state. Overall, the analyses indicate CO2 storage and exchange respond differently to various land covers, and environments due to differences in water availability, root distribution and soil properties.

Comparing land surface phenology derived from satellite and GPS network microwave remote sensing.

PubMed

Jones, Matthew O; Kimball, John S; Small, Eric E; Larson, Kristine M

2014-08-01

The land surface phenology (LSP) start of season (SOS) metric signals the seasonal onset of vegetation activity, including canopy growth and associated increases in land-atmosphere water, energy and carbon (CO2) exchanges influencing weather and climate variability. The vegetation optical depth (VOD) parameter determined from satellite passive microwave remote sensing provides for global LSP monitoring that is sensitive to changes in vegetation canopy water content and biomass, and insensitive to atmosphere and solar illumination constraints. Direct field measures of canopy water content and biomass changes desired for LSP validation are generally lacking due to the prohibitive costs of maintaining regional monitoring networks. Alternatively, a normalized microwave reflectance index (NMRI) derived from GPS base station measurements is sensitive to daily vegetation water content changes and may provide for effective microwave LSP validation. We compared multiyear (2007-2011) NMRI and satellite VOD records at over 300 GPS sites in North America, and their derived SOS metrics for a subset of 24 homogenous land cover sites to investigate VOD and NMRI correspondence, and potential NMRI utility for LSP validation. Significant correlations (P<0.05) were found at 276 of 305 sites (90.5 %), with generally favorable correspondence in the resulting SOS metrics (r (2)=0.73, P<0.001, RMSE=36.8 days). This study is the first attempt to compare satellite microwave LSP metrics to a GPS network derived reflectance index and highlights both the utility and limitations of the NMRI data for LSP validation, including spatial scale discrepancies between local NMRI measurements and relatively coarse satellite VOD retrievals.

Regional-Scale Modeling at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.-K.; Adler, R.; Baker, D.; Braun, S.; Chou, M.-D.; Jasinski, M. F.; Jia, Y.; Kakar, R.; Karyampudi, M.; Lang, S.

2003-01-01

Over the past decade, the Goddard Mesoscale Modeling and Dynamics Group has used a popular regional scale model, MM5, to study precipitation processes. Our group is making contributions to the MM5 by incorporating the following physical and numerical packages: improved Goddard cloud processes, a land processes model (Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange - PLACE), efficient but sophisticated radiative processes, conservation of hydrometeor mass (water budget), four-dimensional data assimilation for rainfall, and better computational methods for trace gas transport. At NASA Goddard, the MM5 has been used to study: (1) the impact of initial conditions, assimilation of satellite-derived rainfall, and cumulus parameterizations on rapidly intensifying oceanic cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons, (2) the dynamic and thermodynamic processes associated with the development of narrow cold frontal rainbands, (3) regional climate and water cycles, (4) the impact of vertical transport by clouds and lightning on trace gas distributiodproduction associated with South and North American mesoscale convective systems, (5) the development of a westerly wind burst (WWB) that occurred during the TOGA COARE and the diurnal variation of precipitation in the tropics, (6) a Florida sea breeze convective event and a Mid-US flood event using a sophisticated land surface model, (7) the influence of soil heterogeneity on land surface energy balance in the southwest GCIP region, (8) explicit simulations (with 1.33 to 4 km horizontal resolution) of hurricanes Bob (1991) and Bonnie (1998), (9) a heavy precipitation event over Taiwan, and (10) to make real time forecasts for a major NASA field program. In this paper, the modifications and simulated cases will be described and discussed.

76 FR 56145 - Clearwater National Forest; ID; Upper Lochsa Land Exchange EIS

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-12

... for timber production. For the most part these lands currently meet State Best Management Practices... River drainage to provide more efficient and effective resource management. This purpose can be achieved... years, differing management practices on the private lands has influenced resource management decision...

43 CFR 2203.0-9 - Cross references.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-9 Cross references. The authorized officer shall implement a fee exchange of Federal coal deposits in compliance with the requirements of subparts 2200 and 2201 on this...-9 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT...

43 CFR 2203.0-9 - Cross references.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-9 Cross references. The authorized officer shall implement a fee exchange of Federal coal deposits in compliance with the requirements of subparts 2200 and 2201 on this...-9 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT...

43 CFR 2203.0-9 - Cross references.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-9 Cross references. The authorized officer shall implement a fee exchange of Federal coal deposits in compliance with the requirements of subparts 2200 and 2201 on this...-9 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT...

43 CFR 2203.0-9 - Cross references.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.0-9 Cross references. The authorized officer shall implement a fee exchange of Federal coal deposits in compliance with the requirements of subparts 2200 and 2201 on this...-9 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT...

Surface-atmosphere exchange of ammonia over peatland using QCL-based eddy-covariance measurements and inferential modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zöll, Undine; Brümmer, Christian; Schrader, Frederik; Ammann, Christof; Ibrom, Andreas; Flechard, Christophe R.; Nelson, David D.; Zahniser, Mark; Kutsch, Werner L.

2016-09-01

Recent advances in laser spectrometry offer new opportunities to investigate ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of environmentally relevant trace gases. In this study, we demonstrate the applicability of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) absorption spectrometer to continuously measure ammonia concentrations at high time resolution and thus to quantify the net exchange between a seminatural peatland ecosystem and the atmosphere based on the eddy-covariance approach. Changing diurnal patterns of both ammonia concentration and fluxes were found during different periods of the campaign. We observed a clear tipping point in early spring with decreasing ammonia deposition velocities and increasingly bidirectional fluxes that occurred after the switch from dormant vegetation to CO2 uptake but was triggered by a significant weather change. While several biophysical parameters such as temperature, radiation, and surface wetness were identified to partially regulate ammonia exchange at the site, the seasonal concentration pattern was clearly dominated by agricultural practices in the surrounding area. Comparing the results of a compensation point model with our measurement-based flux estimates showed considerable differences in some periods of the campaign due to overestimation of non-stomatal resistances caused by low acid ratios. The total cumulative campaign exchange of ammonia after 9 weeks, however, differed only in a 6 % deviation with 911 and 857 g NH3-N ha-1 deposition being found by measurements and modeling, respectively. Extrapolating our findings to an entire year, ammonia deposition was lower than reported by Hurkuck et al. (2014) for the same site in previous years using denuder systems. This was likely due to a better representation of the emission component in the net signal of eddy-covariance fluxes as well as better adapted site-specific parameters in the model. Our study not only stresses the importance of high-quality measurements for studying and assessing land surface-atmosphere interactions but also demonstrates the potential of QCL spectrometers for continuous observation of reactive nitrogen species as important additional instruments within long-term monitoring research infrastructures such as ICOS or NEON at sites with strong nearby ammonia sources leading to relatively high mean background concentrations and fluxes.

Mapping Global Ocean Surface Albedo from Satellite Observations: Models, Algorithms, and Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; Fan, X.; Yan, H.; Li, A.; Wang, M.; Qu, Y.

2018-04-01

Ocean surface albedo (OSA) is one of the important parameters in surface radiation budget (SRB). It is usually considered as a controlling factor of the heat exchange among the atmosphere and ocean. The temporal and spatial dynamics of OSA determine the energy absorption of upper level ocean water, and have influences on the oceanic currents, atmospheric circulations, and transportation of material and energy of hydrosphere. Therefore, various parameterizations and models have been developed for describing the dynamics of OSA. However, it has been demonstrated that the currently available OSA datasets cannot full fill the requirement of global climate change studies. In this study, we present a literature review on mapping global OSA from satellite observations. The models (parameterizations, the coupled ocean-atmosphere radiative transfer (COART), and the three component ocean water albedo (TCOWA)), algorithms (the estimation method based on reanalysis data, and the direct-estimation algorithm), and datasets (the cloud, albedo and radiation (CLARA) surface albedo product, dataset derived by the TCOWA model, and the global land surface satellite (GLASS) phase-2 surface broadband albedo product) of OSA have been discussed, separately.

A novel assessment of the role of land-use and land-cover change in the global carbon cycle, using a new Dynamic Global Vegetation Model version of the CABLE land surface model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haverd, Vanessa; Smith, Benjamin; Nieradzik, Lars; Briggs, Peter; Canadell, Josep

2017-04-01

In recent decades, terrestrial ecosystems have sequestered around 1.2 PgC y-1, an amount equivalent to 20% of fossil-fuel emissions. This land carbon flux is the net result of the impact of changing climate and CO2 on ecosystem productivity (CO2-climate driven land sink ) and deforestation, harvest and secondary forest regrowth (the land-use change (LUC) flux). The future trajectory of the land carbon flux is highly dependent upon the contributions of these processes to the net flux. However their contributions are highly uncertain, in part because the CO2-climate driven land sink and LUC components are often estimated independently, when in fact they are coupled. We provide a novel assessment of global land carbon fluxes (1800-2015) that integrates land-use effects with the effects of changing climate and CO2 on ecosystem productivity. For this, we use a new land-use enabled Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (DGVM) version of the CABLE land surface model, suitable for use in attributing changes in terrestrial carbon balance, and in predicting changes in vegetation cover and associated effects on land-atmosphere exchange. In this model, land-use-change is driven by prescribed gross land-use transitions and harvest areas, which are converted to changes in land-use area and transfer of carbon between pools (soil, litter, biomass, harvested wood products and cleared wood pools). A novel aspect is the treatment of secondary woody vegetation via the coupling between the land-use module and the POP (Populations Order Physiology) module for woody demography and disturbance-mediated landscape heterogeneity. Land-use transitions to and from secondary forest tiles modify the patch age distribution within secondary-vegetated tiles, in turn affecting biomass accumulation and turnover rates and hence the magnitude of the secondary forest sink. The resulting secondary forest patch age distribution also influences the magnitude of the secondary forest harvest and clearance fluxes, with oldest patches (high biomass) being preferentially harvested, and youngest patches (low biomass) being preferentially cleared. Our results, which agree well with the net land flux derived from the global carbon budget, are used for a process-attribution of the land carbon sink. Use of multiple constraints provides confidence in our process-attribution: we use observation-based data sets to evaluate predictions of global spatial distributions of vegetation cover, evaporation, gross primary production, biomass and soil carbon; interannual variability of the global terrestrial carbon sink; forest allometric relations and age-effects on net primary production.

75 FR 3917 - Notice of Public Meeting, Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-25

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2011-01-26

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Mapping decadal land cover changes in the woodlands of north eastern Namibia using the Landsat satellite archive (1975-2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wingate, Vladimir; Phinn, Stuart; Kuhn, Nikolaus

2016-04-01

Woodland savannahs provide essential ecosystem functions and services to communities. On the African continent, they are widely utilized and converted to intensive land uses. This study investigates the land cover changes over 108,038 km2 in NE Namibia using multi-sensor Landsat imagery, at decadal intervals from 1975 to 2014, with a post-classification change detection method and supervised Regression Tree classifiers. We discuss likely impacts of land tenure and reforms over the past four decades on changes in land use and land cover. These included losses, gains and exchanges between predominant land cover classes. Exchanges comprised logical conversions between woodland and agricultural classes, implying woodland clearing for arable farming, cropland abandonment and vegetation succession. The dominant change was a reduction in the area of the woodland class due to the expansion of the agricultural class, specifically, small-scale cereal and pastoral production. Woodland area decreased from 90% of the study area in 1975 to 83% in 2014, while cleared land increased from 9% to 14%. We found that the main land cover changes are conversion from woodland to agricultural and urban land uses, driven by urban expansion and woodland clearing for subsistence-based agriculture and pastoralism.

Seasonal Variability in Mercury Speciation within Select Coastal Lagoons of Central California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, P. M.; Conaway, C. H.; Dimova, N. T.; Swarzenski, P. W.; Kehrlein, N. C.; Flegal, A. R.

2011-12-01

Coastal lagoons may play an important role in mercury biogeochemical cycling at the land-sea margin. Along the coast of California, these systems are seasonally dynamic, behaving as estuaries during the wet season and as lagoons in the dry season when ephemeral sand berms develop and isolate terrestrial freshwater from direct exchange with the ocean. As a consequence, many lagoons become eutrophic in the dry season and are characterized by high nutrient and low dissolved oxygen concentrations. Because monomethylmercury (MMHg) production can be mediated by anaerobic bacteria, coastal lagoons are a potential source of biologically available MMHg that may be transported to the nearshore environment via submarine groundwater discharge. To evaluate the importance of coastal lagoons at the land-sea margin, we quantified total mercury (HgT) and MMHg concentrations in surface water and coastal seawater from six sites during dry and wet season conditions, including one storm event. Additionally, we conducted a tidal study at one lagoon in which we sampled surface water, seawater, and groundwater over a 10-hour period during a falling tide (+1.63 to 0.00 m). Groundwater was collected using a multi-port piezometer screened at depths ranging from 1 m to a few centimeters below the lagoon's sediment-water interface. This enabled us to characterize surface water - groundwater interaction. During wet season conditions, the average unfiltered HgT (U-HgT) concentration in surface water at the tidal study lagoon was 13 pM and did not fluctuate in response to tidal changes. Filtered (< 0.45 μm) HgT (F-HgT) concentrations in the lagoon were similar to U-HgT concentrations during high tide and decreased to 8 pM during low tide. Groundwater F-HgT concentrations were about 1.5 pM at a depth of 1 m and systematically increased at shallower depths, reaching approximately 6 pM near the surface. These data indicate F-HgT exchange between the lagoon and groundwater to a depth of at least 1 m. Seawater HgT was typically < 5 pM. MMHg concentrations in surface water at this lagoon during the dry season ranged from 2 to 5 pM, suggesting enhanced methylmercury production.

Influence of land use on hyporheos in catchment of the Jarama River (central Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iepure, S.; Martínez-Hernández, V.; Herrera, S.; de Bustamante, I.; Rasines, R.

2012-04-01

The Water Framework Directive (2000) requires integrated assessment of water bodies based on water resources but also the evaluation of land-use catchment effect on chemical and ecological conditions of aquatic ecosystems. The hyporheic zone (HZ) supporting obligate subterranean species are particularly vulnerable in river ecosystems when environmental stress occurs at surface and require management strategies to protect both the stream catchment and the aquifer that feed the stream channel. The influence of catchment land-use in the Jarama basin (central Spain) on river geomorphology and hyporheic zone granulometry, chemical and biological variables inferred from crustacean community biodiversity (species richness, taxonomic distinctness) and ecology was assessed. The study was conducted in four streams from the Madrid metropolitan area under distinct local land-use and water resource protection: i) a preserved forested natural sites where critical river ecosystem processes were unaltered or less altered by human activities, and ii) different degree of anthropogenic impact sites from agriculture, urban industrial and mining activities. The river bed permeability reduction and the increase of low sediment size input associated with changes in geomorphology of the stream channels are greatly affected by land-use changes in the Jarama watershed. Water chemical parameters linked to land-use increase from the natural stream to the urban industrial and agricultural dominated catchment. Principal coordinate analysis (PCO) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) clearly discriminate the pristine sites from forested areas by those under anthropogenic stressors. In streams draining forested areas, groundwater discharge and regular exchange between groundwater and surface water occur due to relatively high permeability of the sediments. Consequently, forested land-use produce sites of high water quality and crustacean richness (both groundwater dwellers and surface-benthos species), as indicate the expected diversity pattern after the simulation procedure for taxonomic distinctness. Crustacean diversity (Shannon index) was greatest in less extensive agricultural land-use sites where riparian zone is slightly developed, while intensive agricultural activities cause a decline of water quality and therefore of crustacean richness. Intensively urban industrial land-use yield highly contaminated hyporheic water with heavy metals and VOC (i.e. toluene, benzene). Complementarily, the streams geomorphology and low rates of water flow favour the deposition of fine sediments that clog the interstices, generate a reverse dynamic of river channel and induce a reduction of groundwater discharge. In results, the hyporheic is unsuitable for hyporheos that are missing or harbour reduced populations of exclusively surface-water taxa. There are sites of intermediate biodiversity including hypogeans, located in natural regional parks thriving well-established riparian zone and relatively good water quality. The differences among sites in the Jarama basin indicate the impact that changes in land-use have upon the hyporheic ecology as shown the pattern of crustacean community distribution, diversity and ecological structure. We suggest that in rehabilitation processes of streams sectors require the understanding and recognition of the potential roles of the hyporheic zone and its biota in the whole stream ecosystem.

Turbulent water vapor exchanges and two source energy balance model estimated fluxes of heterogeneous vineyard canopies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Los, S.; Hipps, L.; Alfieri, J. G.; Prueger, J. H.; Kustas, W. P.

2017-12-01

Agriculture in semi-arid regions is globally facing increasing stress on water resources. Hence, knowledge of water used in irrigated crops is essential for water resource management. However, quantifying spatial and temporal distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) has proven difficult because of the inherent complexities involved. Understanding of the complex biophysical relationships that govern ET is incomplete, particularly for heterogeneous vegetation. The USDA-ARS is developing a remotely-sensed ET modeling system that utilizes a two-source energy balance (TSEB) model capable of simulating turbulent water and energy exchange from measurements of radiometric land surface temperature. The modeling system has been tested over a number of vegetated surfaces and is currently being validated for vineyard sites in the Central Valley of California through the Grape Remote sensing Atmospheric Profiling & Evapotranspiration eXperiment (GRAPEX). The highly variable, elevated canopy structure and semi-arid climatic conditions of these sites give the opportunity to gain knowledge of both turbulent exchange processes and the TSEB model's ability to simulate turbulent fluxes for heterogeneous vegetation. Analyzed are fast-response (20 Hz) 3-D velocity, temperature, and humidity measurements gathered over 4 years at two vineyard sites. These data were collected at a height of 5 m, within the surface layer but above the canopy, and at 1.5 m, below the canopy top. Power spectra and cross-spectra are used to study behavior of turbulent water vapor exchanges and coupling between the canopy layer and surface layer under various atmospheric conditions. Frequent light winds and unstable daytime conditions, combined with the complicated canopy structure, often induce intermittent and episodic turbulence transport. This resulted in a modal behavior alternating between periods of more continuous canopy venting and periods where water vapor fluxes are dominated by transient, low frequency events. Aerodynamic resistances derived by the TSEB model are examined, and modeled fluxes of water and energy are compared to measured values for various conditions. Efforts to characterize periods of intermittent behavior are presented and particular attention to model performance is given to these intermittent periods.

76 FR 30740 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Acquisition of Land...

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2011-05-26

... and Light Company (FPL) in Everglades National Park (Park). The NPS decision to be made at the conclusion of the process was to have been whether to exchange NPS lands for FPL's lands within the boundary of the Park or to acquire FPL's lands by purchase or eminent domain. After careful consideration of...

43 CFR 2203.4 - Consultation with the Attorney General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.4 Consultation with the Attorney General. (a... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Consultation with the Attorney General. 2203.4 Section 2203.4 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF...

43 CFR 2203.4 - Consultation with the Attorney General.

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2011-10-01

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2014-10-01

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43 CFR 2203.4 - Consultation with the Attorney General.

