NWS / SPoRT Coordination Call

1. NWS / SPoRT Coordination Call August 19, 2010 Topics: LIS, SST Composite, Technical Issues

2. Summertime Convective Initiation Diagnosis using Data from the Land Information System 19 Aug 2010 Jonathan Case and Robby James transitioning unique NASA data and research technologies to operations

3. Introduction • Background on Land Information System (LIS) • Summer intern student presentation • SPoRT Greenness Vegetation Product • Summary

4. NASA Land Information System (LIS) • High-performance land surface modeling and data assimilation system • Runs a variety of Land Surface Models (LSMs) • Combines satellite, ground, and reanalysis data to integrate LSM in offline mode • Can run coupled to Advanced Research WRF • Data assimilation capability (EnKF) built-in • Framework enables substitution of datasets • SPoRT experience with LIS • Positive impacts to WRF forecast of sea breeze over FL • Modest improvement to forecasts of air-mass convection in the Southeast U.S. using object-based verification • Providing LIS output to BMX WFO as a diagnostic tool for CI

5. Land Surface Modeling with LIS Outputs Applications Inputs Physics Topography, Soils Land Surface Models (e.g. Noah, VIC, SIB, SHEELS) Soil Moisture & Temp Weather/ Climate Water Resources Homeland Security Military Ops Natural Hazards Land Cover, Vegetation Properties Evaporation Meteorology (Atmospheric Forcing) Runoff Data Assimilation Modules Snow Soil Moisture Temperature Snowpack Properties

6. Land Surface Modeling with LIS Outputs Applications Inputs Physics • 1-km topography, averaged for coarser resolution grids • Bottom soil temperature: 6-yr climo • Soil type: • 1-km, 19-class State Soil Geographic database • Dominant soil type used for grid spacing > 1 km Topography, Soils Land Surface Models (e.g. Noah, VIC, SIB, SHEELS) Soil Moisture & Temp Weather/ Climate Water Resources Homeland Security Military Ops Natural Hazards Land Cover, Vegetation Properties Evaporation Meteorology (Atmospheric Forcing) Runoff Data Assimilation Modules Snow Soil Moisture Temperature Snowpack Properties

7. Land Surface Modeling with LIS Outputs Applications Inputs Physics Topography, Soils Land Surface Models (e.g. Noah, VIC, SIB, SHEELS) Soil Moisture & Temp Weather/ Climate Water Resources Homeland Security Military Ops Natural Hazards • Vegetation/land cover: • 1-km, 24-class USGS • Monthly green veg fraction (0.15°) • Derived from 1992-93 AVHRR data • 1-km Land mask  Determined off of vegetation type • Quarterly and max snow (MODIS) albedo Land Cover, Vegetation Properties Evaporation Meteorology (Atmospheric Forcing) Runoff Data Assimilation Modules Snow Soil Moisture Temperature Snowpack Properties

8. Land Surface Modeling with LIS Outputs Applications Inputs Physics Topography, Soils Land Surface Models (e.g. Noah, VIC, SIB, SHEELS) Soil Moisture & Temp Weather/ Climate Water Resources Homeland Security Military Ops Natural Hazards • Datasets driving LSM physics: • Input variables: 2-m T, q, sfc pressure, 10-m wind, downward short/longwave radiation, precipitation • Forcing sources used by SPoRT/LIS: • Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS, GFS assimilation cycle) • North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) • Stage IV precipitation analyses • GFS forecasts (for same-day predictions) Land Cover, Vegetation Properties Evaporation Meteorology (Atmospheric Forcing) Runoff Data Assimilation Modules Snow Soil Moisture Temperature Snowpack Properties

9. Summer Intern Project Outline • Focus on the hours of 0900 to 2100 UTC • Pre-dawn conditions • Diurnal heating • Locate convective initiation • Find land correlations and soil features of interest • LIS products being used • Soil moisture (0-10 & 40-100 cm) • Sensible/Latent Heat Flux • Soil/Vegetation Type • Surface Skin Temperature • Relative Soil Moisture (analog to RH in atmosphere)

10. Background • Extension of BMX CI project in summer 2009 • “Unknown” boundaries = 20% • Possibly due to land characteristics • Examine “random” convection events • Nominal atmospheric forcing • Case dates from summer 2009 • 1 June, 7 July, 14 August, 15 August

11. Soil and Vegetation Types

12. 1 June 2009 • “Random” convection found at 2015 UTC over Birmingham, AL

13. 1 June 2009 • Storm forms downwind of the “Urban Heat Island” effect a) b) c) d) Skin temperature (color shading, °C), 20-dBZ contours (white), and accumulated rainfall (> 1 mm h-1, black contours) valid at a) 1800, b) 1900, c) 2000, and d) 2100 UTC.

14. 7 July 2009 • Stationary front found in extreme southern Alabama/Georgia at 2000 UTC. • Central and Northern AL received ample solar heating throughout the day • “Unknown” boundary found at 2000 UTC over Birmingham, AL. • Could be caused by regional gradients in soil moisture

15. 7 July 2009

16. 7 July 2009 L Relative Soil Moisture (0-10 cm Layer) 2000 UTC

17. 14 August 2009 • Another example of “Urban Heat Island” effect • High area of Sensible Heat Flux (400 – 450 W m-2), • higher skin temperatures. a) b) c) d) Skin temperature (color shading, °C), 20-dBZ contours (white), and accumulated rainfall (> 1 mm h-1, black contours) valid at a) 1600, b) 1700, c) 1800, and d) 1900 UTC.

18. 15 August 2009 • Similar setup to August 14th • Weak southeast flow • “Black Belt” area of interest • Comprised of mainly clay soils • Little convective initiation • Ongoing convection dissipates upon entry • Red line shows approximate area of “Black Belt”

19. Latent Heat Flux at 1800 UTC