Articles | Volume 22, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1649-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1649-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Mar 2018
Research article |
| 06 Mar 2018
| 06 Mar 2018
Controls on surface soil drying rates observed by SMAP and simulated by the Noah land surface model
Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, 80309,
USA
Eric E. Small
Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, 80309,
USA
Ben Livneh
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science, and
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering,
University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, 80309, USA
Related authors
Natthachet Tangdamrongsub, Michael F. Jasinski, and Peter J. Shellito
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4185–4208, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4185-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate estimation of terrestrial water storage (TWS) is essential for reliable water resource assessments. TWS can be estimated from the Community Atmosphere–Biosphere Land Exchange model (CABLE), but the resolution is limited to 0.5°. We reconfigure CABLE to improve TWS spatial details from 0.5° to 0.05°. GRACE satellite data are assimilated into CABLE to improve TWS accuracy. Our workflow relies only on publicly accessible data, allowing reproduction of 0.05° TWS in any region.
Bareera N. Mirza, Eric E. Small, and Mark S. Raleigh
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-978, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-978, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Measuring snow depth in mountains is essential for water management, but current satellite methods have limitations. This study evaluates snow depth estimates from the Sentinel-1 radar satellite, revealing significant spatial errors, particularly during snowmelt. Combining it with other satellite data did not improve accuracy, emphasizing the need for improved techniques to advance global snow mapping for better water resource predictions
Max Berkelhammer, Gerald F. M. Page, Frank Zurek, Christopher Still, Mariah S. Carbone, William Talavera, Laura Hildebrand, James Byron, Kyle Inthabandith, Angellica Kucinski, Melissa Carlson, Kelsey Foss, Wendy Brown, Rosemary W. H. Carroll, Austin Simonpietri, Marshall Worsham, Ian Breckheimer, Anna Ryken, Reed Maxwell, David Gochis, Mark S. Raleigh, Eric Small, and Kenneth H. Williams
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 701–718, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-701-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-701-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Warming in montane systems is affecting the snowmelt input amount. At the global scale, this will impact subalpine forests that rely on spring snowmelt to support their water demands. We use a network of sensors across a hillslope in the Upper Colorado Basin to show that the changing spring snowpack has a more pronounced impact on dense forest stands, while open stands show a higher reliance on summer rain and are less sensitive to significant changes in snow.
Parthkumar A. Modi, Jared C. Carbone, Keith S. Jennings, Hannah Kamen, Joseph R. Kasprzyk, Bill Szafranski, Cameron W. Wobus, and Ben Livneh
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4046, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4046, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows that in unmanaged snow-dominated basins, high forecast accuracy doesn’t always lead to high economic value, especially during extreme conditions like droughts. It highlights how irregular errors in modern forecasting systems weaken the connection between accuracy and value. These findings call for forecast evaluations to focus not only on accuracy but also on economic impacts, providing valuable guidance for better water resource management under uncertainty.
Jordan N. Herbert, Mark S. Raleigh, and Eric E. Small
The Cryosphere, 18, 3495–3512, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3495-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3495-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Automated stations measure snow properties at a single point but are frequently used to validate data that represent much larger areas. We use lidar snow depth data to see how often the mean snow depth surrounding a snow station is within 10 cm of the snow station depth at different scales. We found snow stations overrepresent the area-mean snow depth in ~ 50 % of cases, but the direction of bias at a site is temporally consistent, suggesting a site could be calibrated to the surrounding area.
Justin M. Pflug, Yiwen Fang, Steven A. Margulis, and Ben Livneh
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2747–2762, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2747-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2747-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Wolverine denning habitat inferred using a snow threshold differed for three different spatial representations of snow. These differences were based on the annual volume of snow and the elevation of the snow line. While denning habitat was most influenced by winter meteorological conditions, our results show that studies applying thresholds to environmental datasets should report uncertainties stemming from different spatial resolutions and uncertainties introduced by the thresholds themselves.