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An Overview of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sellers, P. J.; Hall, F. G.; Asrar, G.; Strebel, D. E.; Murphy, R. E.

1992-11-01

In the summer of 1983 a group of scientists working in the fields of meteorology, biology, and remote sensing met to discuss methods for modeling and observing land-surface—atmosphere interactions on regional and global scales. They concluded, first, that the existing climate models contained poor representations of the processes controlling the exchanges of energy, water, heat, and carbon between the land surface and the atmosphere and, second, that satellite remote sensing had been underutilized as a means of specifying global fields of the governing biophysical parameters. Accordingly, a multiscale, multidisciplinary experiment, FIFE, was initiated to address these two issues. The objectives of FIFE were specified as follows: (1) Upscale integration of models: The experiment was designed to test the soil-plant-atmosphere models developed by biometeorologists for small-scale applications (millimeters to meters) and to develop methods to apply them at the larger scales (kilometers) appropriate to atmospheric models and satellite remote sensing. (2) Application of satellite remote sensing: Even if the first goal were achieved to yield a "perfect" model of vegetation-atmosphere exchanges, it would have very limited applications without a global observing system for initialization and validation. As a result, the experiment was tasked with exploring methods for using satellite data to quantify important biophysical states and rates for model input. The experiment was centered on a 15 × 15 km grassland site near Manhattan, Kansas. This area became the focus for an extended monitoring program of satellite, meteorological, biophysical, and hydrological data acquisition from early 1987 through October 1989 and a series of 12- to 20-day intensive field campaigns (IFCs), four in 1987 and one in 1989. During the IFCs the fluxes of heat, moisture, carbon dioxide, and radiation were measured with surface and airborne equipment in coordination with measurements of surface and atmospheric parameters and satellite overpasses. The resulting data are held in a single integrated data base and continue to be analyzed by the participating scientists and others. The first two sections of this paper recount the history and scientific background leading up to FIFE; the third and fourth sections review the experiment design, the scientific teams and equipment involved, and the actual execution of the experiment; the fifth section provides an overview of the contents of this special issue; the sixth section summarizes the management and resources of the project; and the last section lists the acknowledgments.

The SWEX at the area of Eastern Poland: Comparison of soil moisture obtained from ground measurements and SMOS satellite data*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usowicz, J. B.; Marczewski, W.; Usowicz, B.; Lukowski, M. I.; Lipiec, J.; Slominski, J.

2012-04-01

Soil moisture, together with soil and vegetation characteristics, plays an important role in exchange of water and energy between the land surface and the atmospheric boundary layer. Accurate knowledge of current and future spatial and temporal variation in soil moisture is not well known, nor easy to measure or predict. Knowledge of soil moisture in surface and root zone soil moisture is critical for achieving sustainable land and water management. The importance of SM is so high that this ECV is recommended by GCOS (Global Climate Observing System) to any attempts of evaluating of effects the climate change, and therefore it is one of the goals for observing the Earth by the ESA SMOS Mission (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity), globally. SMOS provides its observations by means of the interferometric radiometry method (1.4 GHz) from the orbit. In parallel, ten ground based stations are kept by IA PAN, in area of the Eastern Wall in Poland, in order to validate SMOS data and for other ground based agrophysical purposes. Soil moisture measurements obtained from ground and satellite measurements from SMOS were compared using Bland-Altman method of agreement, concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and total deviation index (TDI). Observed similar changes in soil moisture, but the values obtained from satellite measurements were lower. Minor differences between the compared data are at higher moisture contents of soil and they grow with decreasing soil moisture. Soil moisture trends are maintained in the individual stations. Such distributions of soil moisture were mainly related to soil type. * The work was financially supported in part by the ESA Programme for European Cooperating States (PECS), No.98084 "SWEX-R, Soil Water and Energy Exchange/Research", AO3275.

Variability in carbon dioxide fluxes for dense urban, suburban and woodland environments in southern England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, Helen; Kotthaus, Simone; Grimmond, C. Sue; Bjorkegren, Alex; Wilkinson, Matt; Morrison, Will; Evans, Jon; Morison, James; Christen, Andreas

2014-05-01

The net exchange of carbon dioxide between the surface and atmosphere can be measured using the eddy covariance technique. Fluxes from a dense urban environment (central London), a suburban landscape (Swindon) and a woodland ecosystem (Alice Holt) are compared. All sites are located in southern England and experience similar climatic and meteorological conditions, yet have very different land cover. The signatures of anthropogenic and biogenic processes are explored at various (daily, seasonal and annual) timescales. Particular emphasis is placed on identifying the mixture of controls that determine the flux. In summer, there are clear similarities between the suburban and woodland sites, as the diurnal behaviour is dominated by photosynthetic uptake. In winter, however, vegetation is largely dormant and human activity determines the pattern of fluxes at the urban and suburban sites. Emissions from building heating augment the net release of carbon dioxide in cold months. Road use is a major contributor to the total emissions, and the diurnal cycle in the observed fluxes reflects this: in central London roads are busy throughout the day, whereas in Swindon a double-peaked rush-hour signal is evident. The net exchange of carbon dioxide is estimated for each site and set in context with other studies around the world. Central London has the smallest proportion of vegetation and largest emissions amongst study sites in the literature to date. Although Swindon's appreciable vegetation fraction helps to offset the anthropogenic emissions, even in summertime the 24h total flux is usually positive, indicating carbon release. Comparison of these three sites in a similar region demonstrates the effects of increasing urban density and changing land use on the atmosphere. Findings are relevant in terms of characterising the behaviour of urban surfaces and for quantifying the impact of anthropogenic activities.

Effects of land use on surface-atmosphere exchanges of trace gases and energy in Borneo: comparing fluxes over oil palm plantations and a rainforest.

PubMed

Fowler, David; Nemitz, Eiko; Misztal, Pawel; Di Marco, Chiara; Skiba, Ute; Ryder, James; Helfter, Carole; Cape, J Neil; Owen, Sue; Dorsey, James; Gallagher, Martin W; Coyle, Mhairi; Phillips, Gavin; Davison, Brian; Langford, Ben; MacKenzie, Rob; Muller, Jennifer; Siong, Jambery; Dari-Salisburgo, Cesare; Di Carlo, Piero; Aruffo, Eleonora; Giammaria, Franco; Pyle, John A; Hewitt, C Nicholas

2011-11-27

This paper reports measurements of land-atmosphere fluxes of sensible and latent heat, momentum, CO(2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), NO, NO(2), N(2)O and O(3) over a 30 m high rainforest canopy and a 12 m high oil palm plantation in the same region of Sabah in Borneo between April and July 2008. The daytime maximum CO(2) flux to the two canopies differs by approximately a factor of 2, 1200 mg C m(-2) h(-1) for the oil palm and 700 mg C m(-2) h(-1) for the rainforest, with the oil palm plantation showing a substantially greater quantum efficiency. Total VOC emissions are also larger over the oil palm than over the rainforest by a factor of 3. Emissions of isoprene from the oil palm canopy represented 80 per cent of the VOC emissions and exceeded those over the rainforest in similar light and temperature conditions by on average a factor of 5. Substantial emissions of estragole (1-allyl-4-methoxybenzene) from the oil palm plantation were detected and no trace of this VOC was detected in or above the rainforest. Deposition velocities for O(3) to the rainforest were a factor of 2 larger than over oil palm. Emissions of nitrous oxide were larger from the soils of the oil palm plantation than from the soils of the rainforest by approximately 25 per cent. It is clear from the measurements that the large change in the species composition generated by replacing rainforest with oil palm leads to profound changes in the net exchange of most of the trace gases measured, and thus on the chemical composition of the boundary layer over these surfaces.

Water Vapor Exchange in a Costa Rican Lower Montane Tropical Forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, R.; Miller, G. R.; Cahill, A. T.; Moore, G. W.; Aparecido, L. M. T.

2015-12-01

Because of high canopy interception in tropical forests, evaporation from wet canopy surfaces makes up a sizeable portion of the total water vapor flux. The modeling complexities presented by changing canopy wetness, along with a scarcity of land-atmosphere flux exchange data from tropical forests, means evapotranspiration (ET) processes have been poorly represented in the tropics in land-surface modeling schemes. To better understand tropical forest ET, we will evaluate the influence of canopy wetness and various micrometeorological data on ET partitioning and total ET flux. We have collected flux data from a lower montane forest in Costa Rica at a newly established AmeriFlux site, which notably has the highest mean annual precipitation of any site in the network. The site features a 39-m canopy tower, equipped with two eddy covariance systems (LI-7200, LI-COR), a CO2/H2O atmospheric profile system (AP200, Campbell Scientific), leaf wetness sensors (LWS, Decagon Devices), sap flow sensors, and a soil respiration chamber (LI-8100A, LI-COR) as well as an array of other micrometeorological sensors. At the site, total ET is driven primarily by available energy, and to a lesser extent, by vapor pressure deficit. Average daily latent energy fluxes peak at values of 160, 75, and 35 W m-2 for dry, partially wet, and wet canopy conditions respectively. Correlations between latent energy flux and all other variables are strongest for drier canopy conditions. Complex relationships between canopy wetness and tropical forest ET cause the environmental controls on these fluxes to be significantly different from those in other biomes. As a result, a new modeling paradigm is needed to more accurately model ET differences between tropical forests and other vegetation types.

Air-sea interactions during strong winter extratropical storms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Jill; He, Ruoying; Warner, John C.; Bane, John

2014-01-01

A high-resolution, regional coupled atmosphere–ocean model is used to investigate strong air–sea interactions during a rapidly developing extratropical cyclone (ETC) off the east coast of the USA. In this two-way coupled system, surface momentum and heat fluxes derived from the Weather Research and Forecasting model and sea surface temperature (SST) from the Regional Ocean Modeling System are exchanged via the Model Coupling Toolkit. Comparisons are made between the modeled and observed wind velocity, sea level pressure, 10 m air temperature, and sea surface temperature time series, as well as a comparison between the model and one glider transect. Vertical profiles of modeled air temperature and winds in the marine atmospheric boundary layer and temperature variations in the upper ocean during a 3-day storm period are examined at various cross-shelf transects along the eastern seaboard. It is found that the air–sea interactions near the Gulf Stream are important for generating and sustaining the ETC. In particular, locally enhanced winds over a warm sea (relative to the land temperature) induce large surface heat fluxes which cool the upper ocean by up to 2 °C, mainly during the cold air outbreak period after the storm passage. Detailed heat budget analyses show the ocean-to-atmosphere heat flux dominates the upper ocean heat content variations. Results clearly show that dynamic air–sea interactions affecting momentum and buoyancy flux exchanges in ETCs need to be resolved accurately in a coupled atmosphere–ocean modeling framework.

77 FR 37066 - Notice of Public Meeting Location Change, Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council Meeting

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2012-06-20

..., fire management, land use planning, invasive species management, energy and minerals management, travel management, wilderness, wild horse herd management, land exchange proposals, cultural resource management...

78 FR 26389 - Notice of Public Meeting Location Change, Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-06

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2010-04-20

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Deafy Glade Land Exchange Act

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA

2009-08-04

Senate - 04/28/2010 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Assessment of model estimates of land-atmosphere CO2 exchange across northern Eurasia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rawlins, M.A.; McGuire, A.D.; Kimball, J.S.; Dass, P.; Lawrence, D.; Burke, E.; Chen, X.; Delire, C.; Koven, C.; MacDougall, A.; Peng, S.; Rinke, A.; Saito, K.; Zhang, W.; Alkama, R.; Bohn, T. J.; Ciais, P.; Decharme, B.; Gouttevin, I.; Hajima, T.; Ji, D.; Krinner, G.; Lettenmaier, D.P.; Miller, P.; Moore, J.C.; Smith, B.; Sueyoshi, T.

2015-01-01

A warming climate is altering land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, with a potential for increased vegetation productivity as well as the mobilization of permafrost soil carbon stores. Here we investigate land-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO2) cycling through analysis of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and its component fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) and soil carbon residence time, simulated by a set of land surface models (LSMs) over a region spanning the drainage basin of Northern Eurasia. The retrospective simulations cover the period 1960–2009 at 0.5° resolution, which is a scale common among many global carbon and climate model simulations. Model performance benchmarks were drawn from comparisons against both observed CO2 fluxes derived from site-based eddy covariance measurements as well as regional-scale GPP estimates based on satellite remote-sensing data. The site-based comparisons depict a tendency for overestimates in GPP and ER for several of the models, particularly at the two sites to the south. For several models the spatial pattern in GPP explains less than half the variance in the MODIS MOD17 GPP product. Across the models NEP increases by as little as 0.01 to as much as 0.79 g C m−2 yr−2, equivalent to 3 to 340 % of the respective model means, over the analysis period. For the multimodel average the increase is 135 % of the mean from the first to last 10 years of record (1960–1969 vs. 2000–2009), with a weakening CO2 sink over the latter decades. Vegetation net primary productivity increased by 8 to 30 % from the first to last 10 years, contributing to soil carbon storage gains. The range in regional mean NEP among the group is twice the multimodel mean, indicative of the uncertainty in CO2 sink strength. The models simulate that inputs to the soil carbon pool exceeded losses, resulting in a net soil carbon gain amid a decrease in residence time. Our analysis points to improvements in model elements controlling vegetation productivity and soil respiration as being needed for reducing uncertainty in land-atmosphere CO2 exchange. These advances will require collection of new field data on vegetation and soil dynamics, the development of benchmarking data sets from measurements and remote-sensing observations, and investments in future model development and intercomparison studies.

Assessment of model estimates of land-atmosphere CO 2 exchange across Northern Eurasia

DOE PAGES

Rawlins, M. A.; McGuire, A. D.; Kimball, J. S.; ...

2015-07-28

A warming climate is altering land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, with a potential for increased vegetation productivity as well as the mobilization of permafrost soil carbon stores. Here we investigate land-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO 2) cycling through analysis of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and its component fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) and soil carbon residence time, simulated by a set of land surface models (LSMs) over a region spanning the drainage basin of Northern Eurasia. The retrospective simulations cover the period 1960–2009 at 0.5° resolution, which is a scale common among many global carbon and climatemore » model simulations. Model performance benchmarks were drawn from comparisons against both observed CO 2 fluxes derived from site-based eddy covariance measurements as well as regional-scale GPP estimates based on satellite remote-sensing data. The site-based comparisons depict a tendency for overestimates in GPP and ER for several of the models, particularly at the two sites to the south. For several models the spatial pattern in GPP explains less than half the variance in the MODIS MOD17 GPP product. Across the models NEP increases by as little as 0.01 to as much as 0.79 g C m⁻² yr⁻², equivalent to 3 to 340 % of the respective model means, over the analysis period. For the multimodel average the increase is 135 % of the mean from the first to last 10 years of record (1960–1969 vs. 2000–2009), with a weakening CO 2 sink over the latter decades. Vegetation net primary productivity increased by 8 to 30 % from the first to last 10 years, contributing to soil carbon storage gains. The range in regional mean NEP among the group is twice the multimodel mean, indicative of the uncertainty in CO 2 sink strength. The models simulate that inputs to the soil carbon pool exceeded losses, resulting in a net soil carbon gain amid a decrease in residence time. Our analysis points to improvements in model elements controlling vegetation productivity and soil respiration as being needed for reducing uncertainty in land-atmosphere CO 2 exchange. These advances will require collection of new field data on vegetation and soil dynamics, the development of benchmarking data sets from measurements and remote-sensing observations, and investments in future model development and intercomparison studies.« less

The Effect of Landing Surface on the Plantar Kinetics of Chinese Paratroopers Using Half-Squat Landing

PubMed Central

Li, Yi; Wu, Ji; Zheng, Chao; Huang, Rong Rong; Na, Yuhong; Yang, Fan; Wang, Zengshun; Wu, Di

2013-01-01

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of landing surface on plantar kinetics during a half-squat landing. Twenty male elite paratroopers with formal parachute landing training and over 2 years of parachute jumping experience were recruited. The subjects wore parachuting boots in which pressure sensing insoles were placed. Each subject was instructed to jump off a platform with a height of 60 cm, and land on either a hard or soft surface in a half-squat posture. Outcome measures were maximal plantar pressure, time to maximal plantar pressure (T-MPP), and pressure-time integral (PTI) upon landing on 10 plantar regions. Compared to a soft surface, hard surface produced higher maximal plantar pressure in the 1st to 4th metatarsal and mid-foot regions, but lower maximal plantar pressure in the 5th metatarsal region. Shorter T- MPP was found during hard surface landing in the 1st and 2nd metatarsal and medial rear foot. Landing on a hard surface landing resulted in a lower PTI than a soft surface in the 1stphalangeal region. For Chinese paratroopers, specific foot prosthesis should be designed to protect the1st to 4thmetatarsal region for hard surface landing, and the 1stphalangeal and 5thmetatarsal region for soft surface landing. Key Points Understanding plantar kinetics during the half-squat landing used by Chinese paratroopers can assist in the design of protective footwear. Compared to landing on a soft surface, a hard surface produced higher maximal plantar pressure in the 1st to 4th metatarsal and mid-foot regions, but lower maximal plantar pressure in the 5th metatarsal region. A shorter time to maximal plantar pressure was found during a hard surface landing in the 1st and 2nd metatarsals and medial rear foot. Landing on a hard surface resulted in a lower pressure-time integral than landing on a soft surface in the 1st phalangeal region. For Chinese paratroopers, specific foot prosthesis should be designed to protect the 1st to 4th metatarsal region for a hard surface landing, and the 1st phalangeal and 5th metatarsal region for a soft surface landing. PMID:24149145

Analysis of relationships between land surface temperature and land use changes in the Yellow River Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ning, Jicai; Gao, Zhiqiang; Meng, Ran; Xu, Fuxiang; Gao, Meng

2018-06-01

This study analyzed land use and land cover changes and their impact on land surface temperature using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor imagery of the Yellow River Delta. Six Landsat images comprising two time series were used to calculate the land surface temperature and correlated vegetation indices. The Yellow River Delta area has expanded substantially because of the deposited sediment carried from upstream reaches of the river. Between 1986 and 2015, approximately 35% of the land use area of the Yellow River Delta has been transformed into salterns and aquaculture ponds. Overall, land use conversion has occurred primarily from poorly utilized land into highly utilized land. To analyze the variation of land surface temperature, a mono-window algorithm was applied to retrieve the regional land surface temperature. The results showed bilinear correlation between land surface temperature and the vegetation indices (i.e., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Adjusted-Normalized Vegetation Index, Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index, and Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index). Generally, values of the vegetation indices greater than the inflection point mean the land surface temperature and the vegetation indices are correlated negatively, and vice versa. Land surface temperature in coastal areas is affected considerably by local seawater temperature and weather conditions.

Impact of future land cover changes on HNO3 and O3 surface dry deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbeke, T.; Lathière, J.; Szopa, S.; de Noblet-Ducoudré, N.

