Joseph A. Santanello

Diurnal Covariation in Soil Heat Flux and Net Radiation

Abstract Diurnal variation in soil heat flux is a key constraint on the amount of energy available for sensible and latent heating of the lower troposphere. Many studies have demonstrated that soil heat flux G is strongly correlated with net radiation Rn. However, methods to parameterize G based on this relationship typically do not account for the dependency of G on soil properties and ignore asymmetry in the diurnal variation of G relative to Rn. In this paper, the diurnal behavior of G as a function of Rn is examined for sparse cover and bare soil conditions, focusing on patterns of diurnal variation as well as on the effects of soil moisture and soil type. To this end, information from field data is combined with simulations from a multilayer, diffusion-based soil model over a range of soil conditions and vegetation densities. The results show that a relatively simple function can be used to capture the first-order diurnal covariation between G and Rn. Within this framework, soil moisture exerts an im...

A Modeling and Observational Framework for Diagnosing Local Land–Atmosphere Coupling on Diurnal Time Scales

Abstract Land–atmosphere interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of both planetary boundary layer (PBL) and land surface temperature and moisture states. The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in numerical weather prediction and climate models remains largely unexplored and undiagnosed because of the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. Furthermore, uncoupled systems or experiments [e.g., the Project for the Intercomparison of Land-Surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS)] may lead to inaccurate water and energy cycle process understanding by neglecting feedback processes such as PBL-top entrainment. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land–atmosphere coupling is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along with observations during field experiments in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) has been c...

Diagnosing the Sensitivity of Local Land-Atmosphere Coupling via the Soil Moisture-Boundary Layer Interaction

AbstractThe inherent coupled nature of earth’s energy and water cycles places significant importance on the proper representation and diagnosis of land–atmosphere (LA) interactions in hydrometeorological prediction models. However, the precise nature of the soil moisture–precipitation relationship at the local scale is largely determined by a series of nonlinear processes and feedbacks that are difficult to quantify. To quantify the strength of the local LA coupling (LoCo), this process chain must be considered both in full and as individual components through their relationships and sensitivities. To address this, recent modeling and diagnostic studies have been extended to 1) quantify the processes governing LoCo utilizing the thermodynamic properties of mixing diagrams, and 2) diagnose the sensitivity of coupled systems, including clouds and moist processes, to perturbations in soil moisture. This work employs NASA’s Land Information System (LIS) coupled to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) me...

Diagnosing the Nature of Land–Atmosphere Coupling: A Case Study of Dry/Wet Extremes in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

AbstractLand–atmosphere (L–A) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of land surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) temperature and moisture states and fluxes. In turn, these interactions regulate the strength of the connection between surface moisture and precipitation in a coupled system. To address model deficiencies, recent studies have focused on development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land–PBL coupling at the process level. In this paper, a diagnosis of the nature and impacts of local land–atmosphere coupling (LoCo) during dry and wet extreme conditions is presented using a combination of models and observations during the summers of 2006 and 2007 in the U.S. southern Great Plains. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation is applied to the dry/wet regimes exhibited in this region, and in the process, a thorough evaluation of nine different land–PBL scheme couplings is conducted...

Convective Planetary Boundary Layer Interactions with the Land Surface at Diurnal Time Scales: Diagnostics and Feedbacks

Abstract The convective planetary boundary layer (PBL) integrates surface fluxes and conditions over regional and diurnal scales. As a result, the structure and evolution of the PBL contains information directly related to land surface states. To examine the nature and magnitude of land–atmosphere coupling and the interactions and feedbacks controlling PBL development, the authors used a large sample of radiosonde observations collected at the southern Atmospheric Research Measurement Program–Great Plains Cloud and Radiation Testbed (ARM-CART) site in association with simulations of mixed-layer growth from a single-column PBL/land surface model. The model accurately predicts PBL evolution and realistically simulates thermodynamics associated with two key controls on PBL growth: atmospheric stability and soil moisture. The information content of these variables and their influence on PBL height and screen-level temperature can be characterized using statistical methods to describe PBL–land surface coupling...