2015-07-01

Dry deposition is a key component of surface-atmosphere exchange of compounds, acting as a sink for several chemical species. Meteorological factors, chemical properties of the trace gas considered and land surface properties are strong drivers of dry deposition efficiency and variability. Under both climatic and anthropogenic pressure, the vegetation distribution over the Earth has been changing a lot over the past centuries, and could be significantly altered in the future. In this study, we perform a modeling investigation of the potential impact of land-cover changes between present-day (2006) and the future (2050) on dry deposition rates, with special interest for ozone (O3) and nitric acid vapor (HNO3), two compounds which are characterized by very different physico-chemical properties. The 3-D chemistry transport model LMDz-INCA is used, considering changes in vegetation distribution based on the three future projections RCPs 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5. The 2050 RCP 8.5 vegetation distribution leads to a rise up to 7 % (+0.02 cm s-1) in VdO3 and a decrease of -0.06 cm s-1 in VdHNO3 relative to the present day values in tropical Africa, and up to +18 and -15 % respectively in Australia. When taking into account the RCP 4.5 scenario, which shows dramatic land cover change in Eurasia, VdHNO3 increases by up to 20 % (annual-mean value) and reduces VdO3 by the same magnitude in this region. When analyzing the impact of dry deposition change on atmospheric chemical composition, our model calculates that the effect is lower than 1 ppb on annual mean surface ozone concentration, for both for the RCP8.5 and RCP2.6 scenarios. The impact on HNO3 surface concentrations is more disparate between the two scenarios, regarding the spatial repartition of effects. In the case of the RCP 4.5 scenario, a significant increase of the surface O3 concentration reaching locally up to 5 ppb (+5 %) is calculated on average during the June-August period. This scenario induces also an increase of HNO3 deposited flux exceeding locally 10 % for monthly values. Comparing the impact of land-cover change to the impact of climate change, considering a 0.93 °C increase of global temperature, on dry deposition velocities, we estimate that the strongest increase over lands occurs in the North Hemisphere during winter especially in Eurasia, by +50 % (+0.07 cm s-1) for VdO3 and +100 % (+0.9 cm s-1) for VdHNO3. However, different regions are affected by both changes, with climate change impact on deposition characterized by a latitudinal gradient, while the land-cover change impact is much more heterogeneous depending on vegetation distribution modification described in the future RCP scenarios. The impact of long-term land-cover changes on dry deposition is shown to be non-negligible and should be therefore considered in biosphere-atmospheric chemistry interaction studies in order to have a fully consistent picture.

A comparison of all-weather land surface temperature products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, Joao; Trigo, Isabel F.; Ghilain, Nicolas; Goettche, Frank-M.; Ermida, Sofia; Olesen, Folke-S.; Gellens-Meulenberghs, Françoise; Arboleda, Alirio

2017-04-01

The Satellite Application Facility on Land Surface Analysis (LSA-SAF, http://landsaf.ipma.pt) has been providing land surface temperature (LST) estimates using SEVIRI/MSG on an operational basis since 2006. The LSA-SAF service has since been extended to provide a wide range of satellite-based quantities over land surfaces, such as emissivity, albedo, radiative fluxes, vegetation state, evapotranspiration, and fire-related variables. Being based on infra-red measurements, the SEVIRI/MSG LST product is limited to clear-sky pixels only. Several all-weather LST products have been proposed by the scientific community either based on microwave observations or using Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer models to fill the gaps caused by clouds. The goal of this work is to provide a nearly gap-free operational all-weather LST product and compare these approaches. In order to estimate evapotranspiration and turbulent energy fluxes, the LSA-SAF solves the surface energy budget for each SEVIRI pixel, taking into account the physical and physiological processes occurring in vegetation canopies. This task is accomplished with an adapted SVAT model, which adopts some formulations and parameters of the Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land (TESSEL) model operated at the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and using: 1) radiative inputs also derived by LSA-SAF, which includes surface albedo, down-welling fluxes and fire radiative power; 2) a land-surface characterization obtained by combining the ECOCLIMAP database with both LSA-SAF vegetation products and the H(ydrology)-SAF snow mask; 3) meteorological fields from ECMWF forecasts interpolated to SEVIRI pixels, and 4) soil moisture derived by the H-SAF and LST from LSA-SAF. A byproduct of the SVAT model is surface skin temperature, which is needed to close the surface energy balance. The model skin temperature corresponds to the radiative temperature of the interface between soil and atmosphere, which is assumed to have no heat storage. The modelled skin temperatures are in fair agreement with LST directly estimated from SEVIRI observations. However, in contrast to LST retrievals from SEVIRI/MSG (or other infrared sensors) the SVAT model solves the energy budget equation under all-sky conditions. The SVAT surface skin temperature is then used to fill gaps in LST fields caused by clouds. Since under cloudy conditions the direct incoming solar radiation is greatly reduced, thermal balance at the surface is more easily achieved and directional effects are also less important. Therefore, a better performance of the model skin temperature may be expected. In contrast, under clear skies the satellite LST showed to be more reliable, since the SVAT model shows biases in the daily amplitude of the skin temperature. In the context of the GlobTemperature project (http://www.globtemperature.info/), all-weather LST datasets using AMSR-E microwave radiances were produced, which are compared here to the SVAT-based LST. Both products were validated against in situ data - particularly from Gobabeb & Farm Heimat (Namibia), and Évora (Portugal) - to show that under cloudy conditions the agreement between in-situ LST and modelled skin temperature is acceptable. Compared to the SVAT-based LST, AMSR-E LST is closer to satellite observations (level 2 product); the complementarity of the two approaches is assessed.

Design and development of a community carbon cycle benchmarking system for CMIP5 models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, M.; Hoffman, F. M.; Lawrence, D. M.; Riley, W. J.; Keppel-Aleks, G.; Randerson, J. T.

2013-12-01

Benchmarking has been widely used to assess the ability of atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and land surface models to capture the spatial and temporal variability of observations during the historical period. For the carbon cycle and terrestrial ecosystems, the design and development of an open-source community platform has been an important goal as part of the International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMB) project. Here we designed and developed a software system that enables the user to specify the models, benchmarks, and scoring systems so that results can be tailored to specific model intercomparison projects. We used this system to evaluate the performance of CMIP5 Earth system models (ESMs). Our scoring system used information from four different aspects of climate, including the climatological mean spatial pattern of gridded surface variables, seasonal cycle dynamics, the amplitude of interannual variability, and long-term decadal trends. We used this system to evaluate burned area, global biomass stocks, net ecosystem exchange, gross primary production, and ecosystem respiration from CMIP5 historical simulations. Initial results indicated that the multi-model mean often performed better than many of the individual models for most of the observational constraints.

Hydrology of prairie wetlands: Understanding the integrated surface-water and groundwater processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayashi, Masaki; van der Kamp, Garth; Rosenberry, Donald O.

2016-01-01

Wetland managers and policy makers need to make decisions based on a sound scientific understanding of hydrological and ecological functions of wetlands. This article presents an overview of the hydrology of prairie wetlands intended for managers, policy makers, and researchers new to this field (e.g., graduate students), and a quantitative conceptual framework for understanding the hydrological functions of prairie wetlands and their responses to changes in climate and land use. The existence of prairie wetlands in the semi-arid environment of the Prairie-Pothole Region (PPR) depends on the lateral inputs of runoff water from their catchments because mean annual potential evaporation exceeds precipitation in the PPR. Therefore, it is critically important to consider wetlands and catchments as highly integrated hydrological units. The water balance of individual wetlands is strongly influenced by runoff from the catchment and the exchange of groundwater between the central pond and its moist margin. Land-use practices in the catchment have a sensitive effect on runoff and hence the water balance. Surface and subsurface storage and connectivity among individual wetlands controls the diversity of pond permanence within a wetland complex, resulting in a variety of eco-hydrological functionalities necessary for maintaining the integrity of prairie-wetland ecosystems.

Relationships between aerodynamic roughness and land use and land cover in Baltimore, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholas, F.W.; Lewis, J.E.

1980-01-01

Urbanization changes the radiative, thermal, hydrologic, and aerodynamic properties of the Earth's surface. Knowledge of these surface characteristics, therefore, is essential to urban climate analysis. Aerodynamic or surface roughness of urban areas is not well documented, however, because of practical constraints in measuring the wind profile in the presence of large buildings. Using an empirical method designed by Lettau, and an analysis of variance of surface roughness values calculated for 324 samples averaging 0.8 hectare (ha) of land use and land cover sample in Baltimore, Md., a strong statistical relation was found between aerodynamic roughness and urban land use and land cover types. Assessment of three land use and land cover systems indicates that some of these types have significantly different surface roughness characteristics. The tests further indicate that statistically significant differences exist in estimated surface roughness values when categories (classes) from different land use and land cover classification systems are used as surrogates. A Level III extension of the U.S. Geological Survey Level II land use and land cover classification system provided the most reliable results. An evaluation of the physical association between the aerodynamic properties of land use and land cover and the surface climate by numerical simulation of the surface energy balance indicates that changes in surface roughness within the range of values typical of the Level III categories induce important changes in the surface climate.

Modelling the impact of soil Carbonic Anhydrase on the net ecosystem exchange of OCS at Harvard forest using the MuSICA model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Launois, Thomas; Ogée, Jérôme; Commane, Roisin; Wehr, Rchard; Meredith, Laura; Munger, Bill; Nelson, David; Saleska, Scott; Wofsy, Steve; Zahniser, Mark; Wingate, Lisa

2016-04-01

The exchange of CO2 between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere is driven by photosynthetic uptake and respiratory loss, two fluxes currently estimated with considerable uncertainty at large scales. Model predictions indicate that these biosphere fluxes will be modified in the future as CO2 concentrations and temperatures increase; however, it still unclear to what extent. To address this challenge there is a need for better constraints on land surface model parameterisations. Additional atmospheric tracers of large-scale CO2 fluxes have been identified as potential candidates for this task. In particular carbonyl sulphide (OCS) has been proposed as a complementary tracer of gross photosynthesis over land, since OCS uptake by plants is dominated by carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity, an enzyme abundant in leaves that catalyses CO2 hydration during photosynthesis. However, although the mass budget at the ecosystem is dominated by the flux of OCS into leaves, some OCS is also exchanged between the atmosphere and the soil and this component of the budget requires constraining. In this study, we adapted the process-based isotope-enabled model MuSICA (Multi-layer Simulator of the Interactions between a vegetation Canopy and the Atmosphere) to include the transport, reaction, diffusion and production of OCS within a forested ecosystem. This model was combined with 3 years (2011-2013) of in situ measurements of OCS atmospheric concentration profiles and fluxes at the Harvard Forest (Massachussets, USA) to test hypotheses on the mechanisms responsible for CA-driven uptake by leaves and soils as well as possible OCS emissions during litter decomposition. Model simulations over the three years captured well the impact of diurnally and seasonally varying environmental conditions on the net ecosystem OCS flux. A sensitivity analysis on soil CA activity and soil OCS emission rates was also performed to quantify their impact on the vertical profiles of OCS inside the canopy and the net OCS exchange with the atmosphere.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Yuyu; Smith, Steven J.; Zhao, Kaiguang

Urbanization, one of the major human induced land-cover and land-use changes, has a profound impact on the Earth system including biodiversity, the cycling of water and carbon and exchange of energy and water between Earth’s surface and atmosphere, all affecting weather and climate. Accurate information on urban areas and their spatial distribution at the regional and global scales is important for scientific understanding of their contribution to the changing Earth system, and for practical management and policy decisions. We developed a method to map the urban extent from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) nighttime stable-light data atmore » the global level and derived a new global map of 1-km urban extent for year 2000. Based on this map, we found that globally, urban land area is about 0.5% of total land area but ranges widely at regional level from 0.1% in Oceania to 2.3% in Europe. At the country level, urban land area varies from lower than 0.01% to higher than 10%, but is lower than 1% for most (70%) countries. Urbanization follows land mass distribution, as anticipated, with the highest concentration found between 30°N to 45°N latitude and the largest longitudinal peak around 80°W. Based on a sensitivity analysis and comparison with other global urban area products, we found that our global product of urban area provides a reliable estimate of global urban areas and offer the potential of capturing more accurately their spatial and temporal dynamics.« less

Satellite remotely-sensed land surface parameters and their climatic effects for three metropolitan regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xian, George

2008-01-01

By using both high-resolution orthoimagery and medium-resolution Landsat satellite imagery with other geospatial information, several land surface parameters including impervious surfaces and land surface temperatures for three geographically distinct urban areas in the United States – Seattle, Washington, Tampa Bay, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada, are obtained. Percent impervious surface is used to quantitatively define the spatial extent and development density of urban land use. Land surface temperatures were retrieved by using a single band algorithm that processes both thermal infrared satellite data and total atmospheric water vapor content. Land surface temperatures were analyzed for different land use and land cover categories in the three regions. The heterogeneity of urban land surface and associated spatial extents were shown to influence surface thermal conditions because of the removal of vegetative cover, the introduction of non-transpiring surfaces, and the reduction in evaporation over urban impervious surfaces. Fifty years of in situ climate data were integrated to assess regional climatic conditions. The spatial structure of surface heating influenced by landscape characteristics has a profound influence on regional climate conditions, especially through urban heat island effects.

Wind variability and sheltering effects on measurements and modeling of air-water exchange for a small lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markfort, Corey D.; Resseger, Emily; Porté-Agel, Fernando; Stefan, Heinz

2014-05-01

Lakes with a surface area of less than 10 km2 account for over 50% of the global cumulative lake surface water area, and make up more than 99% of the total number of global lakes, ponds, and wetlands. Within the boreal regions as well as some temperate and tropical areas, a significant proportion of land cover is characterized by lakes or wetlands, which can have a dramatic effect on land-atmosphere fluxes as well as the local and regional energy budget. Many of these small water bodies are surrounded by complex terrain and forest, which cause the wind blowing over a small lake or wetland to be highly variable. Wind mixing of the lake surface layer affects thermal stratification, surface temperature and air-water gas transfer, e.g. O2, CO2, and CH4. As the wind blows from the land to the lake, wake turbulence behind trees and other shoreline obstacles leads to a recirculation zone and enhanced turbulence. This wake flow results in the delay of the development of wind shear stress on the lake surface, and the fetch required for surface shear stress to fully develop may be ~O(1 km). Interpretation of wind measurements made on the lake is hampered by the unknown effect of wake turbulence. We present field measurements designed to quantify wind variability over a sheltered lake. The wind data and water column temperature profiles are used to evaluate a new method to quantify wind sheltering of lakes that takes into account lake size, shape and the surrounding landscape features. The model is validated against field data for 36 Minnesota lakes. Effects of non-uniform sheltering and lake shape are also demonstrated. The effects of wind sheltering must be included in lake models to determine the effect of wind-derived energy inputs on lake stratification, surface gas transfer, lake water quality, and fish habitat. These effects are also important for correctly modeling momentum, heat, moisture and trace gas flux to the atmosphere.

Methodology of Prioritization of Land Consolidation and Land Exchange Interventions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Len, Przemyslaw

2017-12-01

Land consolidation is one of the basic development activities in rural areas intended to comprehensively improve the organization of agricultural production space. Merging and exchange of parcels are aimed at transforming a fragmented and “checkerboarded” landscape containing excessively long fields into plots as large and regular as possible. Land consolidation decisions are based on detailed analyses of relevant parameters. Properly carried out land consolidation creates an opportunity to organize agricultural holdings in an appropriate way, and, at the same time, to preserve the natural environment. Consolidation provides appropriate conditions for sustainable and multi-functional rural development by limiting the harmful influence of intensive agriculture on the natural environment. It also leads to an improvement in living and working conditions for inhabitants of rural areas. The analysis conducted in this study was aimed at singling out villages in the commune of Paradyż in which consolidation of arable land was required most urgently. Factors describing the investigated villages were selected on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the natural, social, economic and financial conditions found in those localities. The analysis was conducted using data obtained from the Land and Property Register of the District Office in Opoczno and data from the Office of the Commune of Paradyż. The study allowed us to determine which areas required land consolidation and exchange interventions, thus becoming a basis for applying for financial resources necessary to reach the aforementioned goal. A special role in empirical studies, especially comparative studies, of human activity is played by taxonomic methods, which involve linear ordering of items according to a synthetic indicator characterizing those items, which is calculated on the basis of a set of shared features. These methods are widely used in econometrics and socio-economic research to create all kinds of development rankings, based on multi-faceted data concerning the objects under analysis. The aim of the present study was to establish the demand for land exchange and consolidation in the villages of the commune of Paradyż, district of Opoczno, Łódź Voivodeship. The ranking was established using Hellwig’s synthetic indicator of development and the zero unitarization method. The analysis allowed us to answer the questions of how different methods of aggregation of the same diagnostic variables affect the final results and whether these methods could be applied in this type of studies.

Impact of high resolution land surface initialization in Indian summer monsoon simulation using a regional climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unnikrishnan, C. K.; Rajeevan, M.; Rao, S. Vijaya Bhaskara

2016-06-01

The direct impact of high resolution land surface initialization on the forecast bias in a regional climate model in recent years over Indian summer monsoon region is investigated. Two sets of regional climate model simulations are performed, one with a coarse resolution land surface initial conditions and second one used a high resolution land surface data for initial condition. The results show that all monsoon years respond differently to the high resolution land surface initialization. The drought monsoon year 2009 and extended break periods were more sensitive to the high resolution land surface initialization. These results suggest that the drought monsoon year predictions can be improved with high resolution land surface initialization. Result also shows that there are differences in the response to the land surface initialization within the monsoon season. Case studies of heat wave and a monsoon depression simulation show that, the model biases were also improved with high resolution land surface initialization. These results show the need for a better land surface initialization strategy in high resolution regional models for monsoon forecasting.

Can land degradation drive differences in the C exchange of two similar semiarid ecosystems?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Ballesteros, Ana; Oyonarte, Cecilio; Kowalski, Andrew S.; Serrano-Ortiz, Penélope; Sánchez-Cañete, Enrique P.; Rosario Moya, M.; Domingo, Francisco

2018-01-01

Currently, drylands occupy more than one-third of the global terrestrial surface and are recognized as areas vulnerable to land degradation. The concept of land degradation stems from the loss of an ecosystem's biological productivity due to long-term loss of natural vegetation or depletion of soil nutrients. Drylands' key role in the global carbon (C) balance has been recently demonstrated, but the effects of land degradation on C sequestration by these ecosystems still need to be investigated. In the present study, we compared net C and water vapor fluxes, together with satellite, meteorological and vadose zone (CO2, water content and temperature) measurements, between two nearby (˜ 23 km) experimental sites representing natural (i.e., site of reference) and degraded grazed semiarid grasslands. We utilized data acquired over 6 years from two eddy covariance stations located in southeastern Spain with highly variable precipitation magnitude and distribution. Results show a striking difference in the annual C balances with an average net CO2 exchange of 196 ± 40 (C release) and -23 ± 2 g C m-2 yr-1 (C fixation) for the degraded and natural sites, respectively. At the seasonal scale, differing patterns in net CO2 fluxes were detected over both growing and dry seasons. As expected, during the growing seasons, greater net C uptake over longer periods was observed at the natural site. However, a much greater net C release, probably derived from subterranean ventilation, was measured at the degraded site during drought periods. After subtracting the nonbiological CO2 flux from net CO2 exchange, flux partitioning results point out that, during the 6 years of study, gross primary production, ecosystem respiration and water use efficiency were, on average, 9, 2 and 10 times higher, respectively, at the natural site versus the degraded site. We also tested differences in all monitored meteorological and soil variables and CO2 at 1.50 m belowground was the variable showing the greatest intersite difference, with ˜ 1000 ppm higher at the degraded site. Thus, we believe that subterranean ventilation of this vadose zone CO2, previously observed at both sites, partly drives the differences in C dynamics between them, especially during the dry season. It may be due to enhanced subsoil-atmosphere interconnectivity at the degraded site.

Capturing spatial heterogeneity of soil organic carbon under changing climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, U.; Fan, Z.; Jastrow, J. D.; Matamala, R.; Vitharana, U.

2015-12-01

The spatial heterogeneity of the land surface affects water, energy, and greenhouse gas exchanges with the atmosphere. Designing observation networks that capture land surface spatial heterogeneity is a critical scientific challenge. Here, we present a geospatial approach to capture the existing spatial heterogeneity of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks across Alaska, USA. We used the standard deviation of 556 georeferenced SOC profiles previously compiled in Mishra and Riley (2015, Biogeosciences, 12:3993-4004) to calculate the number of observations that would be needed to reliably estimate Alaskan SOC stocks. This analysis indicated that 906 randomly distributed observation sites would be needed to quantify the mean value of SOC stocks across Alaska at a confidence interval of ± 5 kg m-2. We then used soil-forming factors (climate, topography, land cover types, surficial geology) to identify the locations of appropriately distributed observation sites by using the conditioned Latin hypercube sampling approach. Spatial correlation and variogram analyses demonstrated that the spatial structures of soil-forming factors were adequately represented by these 906 sites. Using the spatial correlation length of existing SOC observations, we identified 484 new observation sites would be needed to provide the best estimate of the present status of SOC stocks in Alaska. We then used average decadal projections (2020-2099) of precipitation, temperature, and length of growing season for three representative concentration pathway (RCP 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5) scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to investigate whether the location of identified observation sites will shift/change under future climate. Our results showed 12-41 additional observation sites (depending on emission scenarios) will be required to capture the impact of projected climatic conditions by 2100 on the spatial heterogeneity of Alaskan SOC stocks. Our results represent an ideal distribution of observation sites across Alaska that captures the land surface spatial heterogeneity and can be used in efforts to quantify SOC stocks, monitor greenhouse gas emissions, and benchmark Earth System Model results.

Updated global soil map for the Weather Research and Forecasting model and soil moisture initialization for the Noah land surface model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DY, C. Y.; Fung, J. C. H.

2016-08-01

A meteorological model requires accurate initial conditions and boundary conditions to obtain realistic numerical weather predictions. The land surface controls the surface heat and moisture exchanges, which can be determined by the physical properties of the soil and soil state variables, subsequently exerting an effect on the boundary layer meteorology. The initial and boundary conditions of soil moisture are currently obtained via National Centers for Environmental Prediction FNL (Final) Operational Global Analysis data, which are collected operationally in 1° by 1° resolutions every 6 h. Another input to the model is the soil map generated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (FAO-UNESCO) soil database, which combines several soil surveys from around the world. Both soil moisture from the FNL analysis data and the default soil map lack accuracy and feature coarse resolutions, particularly for certain areas of China. In this study, we update the global soil map with data from Beijing Normal University in 1 km by 1 km grids and propose an alternative method of soil moisture initialization. Simulations of the Weather Research and Forecasting model show that spinning-up the soil moisture improves near-surface temperature and relative humidity prediction using different types of soil moisture initialization. Explanations of that improvement and improvement of the planetary boundary layer height in performing process analysis are provided.

Estimation of Surface Air Temperature from MODIS 1km Resolution Land Surface Temperature Over Northern China

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, Suhung; Leptoukh, Gregory G.; Gerasimov, Irina

2010-01-01

Surface air temperature is a critical variable to describe the energy and water cycle of the Earth-atmosphere system and is a key input element for hydrology and land surface models. It is a very important variable in agricultural applications and climate change studies. This is a preliminary study to examine statistical relationships between ground meteorological station measured surface daily maximum/minimum air temperature and satellite remotely sensed land surface temperature from MODIS over the dry and semiarid regions of northern China. Studies were conducted for both MODIS-Terra and MODIS-Aqua by using year 2009 data. Results indicate that the relationships between surface air temperature and remotely sensed land surface temperature are statistically significant. The relationships between the maximum air temperature and daytime land surface temperature depends significantly on land surface types and vegetation index, but the minimum air temperature and nighttime land surface temperature has little dependence on the surface conditions. Based on linear regression relationship between surface air temperature and MODIS land surface temperature, surface maximum and minimum air temperatures are estimated from 1km MODIS land surface temperature under clear sky conditions. The statistical errors (sigma) of the estimated daily maximum (minimum) air temperature is about 3.8 C(3.7 C).

Understanding the Spatiotemporal Structures in Atmosphere-Land Surface Exchange at the Jülich Observatory for Cloud Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marke, T.; Crewell, S.; Loehnert, U.; Rascher, U.; Schween, J. H.

2015-12-01

This study aims at identifying spatial and temporal patterns of surface-atmosphere exchange parameters from highly-resolved and long-term observations. For this purpose, a combination of continuous ground-based measurements and dedicated aircraft campaigns using state-of-the-art remote sensing instrumentation at the Jülich Observatory for Cloud Evolution (JOYCE) is available. JOYCE provides a constantly growing multi-year data set for detailed insight into boundary layer processes and patterns related to surface conditions since 2011. The JOYCE site is embedded in a rural environment with different crop types. The availability of a scanning microwave radiometer and cloud radar is a unique component of JOYCE. The hemispheric scans of the ground-based radiometer allow the identification and quantification of horizontal gradients in water vapor and liquid water path measurements. How these gradients are connected to near-surface fluxes and the topography depending on the mean wind flow and surface fluxes is investigated by exploring the long-term data set. Additionally, situations with strong coupling to the surface can be identified by observing the atmospheric turbulence and stability within the boundary layer, using different lidar systems. Furthermore, the influence of thin liquid water clouds, which are typical for the boundary layer development, on the radiation field and the interaction with the vegetation is examined. Applying a synergistic statistical retrieval approach, using passive microwave and infrared observations, shows an improvement in retrieving thin liquid cloud microphysical properties. The role of vegetation is assessed by exploiting the time series of the sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) signal measured at the ground level using automated measurements. For selected case studies, a comparison to maps of hyperspectral reflectance and SIF obtained from an airborne high-resolution imaging spectrometer is realized.

36 CFR 254.1 - Scope and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... equalization payments made available through the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, as amended (16 U.S.C... exchanges of land or interests in land, including but not limited to minerals, water rights, and timber... Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3192), shall be limited to those provisions which do not conflict with the...

36 CFR 254.1 - Scope and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... equalization payments made available through the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, as amended (16 U.S.C... exchanges of land or interests in land, including but not limited to minerals, water rights, and timber... Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3192), shall be limited to those provisions which do not conflict with the...

36 CFR 254.1 - Scope and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... equalization payments made available through the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, as amended (16 U.S.C... exchanges of land or interests in land, including but not limited to minerals, water rights, and timber... Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3192), shall be limited to those provisions which do not conflict with the...

36 CFR 254.1 - Scope and applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... equalization payments made available through the Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, as amended (16 U.S.C... exchanges of land or interests in land, including but not limited to minerals, water rights, and timber... Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3192), shall be limited to those provisions which do not conflict with the...

25 CFR 152.26 - Advertisement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Advertisement. 152.26 Section 152.26 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER ISSUANCE OF PATENTS IN FEE, CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY, REMOVAL OF RESTRICTIONS, AND SALE OF CERTAIN INDIAN LANDS Sales, Exchanges and Conveyances of Trust Or Restricted Lands § 152.26...

43 CFR 2203.5 - Action on advice of the Attorney General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.5 Action on advice of the Attorney General... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Action on advice of the Attorney General. 2203.5 Section 2203.5 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF...

43 CFR 2203.5 - Action on advice of the Attorney General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.5 Action on advice of the Attorney General... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Action on advice of the Attorney General. 2203.5 Section 2203.5 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF...

43 CFR 2203.5 - Action on advice of the Attorney General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... PROCEDURES Exchanges Involving Fee Federal Coal Deposits § 2203.5 Action on advice of the Attorney General... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Action on advice of the Attorney General. 2203.5 Section 2203.5 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands (Continued) BUREAU OF...

Soil-atmosphere exchange of ammonia in a non-fertilized grassland: measured emission potentials and inferred fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wentworth, G. R.; Murphy, J. G.; Gregoire, P. K.; Cheyne, C. A. L.; Tevlin, A. G.; Hems, R.

2014-10-01

A 50-day field study was carried out in a semi-natural, non-fertilized grassland in south-western Ontario, Canada during the late summer and early autumn of 2012. The purpose was to explore surface-atmosphere exchange processes of ammonia (NH3) with a focus on bi-directional fluxes between the soil and atmosphere. Measurements of soil pH and ammonium concentration ([NH4+]) yielded the first direct quantification of soil emission potential (Γsoil = [NH4+]/[H+]) for this land type, with values ranging from 35 to 1850 (an average of 290). The soil compensation point, the atmospheric NH3 mixing ratio below which net emission from the soil will occur, exhibited both a seasonal trend and diurnal trend. Higher daytime and August compensation points were attributed to higher soil temperature. Soil-atmosphere fluxes were estimated using NH3 measurements from the Ambient Ion Monitor Ion Chromatograph (AIM-IC) and a simple resistance model. Vegetative effects were ignored due to the short canopy height and significant Γsoil. Inferred fluxes were, on average, 2.6 ± 4.5 ng m-2 s-1 in August (i.e. net emission) and -5.8 ± 3.0 ng m-2 s-1 in September (i.e. net deposition). These results are in good agreement with the only other bi-directional exchange study in a semi-natural, non-fertilized grassland. A Lagrangian dispersion model (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory - HYSPLIT) was used to calculate air parcel back-trajectories throughout the campaign and revealed that NH3 mixing ratios had no directional bias throughout the campaign, unlike the other atmospheric constituents measured. This implies that soil-atmosphere exchange over a non-fertilized grassland can significantly moderate near-surface NH3 concentrations. In addition, we provide indirect evidence that dew and fog evaporation can cause a morning increase of [NH3]g. Implications of our findings on current NH3 bi-directional exchange modelling efforts are also discussed.

Olson's Major World Ecosystem Complexes Ranked by Carbon in Live Vegetation: An Updated Database Using the GLC2000 Land Cover Product (NDP-017b, a 2006 update of the original 1985 and 2001 data file))

DOE Data Explorer

Gibbs, Holly K. [Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

2006-01-01

In the 1980s, Olson et al. developed a data base and corresponding map following more than 20 years of field investigations, consultations, and analyses of published literature. The original data characterize the use and vegetative cover of the Earth's land surface with a 0.5° by 0.5° grid. The purpose of these world-ecosystem-complex data and the accompanying map were to provide a current reference base for interpreting the role of vegetation in the global cycling of CO2 and other gases and a basis for improved estimates of vegetation and soil carbon, of natural exchanges of CO2, and of net historic shifts of carbon between the biosphere and the atmosphere. These data were widely used and cited in carbon cycle research. This updated database extends the methodology of Olson et al. to more contemporary land cover conditions of the Global Land Cover Database (GLC2000). The GLC2000 data were developed using remotely sensed imagery acquired in 2000. The updated data are presented in a GIS format and include estimates of mean and maximum carbon density values.

Land Surface Microwave Emissivity Dynamics: Observations, Analysis and Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tian, Yudong; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Harrison, Kenneth W.; Kumar, Sujay; Ringerud, Sarah

2014-01-01

Land surface microwave emissivity affects remote sensing of both the atmosphere and the land surface. The dynamical behavior of microwave emissivity over a very diverse sample of land surface types is studied. With seven years of satellite measurements from AMSR-E, we identified various dynamical regimes of the land surface emission. In addition, we used two radiative transfer models (RTMs), the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) and the Community Microwave Emission Modeling Platform (CMEM), to simulate land surface emissivity dynamics. With both CRTM and CMEM coupled to NASA's Land Information System, global-scale land surface microwave emissivities were simulated for five years, and evaluated against AMSR-E observations. It is found that both models have successes and failures over various types of land surfaces. Among them, the desert shows the most consistent underestimates (by approx. 70-80%), due to limitations of the physical models used, and requires a revision in both systems. Other snow-free surface types exhibit various degrees of success and it is expected that parameter tuning can improve their performances.

Operational and LIS-Based North American Land Data Assimilation Systems at National Centers for Environmental Prediction: Capability in Simulating Water and Energy Budget over the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, K.; Xia, Y.; Ek, M. B.; Mocko, D. M.; Kumar, S.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.

2016-12-01

NLDAS is a multi-institutional collaborative project sponsored by NOAA's Climate Program Office and NASA's Terrestrial Hydrological Program. NLDAS has a long successful history of producing soil moisture, snow cover, total runoff and streamflow products via application of surface meteorology and precipitation datasets to drive four land-surface models (i.e., Noah, Mosaic, SAC, VIC). The purpose of the NLDAS system is to support numerous research and operational applications in the land modeling and water resources management communities. Since the operational NLDAS version was successfully implemented at NCEP in August 2014, NLDAS products are being used by over 5000 users annually worldwide, including academia, governmental agencies, and private enterprises. Over 71 million files and 144 Tb of data were downloaded in 2015. As we endeavor to increase the quality and breadth of NLDAS products, a joint effort between NASA and NCEP is underway to enable the assimilation of hydrology-relevant remote sensing datasets within NLDAS through the NASA Land Information System (LIS). The use of LIS will also enable easier transition of newly upgraded land surface models into NCEP NLDAS operations. Cold season processes significantly affect water and energy cycles, and their partitioning. As such, in the evaluation of NLDAS systems it is important to assess water and energy exchanges and/or partitioning processes over high-elevations. The Rocky Mountain region of the western U. S. is chosen as such a region to analyze and compare snow water equivalent (SWE), snow cover, snow melt, snow sublimation, total runoff, and sensible heat and latent heat flux. Reference data sets (observation-based and reanalysis) of monthly SWE, streamflow, evapotranspiration, GRACE-based total water storage change, and energy fluxes are used to evaluate model-simulated results. The results show several key factors that affect model simulations: (1) forcing errors such as precipitation partitioning into snowfall and rainfall, (2) snow albedo, (3) refreezing of melted snow, (4) boundary layer stability, and (5) freezing and thawing of soil. Though the anomaly correlations indicate good agreement with the observations or reanalysis products, large quantitative differences are evident in certain cases.

Light-induced diurnal pattern of methane exchange in a boreal forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundqvist, Elin; Crill, Patrick; Mölder, Meelis; Vestin, Patrik; Lindroth, Anders

2013-04-01

Boreal forests represents one third of the Earth's forested land surface area and is a net sink of methane and an important component of the atmospheric methane budget. Methane is oxidized in well-aerated forest soils whereas ponds and bog soils are sources of methane. Besides the microbial processes in the soil also forest vegetation might contribute to methane exchange. Due to a recent finding of methane consumption by boreal plants that correlated with photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), we investigate the impact of PAR on soil methane exchange at vegetated plots on the forest floor. The study site, Norunda in central Sweden, is a 120 years old boreal forest stand, dominated by Scots pine and Norway spruce. We used continuous chamber measurements in combination with a high precision laser gas analyzer (Los Gatos Research), to measure the methane exchange at four different plots in July-November 2009, and April-June 2010. The ground vegetation consisted almost entirely of mosses and blueberry-shrubs. Two of the plots acted as stable sinks of methane whereas the other two plots shifted from sinks to sources during very wet periods. The preliminary results show a clear diurnal pattern of the methane exchange during the growing season, which cannot be explained by temperature. The highest consumption occurs at high PAR levels. The amplitude of the diurnal methane exchange during the growing season is in the order of 10 μmol m-2 h-1. This indicates that besides methane oxidation by methanotrophs in the soil there is an additional removal of methane at soil level by a process related to ground vegetation.

Carbon dioxide fluxes from contrasting ecosystems in the Sudanian Savanna in West Africa.

PubMed

Quansah, Emmanuel; Mauder, Matthias; Balogun, Ahmed A; Amekudzi, Leonard K; Hingerl, Luitpold; Bliefernicht, Jan; Kunstmann, Harald

2015-12-01

The terrestrial land surface in West Africa is made up of several types of savanna ecosystems differing in land use changes which modulate gas exchanges between their vegetation and the overlying atmosphere. This study compares diurnal and seasonal estimates of CO 2 fluxes from three contrasting ecosystems, a grassland, a mixture of fallow and cropland, and nature reserve in the Sudanian Savanna and relate them to water availability and land use characteristics. Over the study period, and for the three study sites, low soil moisture availability, high vapour pressure deficit and low ecosystem respiration were prevalent during the dry season (November to March), but the contrary occurred during the rainy season (May to October). Carbon uptake predominantly took place in the rainy season, while net carbon efflux occurred in the dry season as well as the dry to wet and wet to dry transition periods (AM and ND) respectively. Carbon uptake decreased in the order of the nature reserve, a mixture of fallow and cropland, and grassland. Only the nature reserve ecosystem at the Nazinga Park served as a net sink of CO 2 , mostly by virtue of a several times larger carbon uptake and ecosystem water use efficiency during the rainy season than at the other sites. These differences were influenced by albedo, LAI, EWUE, PPFD and climatology during the period of study. These results suggest that land use characteristics affect plant physiological processes that lead to flux exchanges over the Sudanian Savanna ecosystems. It affects the diurnal, seasonal and annual changes in NEE and its composite signals, GPP and RE. GPP and NEE were generally related as NEE scaled with photosynthesis with higher CO 2 assimilation leading to higher GPP. However, CO 2 effluxes over the study period suggest that besides biomass regrowth, other processes, most likely from the soil might have also contributed to the enhancement of ecosystem respiration.