An Empirical Investigation of Convective Planetary Boundary Layer Evolution and Its Relationship with the Land Surface

Abstract Relationships among convective planetary boundary layer (PBL) evolution and land surface properties are explored using data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Test Bed in the southern Great Plains. Previous attempts to infer surface fluxes from observations of the PBL have been constrained by difficulties in accurately estimating and parameterizing the conservation equation and have been limited to multiday averages or small samples of daily case studies. Using radiosonde and surface flux data for June, July, and August of 1997, 1999, and 2001, a conservation approach was applied to 132 sets of daily observations. Results highlight the limitations of using this method on daily time scales caused by the diurnal variability and complexity of entrainment. A statistical investigation of the relationship among PBL and both land surface and near-surface properties that are not explicitly included in conservation methods indicates that atmospheric stability in the lay...

Impact of Irrigation Methods on Land Surface Model Spinup and Initialization of WRF Forecasts

AbstractIn the United States, irrigation represents the largest consumptive use of freshwater and accounts for approximately one-third of total water usage. Irrigation impacts soil moisture and can ultimately influence clouds and precipitation through land–planetary boundary layer (PBL) coupling processes. This study utilizes NASA’s Land Information System (LIS) and the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting Model (NU-WRF) framework to investigate the effects of drip, flood, and sprinkler irrigation methods on land–atmosphere interactions, including land–PBL coupling and feedbacks at the local scale. To initialize 2-day, 1-km WRF forecasts over the central Great Plains in a drier-than-normal (2006) and a wetter-than-normal year (2008), 5-yr irrigated LIS spinups were used. The offline and coupled simulation results show that regional irrigation impacts are sensitive to time, space, and method and that irrigation cools and moistens the surface over and downwind of irrigated areas, ultimately resulti...

The Heated Condensation Framework. Part I: Description and Southern Great Plains Case Study

AbstractThis study extends the heated condensation framework (HCF) presented in Tawfik and Dirmeyer to include variables for describing the convective background state of the atmosphere used to quantify the contribution of the atmosphere to convective initiation within the context of land–atmosphere coupling. In particular, the ability for the full suite of HCF variables to 1) quantify the amount of latent and sensible heat energy necessary for convective initiation, 2) identify the transition from moistening advantage to boundary layer growth advantage, 3) identify locally originating convection, and 4) compare models and observations, directly highlighting biases in the convective state, is demonstrated. These capabilities are illustrated for a clear-sky and convectively active day over the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Southern Great Plains central station using observations, the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) operational model, and the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). The clear-sky day...

Mesoscale Simulation of Rapid Soil Drying and Its Implications for Predicting Daytime Temperature

Abstract Rapid soil-surface drying, which is called “decoupling,” accompanied by an increase in near-surface air temperature and sensible heat flux, is typically confined to the top 1–2 cm of the soil, while the deeper layers remain relatively moist. Because decoupling depends also on a precise knowledge of fractional vegetation cover, soil properties, and soil water content, an accurate knowledge of these parameters is essential for making good predictions of temperature and humidity. Accordingly, some simulations centered on the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Test Bed Southern Great Plains site in Kansas and Oklahoma using a high-resolution substrate layer (Simulator for Hydrology and Energy Exchange at the Land Surface), the Fifth-Generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model, and derived and default values for soil water content and fractional vegetation cover are presented. In so doing, the following points are made: 1...

Quantifying the Land-Atmosphere Coupling Behavior in Modern Reanalysis Products over the U.S. Southern Great Plains

AbstractThe coupling of the land with the planetary boundary layer (PBL) on diurnal time scales is critical to regulating the strength of the connection between soil moisture and precipitation. To improve understanding of land–atmosphere (L–A) interactions, recent studies have focused on the development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land–PBL coupling at the process level. In this paper, the authors apply a suite of local land–atmosphere coupling (LoCo) metrics to modern reanalysis (RA) products and observations during a 17-yr period over the U.S. southern Great Plains. Specifically, a range of diagnostics exploring the links between soil moisture, evaporation, PBL height, temperature, humidity, and precipitation is applied to the summertime monthly mean diurnal cycles of the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR). Results show that CFSR is the driest and ...