The PCR-GLOBWB global hydrological reanalysis product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanders, Niko; Bierkens, Marc; Sutanudjaja, Edwin; van Beek, Rens

2014-05-01

Accurate and long time series of hydrological data are important for understanding land surface water and energy budgets in many parts of the world, as well as for improving real-time hydrological monitoring and climate change anticipation. The ultimate goal of the present work is to produce a multi-decadal "land surface hydrological reanalysis" dataset with retrospective and updated hydrological states and fluxes that are constrained to available in-situ river discharge measurements. Here we use PCR-GLOBWB (van Beek et al., 2011), which is a large-scale hydrological model intended for global to regional studies. PCR-GLOBWB provides a grid-based representation of terrestrial hydrology with a typical spatial resolution of approximately 50×50 km (currently 0.5° globally) on a daily basis. For each grid cell, PCR-GLOBWB simulates moisture storage in two vertically stacked soil layers as well as the water exchange between the soil and the atmosphere and the underlying groundwater reservoir. Exchange to the atmosphere comprises precipitation, evaporation and transpiration, as well as snow accumulation and melt, which are all simulated by considering vegetation phenology and sub-grid variations of elevation, land cover and soil saturation distribution. The model includes improved schemes for runoff-infiltration partitioning, interflow, groundwater recharge and baseflow, as well as river routing of discharge. It also dynamically simulates water storage in reservoirs, water demand and the withdrawal, allocation and consumptive use of surface water and groundwater resources. By embedding the PCR-GLOBWB model in an Ensemble Kalman Filter framework, we calibrate the model parameters based on the discharge observations from the Global Runoff Data Centre. The parameters calibrated are related to snow accumulation and melt, runoff-infiltration partitioning, groundwater recharge, channel discharge and baseflow processes, as well as pre-factors to correct forcing precipitation fields with consideration of local topographic and orographic effects. Results show that the model parameters can be successfully calibrated, while corrections to the forcing precipitation fields are substantial. Topography has the largest impact on the corrected precipitation and globally the precipitation is reduced by 3%. The calibrated model output is compared to the reference run of PCR-GLOBWB before calibration showing significant improvement in simulation of the global terrestrial water cycle. The RMSE is reduced by 10% on average, leading to improved discharge simulations, especially under base flow situations. The main outcome of this work is a 1960-2010 global reanalysis dataset that includes extensive daily hydrological components, such as precipitation, evaporation and transpiration, snow, soil moisture, groundwater storage and discharge. This reanalysis product may be used for understanding land surface memory processes, initializing regional studies and operational forecasts, as well as evaluating and improving our understanding of spatio-temporal variation of meteorological and hydrological processes. Moreover, The PCR-GLOBWB data assimilation framework developed in this work can also be extended by including more observational data, including remotely sensed data reflecting the distribution of energy and water (e.g., heat fluxes and soil moisture storage).

Prediction Activities at NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schubert, Siegfried

2010-01-01

The Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) is a core NASA resource for the development and use of satellite observations through the integrating tools of models and assimilation systems. Global ocean, atmosphere and land surface models are developed as components of assimilation and forecast systems that are used for addressing the weather and climate research questions identified in NASA's science mission. In fact, the GMAO is actively engaged in addressing one of NASA's science mission s key questions concerning how well transient climate variations can be understood and predicted. At weather time scales the GMAO is developing ultra-high resolution global climate models capable of resolving high impact weather systems such as hurricanes. The ability to resolve the detailed characteristics of weather systems within a global framework greatly facilitates addressing fundamental questions concerning the link between weather and climate variability. At sub-seasonal time scales, the GMAO is engaged in research and development to improve the use of land information (especially soil moisture), and in the improved representation and initialization of various sub-seasonal atmospheric variability (such as the MJO) that evolves on time scales longer than weather and involves exchanges with both the land and ocean The GMAO has a long history of development for advancing the seasonal-to-interannual (S-I) prediction problem using an older version of the coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM). This includes the development of an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) to facilitate the multivariate assimilation of ocean surface altimetry, and an EnKF developed for the highly inhomogeneous nature of the errors in land surface models, as well as the multivariate assimilation needed to take advantage of surface soil moisture and snow observations. The importance of decadal variability, especially that associated with long-term droughts is well recognized by the climate community. An improved understanding of the nature of decadal variability and its predictability has important implications for efforts to assess the impacts of global change in the coming decades. In fact, the GMAO has taken on the challenge of carrying out experimental decadal predictions in support of the IPCC AR5 effort.

Evaluating the performance of land surface model ORCHIDEE-CAN v1.0 on water and energy flux estimation with a single- and multi-layer energy budget scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yiying; Ryder, James; Bastrikov, Vladislav; McGrath, Matthew J.; Naudts, Kim; Otto, Juliane; Ottlé, Catherine; Peylin, Philippe; Polcher, Jan; Valade, Aude; Black, Andrew; Elbers, Jan A.; Moors, Eddy; Foken, Thomas; van Gorsel, Eva; Haverd, Vanessa; Heinesch, Bernard; Tiedemann, Frank; Knohl, Alexander; Launiainen, Samuli; Loustau, Denis; Ogée, Jérôme; Vessala, Timo; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan

2016-09-01

Canopy structure is one of the most important vegetation characteristics for land-atmosphere interactions, as it determines the energy and scalar exchanges between the land surface and the overlying air mass. In this study we evaluated the performance of a newly developed multi-layer energy budget in the ORCHIDEE-CAN v1.0 land surface model (Organising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic Ecosystems - CANopy), which simulates canopy structure and can be coupled to an atmospheric model using an implicit coupling procedure. We aim to provide a set of acceptable parameter values for a range of forest types. Top-canopy and sub-canopy flux observations from eight sites were collected in order to conduct this evaluation. The sites crossed climate zones from temperate to boreal and the vegetation types included deciduous, evergreen broad-leaved and evergreen needle-leaved forest with a maximum leaf area index (LAI; all-sided) ranging from 3.5 to 7.0. The parametrization approach proposed in this study was based on three selected physical processes - namely the diffusion, advection, and turbulent mixing within the canopy. Short-term sub-canopy observations and long-term surface fluxes were used to calibrate the parameters in the sub-canopy radiation, turbulence, and resistance modules with an automatic tuning process. The multi-layer model was found to capture the dynamics of sub-canopy turbulence, temperature, and energy fluxes. The performance of the new multi-layer model was further compared against the existing single-layer model. Although the multi-layer model simulation results showed few or no improvements to both the nighttime energy balance and energy partitioning during winter compared with a single-layer model simulation, the increased model complexity does provide a more detailed description of the canopy micrometeorology of various forest types. The multi-layer model links to potential future environmental and ecological studies such as the assessment of in-canopy species vulnerability to climate change, the climate effects of disturbance intensities and frequencies, and the consequences of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions from the terrestrial ecosystem.

FLUXNET to MODIS: Connecting the dots to capture heterogenious biosphere metabolism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, K. D.; Schwalm, C.; Huntzinger, D. N.; Massey, R.; Poulter, B.; Kolb, T.

2015-12-01

Eddy co-variance flux towers provide our most widely distributed network of direct observations for land-atmosphere carbon exchange. Carbon flux sensitivity analysis is a method that uses in situ networks to understand how ecosystems respond to changes in climatic variables. Flux towers concurrently observe key ecosystem metabolic processes (e..g. gross primary productivity) and micrometeorological variation, but only over small footprints. Remotely sensed vegetation indices from MODIS offer continuous observations of the vegetated land surface, but are less direct, as they are based on light use efficiency algorithms, and not on the ground observations. The marriage of these two data products offers an opportunity to validate remotely sensed indices with in situ observations and translate information derived from tower sites to globally gridded products. Here we provide correlations between Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI) and MODIS gross primary production with FLUXNET derived estimates of gross primary production, respiration and net ecosystem exchange. We demonstrate remotely sensed vegetation products which have been transformed to gridded estimates of terrestrial biosphere metabolism on a regional-to-global scale. We demonstrate anomalies in gross primary production, respiration, and net ecosystem exchange as predicted by both MODIS-carbon flux sensitivities and meteorological driver-carbon flux sensitivities. We apply these sensitivities to recent extreme climatic events and demonstrate both our ability to capture changes in biosphere metabolism, and differences in the calculation of carbon flux anomalies based on method. The quantification of co-variation in these two methods of observation is important as it informs both how remotely sensed vegetation indices are correlated with on the ground tower observations, and with what certainty we can expand these observations and relationships.

Summary of results of January climate simulations with the GISS coarse-mesh model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spar, J.; Cohen, C.; Wu, P.

1981-01-01

The large scale climates generated by extended runs of the model are relatively independent of the initial atmospheric conditions, if the first few months of each simulation are discarded. The perpetual January simulations with a specified SST field produced excessive snow accumulation over the continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Mass exchanges between the cold (warm) continents and the warm (cold) adjacent oceans produced significant surface pressure changes over the oceans as well as over the land. The effect of terrain and terrain elevation on the amount of precipitation was examined. The evaporation of continental moisture was calculated to cause large increases in precipitation over the continents.

Comparison of Heat and Moisture Fluxes from a Modified Soil-plant-atmosphere Model with Observations from BOREAS. Chapter 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Young-Hee; Mahrt, L.

2005-01-01

This study evaluates the prediction of heat and moisture fluxes from a new land surface scheme with eddy correlation data collected at the old aspen site during the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) in 1994. The model used in this study couples a multilayer vegetation model with a soil model. Inclusion of organic material in the upper soil layer is required to adequately simulate exchange between the soil and subcanopy air. Comparisons between the model and observations are discussed to reveal model misrepresentation of some aspects of the diurnal variation of subcanopy processes. Evapotranspiration

Radiative transfer in shrub savanna sites in Niger: Preliminary results from HAPEX-Sahel. Part 1: Modelling surface reflectance using a geometric-optical approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Franklin, Janet; Duncan, Jeff; Huete, Alfredo R.; vanLeeuwen, W. J. D.; Li, Xiaowen; Begue, Agnes

1994-01-01

To use optical remote sensing to monitor land surface-climate interactions over large areas, algorithms must be developed to relate multispectral measurements to key variables controlling the exchange of matter (water, carbon dioxide) and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. The proportion of the ground covered by vegetation and the interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) by vegetation are examples of two variables related to evapotranspiration and primary production, respectively. An areal-proportion model of the multispectral reflectance of shrub savanna, composed of scattered shrubs with a grass, forb or soil understory, predicted the reflectance of two 0.5 km(exp 2) sites as the area-weighted average of the shrub and understory or 'background' reflectances. Although the shaded crown and shaded background have darker reflectances, ignoring them in the area-weighted model is not serious when shrub cover is low and solar zenith angle is small. A submodel predicted the reflectance of the shrub crown as a function of the foliage reflectance and amount of plant material within the crown, and the background reflectance scattered or transmitted through canopy gaps (referred to as a soil-plant 'spectral interaction' term). One may be able to combine these two models to estimate both the fraction of vegetation cover and interception of PAR by green vegetation in a shrub savanna.

Towards soil property retrieval from space: Proof of concept using in situ observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandara, Ranmalee; Walker, Jeffrey P.; Rüdiger, Christoph

2014-05-01

Soil moisture is a key variable that controls the exchange of water and energy fluxes between the land surface and the atmosphere. However, the temporal evolution of soil moisture is neither easy to measure nor monitor at large scales because of its high spatial variability. This is mainly a result of the local variation in soil properties and vegetation cover. Thus, land surface models are normally used to predict the evolution of soil moisture and yet, despite their importance, these models are based on low-resolution soil property information or typical values. Therefore, the availability of more accurate and detailed soil parameter data than are currently available is vital, if regional or global soil moisture predictions are to be made with the accuracy required for environmental applications. The proposed solution is to estimate the soil hydraulic properties via model calibration to remotely sensed soil moisture observation, with in situ observations used as a proxy in this proof of concept study. Consequently, the feasibility is assessed, and the level of accuracy that can be expected determined, for soil hydraulic property estimation of duplex soil profiles in a semi-arid environment using near-surface soil moisture observations under naturally occurring conditions. The retrieved soil hydraulic parameters were then assessed by their reliability to predict the root zone soil moisture using the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator model. When using parameters that were retrieved using soil moisture observations, the root zone soil moisture was predicted to within an accuracy of 0.04 m3/m3, which is an improvement of ∼0.025 m3/m3 on predictions that used published values or pedo-transfer functions.

Comparison of Land Surface Phenology Detections from Geostationary (AHI) and Polar-orbiting (VIIRS) Sensors in Tropical Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, L.; Zhang, X.

2017-12-01

Land surface phenology (LSP) is an important indicator of ecosystem response to global change and reflects the exchange of water, energy, and carbon between the land surface and the atmosphere. However, the extraction of LSP in tropical Southeast Asia is very challenging due to weak seasonal variation and frequent cloud commination during the vegetation growing season. The successful launch of Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard Himawari-8 geostationary satellite in October 2014 provides large opportunities to obtain cloud-free observations in daily time series data because it collects data every 10 minutes at a spatial resolution of 500m-2000 m. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument onboard operational Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite provides global moderate-resolution (375-750 m) data once every day. To compare the capability of AHI and VIIRS observations to monitor LSP in frequently-cloud-covered tropical Southeast Asia, this research first extracted LSP metrics based on the time series of daily two-band enhanced vegetation index (EVI2) from AHI and VIIRS using a hybrid piecewise logistic model in 2015 and 2016. The daily AHI EVI2 was calculated from diurnal observations after EVI2 at every 10 minutes was angularly corrected using an empirical kernel-driven model to eliminate the effect caused by the varying sun-satellite geometry. Subsequently, we compared the phenological transition dates of greenup onset and dormancy onset retrieved from AHI and VIIRS data at both pixel level and country level. Finally, we assessed the influences of the quality of daily observation from AHI and VIIRS on the reconstruction of EVI2 time series and the retrievals of phenological dates.

Performance of MODIS satellite and mesoscale model based land surface temperature for soil moisture deficit estimation using Neural Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Prashant K.; Petropoulos, George P.; Gupta, Manika; Islam, Tanvir

2015-04-01

Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) is a key variable in the water and energy exchanges that occur at the land-surface/atmosphere interface. Monitoring SMD is an alternate method of irrigation scheduling and represents the use of the suitable quantity of water at the proper time by combining measurements of soil moisture deficit. In past it is found that LST has a strong relation to SMD, which can be estimated by MODIS or numerical weather prediction model such as WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting model). By looking into the importance of SMD, this work focused on the application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for evaluating its capabilities towards SMD estimation using the LST data estimated from MODIS and WRF mesoscale model. The benchmark SMD estimated from Probability Distribution Model (PDM) over the Brue catchment, Southwest of England, U.K. is used for all the calibration and validation experiments. The performances between observed and simulated SMD are assessed in terms of the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the percentage of bias (%Bias). The application of the ANN confirmed a high capability WRF and MODIS LST for prediction of SMD. Performance during the ANN calibration and validation showed a good agreement between benchmark and estimated SMD with MODIS LST information with significantly higher performance than WRF simulated LST. The work presented showed the first comprehensive application of LST from MODIS and WRF mesoscale model for hydrological SMD estimation, particularly for the maritime climate. More studies in this direction are recommended to hydro-meteorological community, so that useful information will be accumulated in the technical literature domain for different geographical locations and climatic conditions. Keyword: WRF, Land Surface Temperature, MODIS satellite, Soil Moisture Deficit, Neural Network

Emergent properties of climate-vegetation feedbacks in the North American Monsoon Macrosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathias, A.; Niu, G.; Zeng, X.

2012-12-01

The ability of ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change and associated disturbances (e.g. wildfires, spread of invasive species) is greatly affected by the stability of feedback interactions between climate and vegetation. In order to study climate-vegetation interactions, such as CO2 and H2O exchange in the North American Monsoon System (NAMS), we plan to couple a community land surface model (NoahMP or CLM) used in regional climate models (WRF) with an individual based, spatially explicit vegetation model (ECOTONE). Individual based modeling makes it possible to link individual plant traits with properties of plant communities. Community properties, such as species composition and species distribution arise from dynamic interactions of individual plants with each other, and with their environment. Plants interact with each other through intra- and interspecific competition for resources (H2O, nitrogen), and the outcome of these interactions depends on the properties of the plant community and the environment itself. In turn, the environment is affected by the resulting change in community structure, which may have an impact on the drivers of climate change. First, we performed sensitivity tests of ECOTONE to assess its ability to reproduce vegetation distribution in the NAMS. We compared the land surface model and ECOTONE with regard to their capability to accurately simulate soil moisture, CO2 flux and above ground biomass. For evaluating the models we used the eddy-correlation sensible and latent heat fluxes, CO2 flux and observations of other climate and environmental variables (e.g. soil temperature and moisture) from the Santa Rita experimental range. The model intercomparison helped us understand the advantages and disadvantages of each model, providing us guidance for coupling the community land surface model (NoahMP or CLM) with ECOTONE.

36 CFR 254.41 - Public sale or exchange in absence of application.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... exchange in absence of application. (a) Mineral survey fractions or road rights-of-way which have not been.... (c) The public notice shall describe the lands to be sold, minimum acceptable price, conditions of...

Is the surface oxygen exchange rate linked to bulk ion diffusivity in mixed conducting Ruddlesden–Popper phases?

DOE PAGES

Tomkiewicz, Alex C.; Tamimi, Mazin A.; Huq, Ashfia; ...

2015-03-02

There is a possible link between oxygen surface exchange rate and bulk oxygen anion diffusivity in mixed ionic and electronic conducting oxides; it is a topic of great interest and debate. While a large body of experimental evidence and theoretical analyses support a link, observed differences between bulk and surface composition of these materials are hard to reconcile with this observation. This is further compounded by potential problems with simultaneous measurement of both parameters. Here we utilize separate techniques, in situ neutron diffraction and pulsed isotopic surface exchange, to examine bulk ion mobility and surface oxygen exchange rates of threemore » Ruddlesden-Popper phases, general form A n-1A 2'BnO 3n+1, A n-1A 2'BnX 3n+1; LaSrCo 0.5Fe 0.5O 4-δ (n = 1), La 0.3Sr 2.7CoFeO 7-δ (n = 2) and LaSr 3Co 1.5Fe 1.5O 10-δ (n = 3). These measurements are complemented by surface composition determination via high sensitivity-low energy ion scattering. We observe a correlation between bulk ion mobility and surface exchange rate between materials. The surface exchange rates vary by more than one order of magnitude with high anion mobility in the bulk of an oxygen vacancy-rich n = 2 Ruddlesden-Popper material correlating with rapid oxygen exchange. Furthermore this is in contrast with the similar surface exchange rates which we may expect due to similar surface compositions across all three samples. This paper conclude that experimental limitations lead to inherent convolution of surface and bulk rates, and that surface exchange steps are not likely to be rate limiting in oxygen incorporation.« less

Physical Climatology of Indonesian Maritime Continent: An Overview of Observational Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamanaka, M. D.

2014-12-01

The Indonesian maritime continent (IMC) is a miniature of our land-sea coexisting planet Earth. Firstly, without interior activity, the Earth becomes an even-surfaced "aqua-planet" with both atmosphere and ocean flowing almost zonally, and solar differential heating generates (global thermal tides and) Hadley's meridional circulations with ITCZ along the equator as observed actually over open (Indian and Pacific) oceans in the both sides of IMC. ITCZ involves intraseasonal variations or super cloud clusters moving eastward. Secondly, the lands and seas over the actual Earth have been keeping the area ratio of 3:7 (similar to that of islands and inland/surrounding seas in IMC), but their displacements have produced IMC near the equator, which turns equatorial Pacific easterly current northward (Kuroshio) and reflects equatorial oceanic waves inducing coupled ocean-atmosphere interannual variations such as ENSO and IOD, or displacements of Walker's zonal circulations. Thirdly, because IMC consists of many large/small islands with very long coastlines, many narrow straits become a dam for the global (Pacific to Indian) ocean circulation, and the land-sea heat capacity contrasts along the coastlines generate the world's largest rainfall with diurnal cycles (sea-land breeze circulations). The diurnal cycles are dominant in the rainy season (austral summer in Jawa and Bali), because rainfall-induced sprinkler-like land cooling reverses the trans-coastal temperature gradient before sunrise, and subsequent clear sky on land until around noon provides solar heating dependent on season. These processes lead to rapid land/hydrosphere-atmosphere water exchange, local air pollutant washout, and transequatorial boreal winter monsoon (cold surge). In El Niño years the cooler sea-surface temperature suppresses the morning coastal-sea rainfall, and induces often serious smog over IMC. Lastly, high-resolution observations/models covering both over islands and seas are necessary. A radar-profiler network (HARIMAU) has been constructed during FY2005-09, and capacity building on radar operations and buoy manufacturing has been promoted during FY2009-13 by Japan-Indonesia collaboration projects, which are taken over by an Indonesian national center (MCCOE) established in November 2013.

North America's net terrestrial CO 2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990–2009

DOE PAGES

King, Anthony W.; Andres, Robert; Davis, Kenneth J.; ...

2015-01-21

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO 2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land–atmosphere CO 2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990–2009. Only CO 2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate thatmore » the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO 2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from -890 to -280 Tg C yr -1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, \\"best\\" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are -472 ± 281 Tg C yr -1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and -360 Tg C yr -1 (with an interquartile range of -496 to -337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO 2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO 2 emissions for the period 1990–2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr -1 and assuming the estimate of -472 Tg C yr -1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO 2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was 1720:472, or nearly 4:1.« less

North America's net terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990–2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

King, A.W.; Andres, R.J.; Davis, K.J.; Hafer, M.; Hayes, D.J.; Huntzinger, Deborah N.; de Jong, Bernardus; Kurz, W.A.; McGuire, A. David; Vargas, Rodrigo I.; Wei, Y.; West, Tristram O.; Woodall, Christopher W.

2015-01-01

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land–atmosphere CO2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990–2009. Only CO2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate that the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from −890 to −280 Tg C yr−1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, "best" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are −472 ± 281 Tg C yr−1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and −360 Tg C yr−1 (with an interquartile range of −496 to −337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions for the period 1990–2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr−1 and assuming the estimate of −472 Tg C yr−1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was 1720:472, or nearly 4:1.

North America's net terrestrial CO 2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990–2009

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, Anthony W.; Andres, Robert; Davis, Kenneth J.

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO 2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land–atmosphere CO 2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990–2009. Only CO 2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate thatmore » the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO 2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from -890 to -280 Tg C yr -1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, \\"best\\" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are -472 ± 281 Tg C yr -1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and -360 Tg C yr -1 (with an interquartile range of -496 to -337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO 2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO 2 emissions for the period 1990–2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr -1 and assuming the estimate of -472 Tg C yr -1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO 2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was 1720:472, or nearly 4:1.« less

Land Surface Modeling and Data Assimilation to Support Physical Precipitation Retrievals for GPM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Tian. Yudong; Kumar, Sujay; Geiger, James; Choudhury, Bhaskar

2010-01-01

Objective: The objective of this proposal is to provide a routine land surface modeling and data assimilation capability for GPM in order to provide global land surface states that are necessary to support physical precipitation retrieval algorithms over land. It is well-known that surface emission, particularly over the range of frequencies to be included in GPM, is sensitive to land surface states, including soil properties, vegetation type and greenness, soil moisture, surface temperature, and snow cover, density, and grain size. Therefore, providing a robust capability to routinely provide these critical land states is essential to support GPM-era physical retrieval algorithms over land.

Vegetation-induced turbulence influencing evapotranspiration-soil moisture coupling: Implications for semiarid regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghighi, E.; Kirchner, J. W.; Entekhabi, D.

2016-12-01

The relationship between soil moisture and evapotranspiration (ET) fluxes is an important component of land-atmosphere interactions controlling hydrology-climate feedback processes. Important as this relationship is, it remains empirical and physical mechanisms governing its dynamics are insufficiently studied. This is particularly of importance for semiarid regions (currently comprising about half of the Earth's land surface) where the shallow surface soil layer is the primary source of ET and direct evaporation from bare soil is likely a large component of the total flux. Hence, ET-soil moisture coupling in these regions is hypothesized to be strongly influenced by soil evaporation and associated mechanisms. Motivated by recent progress in mechanistic modeling of localized heat and mass exchange rates from bare soil surfaces covered by cylindrical bluff-body elements, we developed a physically based ET model explicitly incorporating coupled impacts of soil moisture and vegetation-induced turbulence in the near-surface region. Model predictions of ET and its partitioning were in good agreement with measured data and suggest that the strength and nature of ET-soil moisture interactions in sparsely vegetated areas are strongly influenced by aerodynamic (rather than radiative) forcing namely wind speed and near-surface turbulence generation as a function of vegetation type and cover fraction. The results demonstrated that the relationship between ET and soil moisture varies from a nonlinear function (the dual regime behavior) to a single moisture-limited regime (linear relationship) by increasing wind velocity and enhancing turbulence generation in the near-surface region (small-scale woody vegetation species of low cover fraction). Potential benefits of this study for improving accuracy and predictive capabilities of remote sensing techniques when applied to semiarid environments will also be discussed.

Precision Gas Sampling (PGS) Validation2011-2014 Final Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tom, M. S.; Fischer, M. L.; Biraud, S. C.

In this field campaign, we used eddy covariance towers to quantify carbon, water, and energy fluxes from a pasture and a wheat field that were converted to switchgrass. The U.S. Department of Energy is investing in switchgrass as a cellulosic bioenergy crop, but there is little data available that could be used to develop or test land surface model representations of the crop. This campaign was a collaboration between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Unfortunately, in 2011, Oklahoma had one of the most severe droughts on record, and the crop in onemore » of the switchgrass fields experienced almost complete die-off. The crop was replanted, but subsequent drought conditions prevented its establishment. Then, in April 2012, a large tornado demolished the instruments at our site in Woodward, Oklahoma. These two events meant that we have some interesting data on land response to extreme weather; however, we were not able to collect continuous data for annual sums as originally intended. We did observe that, because of the drought, the net ecosystem exchange of CO 2 was much lower in 2011 than in 2010. Concomitantly, sensible heat fluxes increased and latent heat fluxes decreased. These conditions would have large consequences for land surface forcing of convection. Data from all years were submitted to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility Data Archive, and the sites were registered in AmeriFlux.« less

Science Writer's Guide to Landsat 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The Earth Observing System (EOS), the centerpiece of NASA's Earth science program, is a suite of spacecraft and interdisciplinary science investigations dedicated to advancing our understanding of global change. The flagship EOS satellite, Terra (formerly EOS AM-1), scheduled for launch in July 1999, will provide key measurements of the physical and radiative properties of clouds; air-land and air-sea exchanges of energy, carbon, and water; trace gases; and volcanoes. Flying in formation with Terra, Landsat 7 will make global high spatial resolution measurements of land surface and surrounding coastal regions. Other upcoming EOS missions and instruments include QuikSCAT, to collect sea surface wind data; the Stratospheric Gas and Aerosol Experiment (SAGE III), to create global profiles of key atmospheric gases; and the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitors (ACRIM) to measure the energy output of the Sun. The second of the major, multi-instrument EOS platforms, PM-1, is scheduled for launch in 2000. Interdisciplinary research projects sponsored by EOS use specific Earth science data sets for a broader investigation into the function of Earth systems. Current EOS research spans a wide range of sciences, including atmospheric chemistry, hydrology, land use, and marine ecosystems. The EOS program has been managed since 1990 by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for NASA's Office of Earth Science in Washington, D. C. Additional information on the program can be found on the EOS Project Science Office Web site (http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov).

Simulation of within-canopy radiation exchange

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Radiation exchange at the surface plays a critical role in the surface energy balance, plant microclimate, and plant growth. The ability to simulate the surface energy balance and the microclimate within the plant canopy is contingent upon simulation of the surface radiation exchange. A validation a...

Human-induced geomorphology: Modeling slope failure in Dominical, Costa Rica using Landsat imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Andrew J.

Unchecked human development has ravaged the region between Dominical and Uvita, Costa Rica. Much of the development transition has been driven by tourism and further foreign direct investment in residential, service and commercial enterprises. The resulting land-use/land-cover change has removed traditional forest cover in exchange for impervious surfaces, physical structures, and bare ground which is no longer mechanically supported by woody vegetation. Combined with a tropical climate, deeply weathered soils and lithography which are prone to erosion, land cover change has led to an increase in slope failure occurrences. Given the remoteness of the Dominical-Uvita region, its rate of growth and the lack of monitoring, new techniques for monitoring land use and slope failure susceptibility are needed. Two new indices are presented here that employ a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and widely available Landsat imagery to assist in this endeavor. The first index, or Vegetation Influenced Landslide Index (VILI), incorporates slope derived from a DEM and Lu et al.'s (2007) Surface Cover Index to quantify vegetative cover as a means of mechanical stabilization in landslide prone areas. The second index, or Slope Multiplier Index (SMI), uses individual Landsat data bands and basic Landsat band ratios as environmental proxies to replicate soil, vegetative and hydrologic properties. Both models achieve accuracy over 70% and rival results from more complicated published literature. The accuracy of the indices was assessed with the creation of a landslide inventory developed from field observations occurring in December 2007 and November 2008. The creation of these indices represents an efficient and accurate way of determining landslide susceptibility zonation in data poor areas where environmental protection practitioners may be overextended, under-trained or both.

BLAZE, a novel Fire-Model for the CABLE Land-Surface Model applied to a Re-Assessment of the Australian Continental Carbon Budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieradzik, L. P.; Haverd, V. E.; Briggs, P.; Meyer, C. P.; Canadell, J.

2015-12-01

Fires play a major role in the carbon-cycle and the development of global vegetation, especially on the continent of Australia, where vegetation is prone to frequent fire occurences and where regional composition and stand-age distribution is regulated by fire. Furthermore, the probable changes of fire behaviour under a changing climate are still poorly understood and require further investigation.In this presentation we introduce the fire-model BLAZE (BLAZe induced land-atmosphere flux Estimator), designed for a novel approach to simulate fire-frequencies, fire-intensities, fire related fluxes and the responses in vegetation. Fire frequencies are prescribed using SIMFIRE (Knorr et al., 2014) or GFED3 (e.g. Giglio et al., 2013). Fire-Line-Intensity (FLI) is computed from meteorological information and fuel loads which are state variables within the C-cycle component of CABLE (Community Atmosphere-Biosphere-Land Exchange model). This FLI is used as an input to the tree-demography model POP(Population-Order-Physiology; Haverd et al., 2014). Within POP the fire-mortality depends on FLI and tree height distribution. Intensity-dependent combustion factors (CF) are then generated for and applied to live and litter carbon pools as well as the transfers from live pools to litter caused by fire. Thus, both fire and stand characteristics are taken into account which has a legacy effect on future events. Gross C-CO2 emissions from Australian wild fires are larger than Australian territorial fossil fuel emissions. However, the net effect of fire on the Australian terrestrial carbon budget is unknown. We address this by applying the newly-developed fire module, integrated within the CABLE land surface model, and optimised for the Australian region, to a reassessment of the Australian Terrestrial Carbon Budget.

Refining multi-model projections of temperature extremes by evaluation against land-atmosphere coupling diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sippel, Sebastian; Zscheischler, Jakob; Mahecha, Miguel D.; Orth, Rene; Reichstein, Markus; Vogel, Martha; Seneviratne, Sonia I.

2017-05-01

The Earth's land surface and the atmosphere are strongly interlinked through the exchange of energy and matter. This coupled behaviour causes various land-atmosphere feedbacks, and an insufficient understanding of these feedbacks contributes to uncertain global climate model projections. For example, a crucial role of the land surface in exacerbating summer heat waves in midlatitude regions has been identified empirically for high-impact heat waves, but individual climate models differ widely in their respective representation of land-atmosphere coupling. Here, we compile an ensemble of 54 combinations of observations-based temperature (T) and evapotranspiration (ET) benchmarking datasets and investigate coincidences of T anomalies with ET anomalies as a proxy for land-atmosphere interactions during periods of anomalously warm temperatures. First, we demonstrate that a large fraction of state-of-the-art climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) archive produces systematically too frequent coincidences of high T anomalies with negative ET anomalies in midlatitude regions during the warm season and in several tropical regions year-round. These coincidences (high T, low ET) are closely related to the representation of temperature variability and extremes across the multi-model ensemble. Second, we derive a land-coupling constraint based on the spread of the T-ET datasets and consequently retain only a subset of CMIP5 models that produce a land-coupling behaviour that is compatible with these benchmark estimates. The constrained multi-model simulations exhibit more realistic temperature extremes of reduced magnitude in present climate in regions where models show substantial spread in T-ET coupling, i.e. biases in the model ensemble are consistently reduced. Also the multi-model simulations for the coming decades display decreased absolute temperature extremes in the constrained ensemble. On the other hand, the differences between projected and present-day climate extremes are affected to a lesser extent by the applied constraint, i.e. projected changes are reduced locally by around 0.5 to 1 °C - but this remains a local effect in regions that are highly sensitive to land-atmosphere coupling. In summary, our approach offers a physically consistent, diagnostic-based avenue to evaluate multi-model ensembles and subsequently reduce model biases in simulated and projected extreme temperatures.

The PCR-GLOBWB global hydrological reanalysis product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bierkens, M. F.; Wanders, N.; Sutanudjaja, E.; Van Beek, L. P.

2013-12-01

Accurate and long time series of hydrological data are important for understanding land surface water and energy budgets in many parts of the world, as well as for improving real-time hydrological monitoring and climate change anticipation. The ultimate goal of the present work is to produce a multi-decadal land surface hydrological reanalysis with retrospective and updated hydrological states and fluxes that are constrained to available in-situ river discharge measurements. Here we used PCR-GLOBWB (van Beek et al., 2011), which is a large-scale hydrological model intended for global to regional studies. PCR-GLOBWB provides a grid-based representation of terrestrial hydrology with a typical spatial resolution of approximately 50×50 km (currently 0.5° globally) on a daily basis. For each grid cell, PCR-GLOBWB is basically a leaky bucket type of water balance model with a process-based simulation of moisture storage in two vertically stacked soil layers as well as the water exchange between the soil and the atmosphere and the underlying groundwater reservoir. Exchange to the atmosphere comprises precipitation, evaporation and transpiration, as well as snow accumulation and melt, which are all simulated by considering vegetation phenology and sub-grid distributions of elevation, land cover and soil saturation distribution. The model thus includes detailed schemes for runoff-infiltration partitioning, interflow, groundwater recharge and baseflow, as well as river routing of discharge. . By embedding the PCR-GLOBWB model in an Ensemble Kalman Filter framework, we calibrated the model parameters based on the discharge observations from the Global Runoff Data Centre. The parameters calibrated are related to snow module, runoff-infiltration partitioning, groundwater recharge, channel discharge and baseflow processes, as well as pre-factors to correct forcing precipitation fields due to local topographic and orographic effects. Results show that the model parameters can be calibrated and forcing precipitation fields were successfully corrected. The calibrated model output was compared to the reference run of PCR-GLOBWB before calibration. Here we found significant improvement in simulation of the global terrestrial water cycle, specifically discharge simulation for major river basins in the world. The main outcome of this work is a 1960-2010 global reanalysis dataset that includes extensive daily hydrological components, such as precipitation, evaporation and transpiration, snow, soil moisture, groundwater storage and discharge. This reanalysis product may be used for understanding land surface memory processes, initializing regional studies and operational forecasts, as well as evaluating and improving our understanding of spatio-temporal variation of meteorological and hydrological processes. Moreover, The PCR-GLOBWB data assimilation framework developed in this work can also be extended by including more observational data, including remotely sensed data reflecting the distribution of energy and water (e.g., heat fluxes and soil moisture storage).

High Resolution Land Surface Modeling with the next generation Land Data Assimilation Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, S. V.; Eylander, J.; Peters-Lidard, C.

2005-12-01

Knowledge of land surface processes is important to many real-world applications such as agricultural production, water resources management, and flood predication. The Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) has provided the USDA and other customers global soil moisture and temperature data for the past 30 years using the agrometeorological data assimilation model (now called AGRMET), merging atmospheric data. Further, accurate initialization of land surface conditions has been shown to greatly influence and improve weather forecast model and seasonal-to-interannual climate predictions. The AFWA AGRMET model exploits real time precipitation observations and analyses, global forecast model and satellite data to generate global estimates of soil moisture, soil temperature and other land surface states at 48km spatial resolution. However, to truly address the land surface initialization and climate prediction problem, and to mitigate the errors introduced by the differences in spatial scales of models, representations of land surface conditions need to be developed at the same fine scales such as that of cloud resolving models. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has developed an offline land data assimilation system known as the Land Information System (LIS) capable of modeling land atmosphere interactions at spatial resolutions as fine as 1km. LIS provides a software architecture that integrates the use of the state of the art land surface models, data assimilation techniques, and high performance computing and data management tools. LIS also employs many high resolution surface parameters such as the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS)-era products. In this study we describe the development of a next generation high resolution land surface modeling and data assimilation system, combining the capabilities of LIS and AGRMET. We investigate the influence of high resolution land surface data and observations on the land surface conditions by comparing with the operational AGRMET outputs.

77 FR 17564 - Public Notice for Waiver of Aeronautical Land-Use Assurance; Jackson Municipal Airport, Jackson, MN

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-26

... Aeronautical Land-Use Assurance; Jackson Municipal Airport, Jackson, MN AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration... the Jackson Municipal Airport, Jackson MN. The City is proposing a land swap to exchange this 18 acre...-aid funding from the FAA. The disposition of proceeds from the disposal of the airport property will...

Acetone and Water on TiO₂(110): H/D Exchange

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Henderson, Michael A.

2005-04-12

Isotopic H/D exchange between coadsorbed acetone and water on the TiO?(110) surface was examined using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) as a function of coverage and two surface pretreatments (oxidation and reduction). Coadsorbed acetone and water interact repulsively on reduced TiO?(110) based on results from the companion paper to this study, with water exerting a greater influence in destabilizing acetone and acetone having only a nominal influence on water. Despite the repulsive interaction between these coadsorbates, about 0.02 ML of a 1 ML d6-acetone on the reduced surface exhibits H/D exchange with coadsorbed water, with the exchange occurring exclusively in themore » high temperature region of the d?-acetone TPD spectrum at {approx}340 K. The effect was confirmed with combinations of d?-acetone and D?O. The extent of exchange decreased on the reduced surface with water coverages above {approx}0.3 ML due to the ability of water to displace coadsorbed acetone from first layer sites to the multilayer. In contrast, the extent of exchange increased by a factor of 3 when the surface was pre-oxidized prior to coadsorption. In this case, there was no evidence for the negative influence of high water coverages on the extent of H/D exchange. Comparison of the TPD spectra from the exchange products (either d?- or d?-acetone depending on the coadsorption pairing) suggests that, in addition to the 340 K exchange process seen on the reduced surface, a second exchange process was observed on the oxidized surface at {approx}390 K. In both cases (oxidized and reduced), desorption of the H/D exchange products appeared to be reaction limited and to involve the influence of OH/OD groups (or water formed during recombinative desorption of OH/OD groups) instead of molecularly adsorbed water. The 340 K exchange process is assigned to reaction at step sites and the 390 K exchange process is attributed to the influence of oxygen adatoms deposited during surface oxidation. The H/D exchange mechanism likely involves an enolate or propenol surface intermediate formed transiently during the desorption of oxygen-stabilized acetone molecules.« less

Surface defect chemistry and oxygen exchange kinetics in La2-xCaxNiO4+δ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tropin, E. S.; Ananyev, M. V.; Farlenkov, A. S.; Khodimchuk, A. V.; Berenov, A. V.; Fetisov, A. V.; Eremin, V. A.; Kolchugin, A. A.

2018-06-01

Surface oxygen exchange kinetics and diffusion in La2-xCaxNiO4+δ (x = 0; 0.1; 0.3) have been studied by the isotope exchange method with gas phase equilibration in the temperature range of 600-800 °C and oxygen pressure range 0.13-2.5 kPa. Despite an enhanced electrical conductivity of La2-xCaxNiO4+δ theirs oxygen surface exchange (k*) and oxygen tracer diffusion (D*) coefficients were significantly lower in comparison with La2NiO4+δ. The rates of the elementary stages of oxygen exchange have been calculated. Upon Ca doping the change of the rate-determining stage was observed. The surface of the oxides was found to be inhomogeneous towards oxygen exchange process according to the recently developed model. The reasons of such inhomogeneity are discussed as well as Ca influence on the surface defect chemistry and oxygen surface exchange and diffusivity.

Simulation of infiltration and redistribution of intense rainfall using Land Surface Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Anna; Verhoef, Anne; Cloke, Hannah

2016-04-01

Flooding from intense rainfall (FFIR) can cause widespread damage and disruption. Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models provide distributed information about atmospheric conditions, such as precipitation, that can lead to a flooding event. Short duration, high intensity rainfall events are generally poorly predicted by NWP models, because of the high spatiotemporal resolution required and because of the way the convective rainfall is described in the model. The resolution of NWP models is ever increasing. Better understanding of complex hydrological processes and the effect of scale is important in order to improve the prediction of magnitude and duration of such events, in the context of disaster management. Working as part of the NERC SINATRA project, we evaluated how the Land Surface Model (LSM) components of NWP models cope with high intensity rainfall input and subsequent infiltration problems. Both in terms of the amount of water infiltrated in the soil store, as well as the timing and the amount of surface and subsurface runoff generated. The models investigated are SWAP (Soil Water Air Plant, Alterra, the Netherlands, van Dam 1997), JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator a component of Unified Model in UK Met Office, Best et al. 2011) and CHTESSEL (Carbon and Hydrology- Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land, Balsamo et al. 2009) We analysed the numerical aspects arising from discontinuities (or sharp gradients) in forcing and/or the model solution. These types of infiltration configurations were tested in the laboratory (Vachaud 1971), for some there are semi-analytical solutions (Philip 1957, Parlange 1972, Vanderborght 2005) or reference numerical solutions (Haverkamp 1977, van Dam 2000, Vanderborght 2005). The maximum infiltration by the surface, Imax, is in general dependent on atmospheric conditions, surface type, soil type, soil moisture content θ, and surface orographic factor σ. The models used differ in their approach to describe and deal with this top boundary condition definition. All three LSMs discretise the spatial derivative in the Richards equation (∂/∂z) using central finite differences, which is a 2nd order method, that according to Godunov's theorem is non-monotone. It is prone to producing non-physical oscillations in the solution. We performed a mesh and timestep dependence study for hypothetical soil columns and showed the presence of the oscillations in Jules and SWAP solutions. We also investigated the rainfall/runoff partition and redistribution in case of intense rainfall using these three models.

Simulation of Surface Energy Fluxes and Snow Interception Using a Higher Order Closure Multi-Layer Soil-Vegetation-Atmospheric Model: The Effect of Canopy Shape and Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGowan, L. E.; Dahlke, H. E.; Paw U, K. T.

2015-12-01

Snow cover is a critical driver of the Earth's surface energy budget, climate change, and water resources. Variations in snow cover not only affect the energy budget of the land surface but also represent a major water supply source. In California, US estimates of snow depth, extent, and melt in the Sierra Nevada are critical to estimating the amount of water available for both California agriculture and urban users. However, accurate estimates of snow cover and snow melt processes in forested area still remain a challenge. Canopy structure influences the vertical and spatiotemporal distribution of snow, and therefore ultimately determines the degree and extent by which snow alters both the surface energy balance and water availability in forested regions. In this study we use the Advanced Canopy-Atmosphere-Soil algorithm (ACASA), a multi-layer soil-vegetation-atmosphere numerical model, to simulate the effect of different snow-covered canopy structures on the energy budget, and temperature and other scalar profiles within different forest types in the Sierra Nevada, California. ACASA incorporates a higher order turbulence closure scheme which allows the detailed simulation of turbulent fluxes of heat and water vapor as well as the CO2 exchange of several layers within the canopy. As such ACASA can capture the counter gradient fluxes within canopies that may occur frequently, but are typically unaccounted for, in most snow hydrology models. Six different canopy types were modeled ranging from coniferous forests (e.g. most biomass near the ground) to top-heavy (e.g. most biomass near the top of the crown) deciduous forests to multi-layered forest canopies (e.g. mixture of young and mature trees). Preliminary results indicate that the canopy shape and structure associated with different canopy types fundamentally influence the vertical scalar profiles (including those of temperature, moisture, and wind speed) in the canopy and thus alter the interception and snow melt dynamics in forested land surfaces. The turbulent transport dynamics, including counter-gradient fluxes, and radiation features including land surface albedo, are discussed in the context of the snow energy balance.

Assessment of MERRA-2 Land Surface Energy Flux Estimates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Draper, Clara; Reichle, Rolf; Koster, Randal

2017-01-01

In MERRA-2, observed precipitation is inserted in place of model-generated precipitation at the land surface. The use of observed precipitation was originally developed for MERRA-Land(a land-only replay of MERRA with model-generated precipitation replaced with observations).Previously shown that the land hydrology in MERRA-2 and MERRA-Land is better than MERRA. We test whether the improved land surface hydrology in MERRA-2 leads to the expected improvements in the land surface energy fluxes and 2 m air temperatures (T2m).

Weathering reactions and hyporheic exchange controls on stream water chemistry in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gooseff, Michael N.; McKnight, Diane M.; Lyons, W. Berry; Blum, Alex E.

2002-01-01

In the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, dilute glacial meltwater flows down well‐established streambeds to closed basin lakes during the austral summer. During the 6–12 week flow season, a hyporheic zone develops in the saturated sediment adjacent to the streams. Longer Dry Valley streams have higher concentrations of major ions than shorter streams. The longitudinal increases in Si and K suggest that primary weathering contributes to the downstream solute increase. The hypothesis that weathering reactions in the hyporheic zone control stream chemistry was tested by modeling the downstream increase in solute concentration in von Guerard Stream in Taylor Valley. The average rates of solute supplied from these sources over the 5.2 km length of the stream were 6.1 × 10−9 mol Si L−1 m−1 and 3.7 × 10−9 mol K L−1 m−1, yielding annual dissolved Si loads of 0.02–1.30 mol Si m−2 of watershed land surface. Silicate minerals in streambed sediment were analyzed to determine the representative surface area of minerals in the hyporheic zone subject to primary weathering. Two strategies were evaluated to compute sediment surface area normalized weathering rates. The first applies a best linear fit to synoptic data in order to calculate a constant downstream solute concentration gradient, dC/dx (constant weathering rate contribution, CRC method); the second uses a transient storage model to simulate dC/dx, representing both hyporheic exchange and chemical weathering (hydrologic exchange, HE method). Geometric surface area normalized dissolution rates of the silicate minerals in the stream ranged from 0.6 × 10−12 mol Si m−2 s−1 to 4.5 × 10−12 mol Si m−2 s−1 and 0.4 × 10−12 mol K m−2 s−1to 1.9 × 10−12 mol K m−2 s−1. These values are an order of magnitude lower than geometric surface area normalized weathering rates determined in laboratory studies and are an order of magnitude greater than geometric surface area normalized weathering rates determined in a warmer, wetter setting in temperate basins, despite the cold temperatures, lack of precipitation and lack of organic material. These results suggest that the continuous saturation and rapid flushing of the sediment due to hyporheic exchange facilitates weathering in Dry Valley streams.

Adsorption and mobility of metals in build-up on road surfaces.

PubMed

Gunawardana, Chandima; Egodawatta, Prasanna; Goonetilleke, Ashantha

2015-01-01

The study investigated the adsorption and bioavailability characteristics of traffic generated metals common to urban land uses, in road deposited solids particles. To validate the outcomes derived from the analysis of field samples, adsorption and desorption experiments were undertaken. The analysis of field samples revealed that metals are selectively adsorbed to different charge sites on solids. Zinc, copper, lead and nickel are adsorbed preferentially to oxides of manganese, iron and aluminium. Lead is adsorbed to organic matter through chemisorption. Cadmium and chromium form weak bonding through cation exchange with most of the particle sizes. Adsorption and desorption experiments revealed that at high metal concentrations, chromium, copper and lead form relatively strong bonds with solids particles while zinc is adsorbed through cation exchange with high likelihood of being released back into solution. Outcomes from this study provide specific guidance for the removal of metals from stormwater based on solids removal. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of EI-21 redox ion-exchange resins on the secondary-coolant circuit water chemistry of vehicular nuclear power installations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moskvin, L. N.; Rakov, V. T.

2015-06-01

The results obtained from testing the secondary-coolant circuit water chemistry of full-scale land-based prototype bench models of vehicular nuclear power installations equipped with water-cooled water-moderated and liquid-metal reactor plants are presented. The influence of copper-containing redox ionexchange resins intended for chemically deoxygenating steam condensate on the working fluid circulation loop's water chemistry is determined. The influence of redox ion-exchange resins on the water chemistry is evaluated by generalizing an array of data obtained in the course of extended monitoring using the methods relating to physicochemical analysis of the quality of condensate-feedwater path media and the methods relating to metallographic analysis of the state of a faulty steam generator's tube system surfaces. The deoxygenating effectiveness of the normal state turbine condensate vacuum deaeration system is experimentally determined. The refusal from applying redox ion-exchange resins in the condensate polishing ion-exchange filters is formulated based on the obtained data on the adverse effect of copper-containing redox ionexchange resins on the condensate-feedwater path water chemistry and based on the data testifying a sufficient effect from using the normal state turbine condensate vacuum deaeration system. Data on long-term operation of the prototype bench model of a vehicular nuclear power installation without subjecting the turbine condensate to chemical deoxygenation are presented.

Advances in land modeling of KIAPS based on the Noah Land Surface Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koo, Myung-Seo; Baek, Sunghye; Seol, Kyung-Hee; Cho, Kyoungmi

2017-08-01

As of 2013, the Noah Land Surface Model (LSM) version 2.7.1 was implemented in a new global model being developed at the Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems (KIAPS). This land surface scheme is further refined in two aspects, by adding new physical processes and by updating surface input parameters. Thus, the treatment of glacier land, sea ice, and snow cover are addressed more realistically. Inconsistencies in the amount of absorbed solar flux at ground level by the land surface and radiative processes are rectified. In addition, new parameters are available by using 1-km land cover data, which had usually not been possible at a global scale. Land surface albedo/emissivity climatology is newly created using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellitebased data and adjusted parameterization. These updates have been applied to the KIAPS-developed model and generally provide a positive impact on near-surface weather forecasting.

77 FR 46112 - Public Land Order No. 7793; Partial Revocation of Public Land Order No. 1535; South Dakota

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-02

... business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with... Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 1714, it is ordered as follows: 1. The withdrawal... Exchange Act of March 20, 1922, (16 U.S.C. 485), as amended, and Section 206 of the Federal Land Policy and...

Measuring surface salinity in the N. Atlantic subtropical gyre. The SPURS-MIDAS cruise, spring 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Font, Jordi; Ward, Brian; Emelianov, Mikhail; Morisset, Simon; Salvador, Joaquin; Busecke, Julius

2014-05-01

SPURS-MIDAS (March-April 2013) on board the Spanish R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa was a contribution to SPURS (Salinity Processes in the Upper ocean Regional Study) focused on the processes responsible for the formation and maintenance of the salinity maximum associated to the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. Scientists from Spain, Ireland, France and US sampled the mesoscale and submesoscale structures in the surface layer (fixed points and towed undulating CTD, underway near surface TSG) and deployed operational and experimental drifters and vertical profilers, plus additional ocean and atmospheric data collection. Validation of salinity maps obtained from the SMOS satellite was one of the objectives of the cruise. The cruise included a joint workplan and coordinated sampling with the US R/V Endeavor, with contribution from SPURS teams on land in real time data and analysis exchange. We present here an overview of the different kinds of measurements made during the cruise, as well as a first comparison between SMOS-derived sea surface salinity products and salinity maps obtained from near-surface sampling in the SPURS-MIDAS area and from surface drifters released during the cruise.

43 CFR 2200.0-5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges-General... apparent and substantially similar elements of value, such as location, size, use, physical characteristics... means the mining laws, mineral leasing laws, and the Geothermal Steam Act, but not the Materials Sales...

43 CFR 2200.0-5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges-General... apparent and substantially similar elements of value, such as location, size, use, physical characteristics... means the mining laws, mineral leasing laws, and the Geothermal Steam Act, but not the Materials Sales...

43 CFR 2200.0-5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges-General... apparent and substantially similar elements of value, such as location, size, use, physical characteristics... means the mining laws, mineral leasing laws, and the Geothermal Steam Act, but not the Materials Sales...

43 CFR 2200.0-5 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) EXCHANGES: GENERAL PROCEDURES Exchanges-General... apparent and substantially similar elements of value, such as location, size, use, physical characteristics... means the mining laws, mineral leasing laws, and the Geothermal Steam Act, but not the Materials Sales...

Group IV nanocrystals with ion-exchangeable surface ligands and methods of making the same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wheeler, Lance M.; Nichols, Asa W.; Chernomordik, Boris D.

Methods are described that include reacting a starting nanocrystal that includes a starting nanocrystal core and a covalently bound surface species to create an ion-exchangeable (IE) nanocrystal that includes a surface charge and a first ion-exchangeable (IE) surface ligand ionically bound to the surface charge, where the starting nanocrystal core includes a group IV element.

Do the energy fluxes and surface conductance of boreal coniferous forests in Europe scale with leaf area?

PubMed

Launiainen, Samuli; Katul, Gabriel G; Kolari, Pasi; Lindroth, Anders; Lohila, Annalea; Aurela, Mika; Varlagin, Andrej; Grelle, Achim; Vesala, Timo

2016-12-01

Earth observing systems are now routinely used to infer leaf area index (LAI) given its significance in spatial aggregation of land surface fluxes. Whether LAI is an appropriate scaling parameter for daytime growing season energy budget, surface conductance (G s ), water- and light-use efficiency and surface-atmosphere coupling of European boreal coniferous forests was explored using eddy-covariance (EC) energy and CO 2 fluxes. The observed scaling relations were then explained using a biophysical multilayer soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer model as well as by a bulk G s representation. The LAI variations significantly alter radiation regime, within-canopy microclimate, sink/source distributions of CO 2 , H 2 O and heat, and forest floor fluxes. The contribution of forest floor to ecosystem-scale energy exchange is shown to decrease asymptotically with increased LAI, as expected. Compared with other energy budget components, dry-canopy evapotranspiration (ET) was reasonably 'conservative' over the studied LAI range 0.5-7.0 m 2 m -2 . Both ET and G s experienced a minimum in the LAI range 1-2 m 2 m -2 caused by opposing nonproportional response of stomatally controlled transpiration and 'free' forest floor evaporation to changes in canopy density. The young forests had strongest coupling with the atmosphere while stomatal control of energy partitioning was strongest in relatively sparse (LAI ~2 m 2 m -2 ) pine stands growing on mineral soils. The data analysis and model results suggest that LAI may be an effective scaling parameter for net radiation and its partitioning but only in sparse stands (LAI <3 m 2 m -2 ). This finding emphasizes the significance of stand-replacing disturbances on the controls of surface energy exchange. In denser forests, any LAI dependency varies with physiological traits such as light-saturated water-use efficiency. The results suggest that incorporating species traits and site conditions are necessary when LAI is used in upscaling energy exchanges of boreal coniferous forests. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A global map of urban extent from nightlights

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Yuyu; Smith, Steven J.; Zhao, Kaiguang; ...

2015-05-13

Urbanization, one of the major human induced land-cover and land-use changes, has a profound impact on the Earth system including biodiversity, the cycling of water and carbon and exchange of energy and water between Earth’s surface and atmosphere, all affecting weather and climate. Accurate information on urban areas and their spatial distribution at the regional and global scales is important for scientific understanding of their contribution to the changing Earth system, and for practical management and policy decisions. We developed a method to map the urban extent from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) nighttime stable-light data atmore » the global level and derived a new global map of 1-km urban extent for year 2000. Based on this map, we found that globally, urban land area is about 0.5% of total land area but ranges widely at regional level from 0.1% in Oceania to 2.3% in Europe. At the country level, urban land area varies from lower than 0.01% to higher than 10%, but is lower than 1% for most (70%) countries. Urbanization follows land mass distribution, as anticipated, with the highest concentration found between 30°N to 45°N latitude and the largest longitudinal peak around 80°W. Based on a sensitivity analysis and comparison with other global urban area products, we found that our global product of urban area provides a reliable estimate of global urban areas and offer the potential of capturing more accurately their spatial and temporal dynamics.« less

IMPACTS OF LAND USE CHANGE AND FIRE ON NUTRIENT AND CARBON CYCLES AND TRACE GAS EXCHANGE IN SOILS OF THE CERRADO IN CENTRAL BRAZIL

EPA Science Inventory

The Brazilian cerrado is experiencing rapid land use changes that are often accompanied by fire. Here we report initial studies of the effects of fire and land use change on the composition and persistence of litter and soil organic carbon and nitrogen and related changes in the ...

INTERACTIONS OF NUTRIENT AND CARBON CYCLES AND TRACE GAS EXCHANGE WITH LAND USE CHANGE AND FIRE IN THE CERRADO OF CENTRAL BRAZIL

EPA Science Inventory

Land use changes accompanied by fire frequently occur in the Brazilian cerrado. Here we report measurements in the cerrado of the effects of fire and land use change on the composition and persistence of litter and soil organic carbon and nitrogen and related changes in the soil-...

The Great American Biotic Interchange in birds

PubMed Central

Weir, Jason T.; Bermingham, Eldredge; Schluter, Dolph

2009-01-01

The sudden exchange of mammals over the land bridge between the previously isolated continents of North and South America is among the most celebrated events in the faunal history of the New World. This exchange resulted in the rapid merging of continental mammalian faunas that had evolved in almost complete isolation from each other for tens of millions of years. Yet, the wider importance of land bridge-mediated interchange to faunal mixing in other groups is poorly known because of the incompleteness of the fossil record. In particular, the ability of birds to fly may have rendered a land bridge unnecessary for faunal merging. Using molecular dating of the unique bird faunas of the two continents, we show that rates of interchange increased dramatically after land bridge completion in tropical forest-specializing groups, which rarely colonize oceanic islands and have poor dispersal abilities across water barriers, but not in groups comprised of habitat generalists. These results support the role of the land bridge in the merging of the tropical forest faunas of North and South America. In contrast to mammals, the direction of traffic across the land bridge in birds was primarily south to north. The event transformed the tropical avifauna of the New World. PMID:19996168

The Viking mission search for life on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, H. P.; Lederberg, J.; Rich, A.; Horowitz, N. H.; Oyama, V. I.; Levin, G. V.

1976-01-01

The scientific payload on the Viking Mars landers is described. Shortly after landing, two facsimile cameras capable of stereoscopic imaging will scan the landing site area in black and white, color, and infrared to reveal gross evidence of past or present living systems. A wide range mass spectrometer will record a complete mass spectrum for soil samples from mass 12 to mass 200 every 10.3 sec. Three experiments based on different assumptions on the nature of life on Mars, if it exists, will be carried out by the bio-lab. A pyrolytic release experiment is designed to measure photosynthetic or dark fixation of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide into organic compounds. A labelled release experiment will test for metabolic activity during incubation of a surface sample moistened with a solution of radioactively labelled simple organic compounds. A gas exchange experiment will detect changes in the gaseous medium surrounding a soil sample as the result of metabolic activity. The hardware, function, and terrestrial test results of the bio-lab experiments are discussed.

Representation of dissolved organic carbon in the JULES land surface model (vn4.4_JULES-DOCM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakhavali, Mahdi; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Lauerwald, Ronny; Tang, Jing; Chadburn, Sarah; Camino-Serrano, Marta; Guenet, Bertrand; Harper, Anna; Walmsley, David; Peichl, Matthias; Gielen, Bert

2018-02-01

Current global models of the carbon (C) cycle consider only vertical gas exchanges between terrestrial or oceanic reservoirs and the atmosphere, thus not considering the lateral transport of carbon from the continents to the oceans. Therefore, those models implicitly consider all of the C which is not respired to the atmosphere to be stored on land and hence overestimate the land C sink capability. A model that represents the whole continuum from atmosphere to land and into the ocean would provide a better understanding of the Earth's C cycle and hence more reliable historical or future projections. A first and critical step in that direction is to include processes representing the production and export of dissolved organic carbon in soils. Here we present an original representation of dissolved organic C (DOC) processes in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES-DOCM) that integrates a representation of DOC production in terrestrial ecosystems based on the incomplete decomposition of organic matter, DOC decomposition within the soil column, and DOC export to the river network via leaching. The model performance is evaluated in five specific sites for which observations of soil DOC concentration are available. Results show that the model is able to reproduce the DOC concentration and controlling processes, including leaching to the riverine system, which is fundamental for integrating terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Future work should include the fate of exported DOC in the river system as well as DIC and POC export from soil.

Influence of Land Cover Heterogeneity, Land-Use Change and Management on the Regional Carbon Cycle in the Upper Midwest USA as Evaluated by High-Density Observations and a Dynamic Ecosystem Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desai, A. R.; Bolstad, P. V.; Moorcroft, P. R.; Davis, K. J.

2005-12-01

The interplay between land use change, forest management and land cover variability complicates the ability to characterize regional scale (10-1000 km) exchange of carbon dioxide between the land surface and atmosphere in heterogeneous landscapes. An attempt was made to observe and model these factors and their influence on the regional carbon cycle across the upper Midwest USA. A high density of eddy-covariance carbon flux, micrometeorology, carbon dioxide mixing ratio, stand-scale biometry and canopy component flux observations have been occurring in this area as part of the Chequamegon Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study. Observations limited to sampling only dominant stands and coarse-resolution biogeochemical models limited to biome-scale parameterization neither accurately capture the variability of carbon fluxes measured by the network of eddy covariance towers nor match the regional-scale carbon flux inferred from very tall tower eddy covariance measurements and multi-site upscaling. Analysis of plot level biometric data, U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory Analysis data and high-resolution land cover data around the tall tower revealed significant variations in vegetation type, stand age, canopy stocking and structure. Wetlands, clearcuts and recent natural disturbances occur in characteristic small non-uniformly distributed patches that aggregate to form more than 30% of the landscape. The Ecosystem Demography model, a dynamic ecosystem model that incorporates vegetation heterogeneity, canopy structure, stand age, disturbance, land use change and forest management, was parameterized with regional biometric data and meteorology, historical records of land management and high-resolution satellite land cover maps. The model will be used to examine the significance of past land use change, natural disturbance history and current forest management in explaining landscape structure and regional carbon fluxes observed in the region today.

Impact of Land Surface Initialization Approach on Subseasonal Forecast Skill: a Regional Analysis in the Southern Hemisphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hirsch, Annette L.; Kala, Jatin; Pitman, Andy J.; Carouge, Claire; Evans, Jason P.; Haverd, Vanessa; Mocko, David

2014-01-01

The authors use a sophisticated coupled land-atmosphere modeling system for a Southern Hemisphere subdomain centered over southeastern Australia to evaluate differences in simulation skill from two different land surface initialization approaches. The first approach uses equilibrated land surface states obtained from offline simulations of the land surface model, and the second uses land surface states obtained from reanalyses. The authors find that land surface initialization using prior offline simulations contribute to relative gains in subseasonal forecast skill. In particular, relative gains in forecast skill for temperature of 10%-20% within the first 30 days of the forecast can be attributed to the land surface initialization method using offline states. For precipitation there is no distinct preference for the land surface initialization method, with limited gains in forecast skill irrespective of the lead time. The authors evaluated the asymmetry between maximum and minimum temperatures and found that maximum temperatures had the largest gains in relative forecast skill, exceeding 20% in some regions. These results were statistically significant at the 98% confidence level at up to 60 days into the forecast period. For minimum temperature, using reanalyses to initialize the land surface contributed to relative gains in forecast skill, reaching 40% in parts of the domain that were statistically significant at the 98% confidence level. The contrasting impact of the land surface initialization method between maximum and minimum temperature was associated with different soil moisture coupling mechanisms. Therefore, land surface initialization from prior offline simulations does improve predictability for temperature, particularly maximum temperature, but with less obvious improvements for precipitation and minimum temperature over southeastern Australia.

Use of induced polarization to characterize the hydrogeologic framework of the zone of surface‐water/groundwater exchange at the Hanford 300 Area, WA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slater, Lee; Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrios; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Mwakanyamale, Kisa; Lane, John W.; Ward, Andy; Versteeg, Roelof J.

2010-01-01

An extensive continuous waterborne electrical imaging (CWEI) survey was conducted along the Columbia River corridor adjacent to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford 300 Area, WA, in order to improve the conceptual model for exchange between surface water and U‐contaminated groundwater. The primary objective was to determine spatial variability in the depth to the Hanford‐Ringold (H‐R) contact, an important lithologic boundary that limits vertical transport of groundwater along the river corridor. Resistivity and induced polarization (IP) measurements were performed along six survey lines parallel to the shore (each greater than 2.5 km in length), with a measurement recorded every 0.5–3.0 m depending on survey speed, resulting in approximately 65,000 measurements. The H‐R contact was clearly resolved in images of the normalized chargeability along the river corridor due to the large contrast in surface area (hence polarizability) of the granular material between the two lithologic units. Cross sections of the lithologic structure along the river corridor reveal a large variation in the thickness of the overlying Hanford unit (the aquifer through which contaminated groundwater discharges to the river) and clearly identify locations along the river corridor where the underlying Ringold unit is exposed to the riverbed. Knowing the distribution of the Hanford and Ringold units along the river corridor substantially improves the conceptual model for the hydrogeologic framework regulating U exchange between groundwater and Columbia River water relative to current models based on projections of data from boreholes on land into the river.

76 FR 12131 - Notice of Realty Action: Opening of Public Land in Elko County, NV

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-04

..., 1952, as part of a land exchange completed under Section 8 of the Taylor Grazing Act, reserving to the... of minerals.'' Section 8 of the Taylor Grazing Act required that an Opening Order be published before...

Inyo National Forest Land Exchange Act

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA

2013-12-20

Senate - 07/30/2014 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 113-433. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Wetland methane modelling over the Scandinavian Arctic: Performance of current land-surface models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayman, Garry; Quiquet, Aurélien; Gedney, Nicola; Clark, Douglas; Friend, Andrew; George, Charles; Prigent, Catherine

2014-05-01

Wetlands are generally accepted as being the largest, but least well quantified, single natural source of CH4, with global emission estimates ranging from 100-231 Tg yr-1 [1] and for which the Boreal and Arctic regions make a significant contribution [2, 3]. The recent review by Melton et al. [4] has provided a summary of the current state of knowledge on the modelling of wetlands and the outcome of the WETCHIMP model intercomparison exercise. Melton et al. found a large variation in the wetland areas and associated methane emissions from the participating models and varying responses to climate change. In this paper, we report results from offline runs of two land surface models over Scandinavia (JULES, the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator [5, 6] and HYBRID8 [7]), using the same driving meteorological dataset (CRU-NCEP) for the period from January 1980 to December 2010. Although the two land surface models are very different, both models have used a TOPMODEL approach to derive the wetland area and have similar parameterisations of the methane wetland emissions. We find that both models give broadly similar results. They underestimate the wetland areas over Northern Scandinavia, compared to remote sensing and map-based datasets of wetlands [8]. This leads to lower predicted methane emissions compared to those observed on the ground and from aircraft [9]. We will present these findings and identify possible reasons for the underprediction. We will show the sensitivity to using the observed wetland areas to improve the methane emission estimates. References [1] Denman, K., et al.,: Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and Biogeochemistry, In Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, 2007; [2] Smith, L. C., et al.: Siberian peatlands a net carbon sink and global methane source since the early Holocene, Science, 303, 353-356, doi:10.1126/science.1090553, 2004; [3] Zhuang, Q., et al.: CO2 and CH4 exchanges between land ecosystems and the atmosphere in northern high latitudes over the 21st century, Geophysical Research Letters, 33, doi:10.1029/2006gl026972, 2006; [4] Melton, J.R., et al.: Present state of global wetland extent and wetland methane modelling: conclusions from a model inter-comparison project (WETCHIMP), Biogeosciences, 10, 753-788, doi:10.5194/bg-10-753-2013, 2013; [5] Best, M. J., et al.: The Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), model description - Part 1: Energy and water fluxes, Geoscientific Model Development, 4, 677-699, doi:10.5194/gmd-4-677-2011, 2011; [6] Clark, D.B., et al.: The Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), Model description - Part 2: Carbon fluxes and vegetation. Geoscientific Model Development, 4, 701-722, doi:10.5194/gmd-4-701-2011, 2011; [7] Friend, A.D., and N.Y. Kiang: Land surface model development for the GISS GCM: Effects of improved canopy physiology on simulated climate. J. Climate, 18, 2883-2902, doi:10.1175/JCLI3425.1, 2005; [8] Prigent, C., et al.: Changes in land surface water dynamics since the 1990s and relation to population pressure, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L08403, doi:10.1029/2012GL051276, 2012; [9] O'Shea, S., et al.: Methane and carbon dioxide fluxes from the European Arctic wetlands during the MAMM project, paper in preparation.

Potential Impacts of Urban Land Expansion on Asian Outflows of Air Pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, T.; Liu, J.; Tao, S.; Ban-Weiss, G. A.

2016-12-01

We investigate the impacts of urban land expansion over Eastern China (EC) on the export of black carbon (BC), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) to the West Pacific during the January, April, July and October of 2009, using WRF/Chem model coupled with the tracers tagging technique and an up-to-date single layer urban canopy scheme updated with the treatment of urban hydrological processes. Our model simulations could reproduce well the vertical profiles of Asian outflows of BC and CO observed during the A-FORCE period (March to April of 2009). Over urbanizing areas, increment in urban land fraction could linearly elevate primary pollutants from the lower boundary layer to higher altitudes, and perturb the thermal, hydrological, and kinetic exchange processes between land surface and the atmosphere aloft through all seasons (such local impacts highest in July but lowest in January). Furthermore, we find robust linear relationships exist between urban land fraction (averaged over EC) and export of BC emitted from EC across meridional planes over the western Pacific (e.g., 140 °E). Specifically, each 10% increase in urban land fraction over EC enhances the eastward mass fluxes of BC by about 5%-10% in January and July, and 10%-20% in April and October, respectively, in the free troposphere, which is the dominant pathway for Asian outflows. Such a linear relationship is relatively weaker for CO and only appears in April and October. The different response patterns between BC and CO arise from their distinct physical and chemical properties. Even with decreased vegetation (and reduced biogenic emissions), the O3­ concentrations at the surface and 800 hPa over urbanizing areas both tend to increase. However, no clear trend is observed for the export of O3 over West Pacific for all four months. Urban land expansion facilitates the uplift of local pollutants, but also changes the large-scale circulation pattern (the perturbation cyclone over the downwind Pacific acts to impede the eastward transpacific transport), both playing important roles on the efficiency that Asian emissions are exported. Our finding indicates that the extensive urban land expansion would significantly impact the local climate and air quality, which also have a large impact on long-range transboundary transport.

Physical climatology of Indonesian maritime continent: An outline to comprehend observational studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamanaka, Manabu D.

2016-09-01

The Indonesian maritime continent (IMC) is a miniature of our land-sea coexisting planet Earth. Firstly, without interior activity, the Earth becomes an even-surfaced "aqua-planet" with both atmosphere and ocean flowing almost zonally, and solar differential heating generates (global thermal tides and) Hadley's meridional circulations with the inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) along the equator as observed actually over the open (Indian and Pacific) oceans on the both sides of the IMC. The ITCZ involves intraseasonal variations or super cloud clusters moving eastward with hierarchical substructures moving also westward. Secondly, the lands and seas over the actual Earth have been keeping the area ratio of 3:7 (similar to that of islands and inland/surrounding seas in the IMC), but their displacements have produced the IMC near the equator, which turns equatorial Pacific easterly ocean current northward (Kuroshio) and reflects equatorial oceanic waves that affect coupled ocean-atmosphere interannual variations such as ENSO and IOD, or displacements of Walker's zonal circulations. Thirdly, because the IMC consists of many large/small islands with very long coastlines, many narrow straits control the global (Pacific to Indian) ocean circulation, and the land-sea heat capacity contrasts along the coastlines generate the world's largest rainfall with diurnal cycles (sea-land breeze circulations). The diurnal cycles are dominant even in the rainy season (austral summer in Jawa and Bali), because rainfall-induced sprinkler-like land cooling reverses the trans-coastal temperature gradient before sunrise, and subsequent clear sky on land until around noon provides solar heating dependent on season. These processes lead to rapid land/hydrosphere-atmosphere water exchange, local air pollutant washout, and transequatorial boreal winter monsoon (cold surge). In El Niño years, for example, the cooler sea-surface temperature suppresses the morning coastal-sea rainfall, and induces often serious smog diffused from land over the IMC. Lastly, high-resolution observations/models covering both over islands and seas are necessary. A radar-profiler network (HARIMAU) has been constructed during FY2005-09, and capacity building on radar operations and buoy manufacturing has been promoted during FY2009-13 by Japan-Indonesia collaboration projects, which are taken over by an Indonesian national center (MCCOE) established in November 2013. Through these projects, variabilities of local circulations and precipitations with diurnal cycles have been recognized as important targets both in science and application.

Modeling the Surface Energy Balance of the Core of an Old Mediterranean City: Marseille.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemonsu, A.; Grimmond, C. S. B.; Masson, V.

2004-02-01

The Town Energy Balance (TEB) model, which parameterizes the local-scale energy and water exchanges between urban surfaces and the atmosphere by treating the urban area as a series of urban canyons, coupled to the Interactions between Soil, Biosphere, and Atmosphere (ISBA) scheme, was run in offline mode for Marseille, France. TEB's performance is evaluated with observations of surface temperatures and surface energy balance fluxes collected during the field experiments to constrain models of atmospheric pollution and transport of emissions (ESCOMPTE) urban boundary layer (UBL) campaign. Particular attention was directed to the influence of different surface databases, used for input parameters, on model predictions. Comparison of simulated canyon temperatures with observations resulted in improvements to TEB parameterizations by increasing the ventilation. Evaluation of the model with wall, road, and roof surface temperatures gave good results. The model succeeds in simulating a sensible heat flux larger than heat storage, as observed. A sensitivity comparison using generic dense city parameters, derived from the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) land cover database, and those from a surface database developed specifically for the Marseille city center shows the importance of correctly documenting the urban surface. Overall, the TEB scheme is shown to be fairly robust, consistent with results from previous studies.

Atmospheric turbulence triggers pronounced diel pattern in karst carbonate geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roland, M.; Serrano-Ortiz, P.; Kowalski, A. S.; Goddéris, Y.; Sánchez-Cañete, E. P.; Ciais, P.; Domingo, F.; Cuezva, S.; Sanchez-Moral, S.; Longdoz, B.; Yakir, D.; Van Grieken, R.; Schott, J.; Cardell, C.; Janssens, I. A.

2013-07-01

CO2 exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere is key to understanding the feedbacks between climate change and the land surface. In regions with carbonaceous parent material, CO2 exchange patterns occur that cannot be explained by biological processes, such as disproportionate outgassing during the daytime or nighttime CO2 uptake during periods when all vegetation is senescent. Neither of these phenomena can be attributed to carbonate weathering reactions, since their CO2 exchange rates are too small. Soil ventilation induced by high atmospheric turbulence is found to explain atypical CO2 exchange between carbonaceous systems and the atmosphere. However, by strongly altering subsurface CO2 concentrations, ventilation can be expected to influence carbonate weathering rates. By imposing ventilation-driven CO2 outgassing in a carbonate weathering model, we show here that carbonate geochemistry is accelerated and does play a surprisingly large role in the observed CO2 exchange pattern of a semi-arid ecosystem. We found that by rapidly depleting soil CO2 during the daytime, ventilation disturbs soil carbonate equilibria and therefore strongly magnifies daytime carbonate precipitation and associated CO2 production. At night, ventilation ceases and the depleted CO2 concentrations increase steadily. Dissolution of carbonate is now enhanced, which consumes CO2 and largely compensates for the enhanced daytime carbonate precipitation. This is why only a relatively small effect on global carbonate weathering rates is to be expected. On the short term, however, ventilation has a drastic effect on synoptic carbonate weathering rates, resulting in a pronounced diel pattern that exacerbates the non-biological behavior of soil-atmosphere CO2 exchanges in dry regions with carbonate soils.