Elsa S. Culler, Ben Livneh, Balaji Rajagopalan, and Kristy F. Tiampo
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1631–1652, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1631-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1631-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Landslides have often been observed in the aftermath of wildfires. This study explores regional patterns in the rainfall that caused landslides both after fires and in unburned locations. In general, landslides that occur after fires are triggered by less rainfall, confirming that fire helps to set the stage for landslides. However, there are regional differences in the ways in which fire impacts landslides, such as the size and direction of shifts in the seasonality of landslides after fires.
Aaron Heldmyer, Ben Livneh, James McCreight, Laura Read, Joseph Kasprzyk, and Toby Minear
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6121–6136, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6121-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6121-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Measurements of channel characteristics are important for accurate forecasting in the NOAA National Water Model (NWM) but are scarcely available. We seek to improve channel representativeness in the NWM by updating channel geometry and roughness parameters using a large, previously unpublished, dataset of approximately 48 000 gauges. We find that the updated channel parameterization from this new dataset leads to improvements in simulated streamflow performance and channel representation.
Natthachet Tangdamrongsub, Michael F. Jasinski, and Peter J. Shellito
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4185–4208, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4185-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate estimation of terrestrial water storage (TWS) is essential for reliable water resource assessments. TWS can be estimated from the Community Atmosphere–Biosphere Land Exchange model (CABLE), but the resolution is limited to 0.5°. We reconfigure CABLE to improve TWS spatial details from 0.5° to 0.05°. GRACE satellite data are assimilated into CABLE to improve TWS accuracy. Our workflow relies only on publicly accessible data, allowing reproduction of 0.05° TWS in any region.
Qinghuan Zhang, Qiuhong Tang, John F. Knowles, and Ben Livneh
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-52, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-52, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
The uncertainty from model parameters is not well understood compared to that from climate data in hydrologic modeling. This study quantifies the projection uncertainty in three hydrologic variables using a group of best performing parameter sets. It shows that model parameter uncertainty takes an important role in hydrologic modeling, especially for seasonal projections. Thus it is necessary to consider multiple optimal parameter sets in hydrologic projection and water resources management.
J. L. McCreight and E. E. Small
The Cryosphere, 8, 521–536, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-521-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-521-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Subject: Global hydrology | Techniques and Approaches: Remote Sensing and GIS
Potential of long-term satellite observations and reanalysis products for characterising soil drying: trends and drought events
Interannual variations of terrestrial water storage in the East African Rift region
Technical note: Surface fields for global environmental modelling
Benchmarking multimodel terrestrial water storage seasonal cycle against Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) observations over major global river basins
Increasing seasonal variation in the extent of rivers and lakes from 1984 to 2022
Investigating sources of variability in closing the terrestrial water balance with remote sensing
Dynamic rainfall erosivity estimates derived from IMERG data
A global analysis of water storage variations from remotely sensed soil moisture and daily satellite gravimetry
Soil moisture estimates at 1 km resolution making a synergistic use of Sentinel data
Global evaluation of the “dry gets drier, and wet gets wetter” paradigm from a terrestrial water storage change perspective
Global assessment of subnational drought impact based on the Geocoded Disasters dataset and land reanalysis
Scaling methods of leakage correction in GRACE mass change estimates revisited for the complex hydro-climatic setting of the Indus Basin
Remotely sensed reservoir water storage dynamics (1984–2015) and the influence of climate variability and management at a global scale
Characterizing natural variability in complex hydrological systems using passive microwave-based climate data records: a case study for the Okavango Delta
High-resolution (1 km) satellite rainfall estimation from SM2RAIN applied to Sentinel-1: Po River basin as a case study
The accuracy of temporal upscaling of instantaneous evapotranspiration to daily values with seven upscaling methods
Global component analysis of errors in three satellite-only global precipitation estimates
Estimation of hydrological drought recovery based on precipitation and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) water storage deficit
Intercomparison of freshwater fluxes over ocean and investigations into water budget closure
Widespread decline in terrestrial water storage and its link to teleconnections across Asia and eastern Europe
Assimilation of vegetation optical depth retrievals from passive microwave radiometry
Long-term total water storage change from a Satellite Water Cycle reconstruction over large southern Asian basins
Global partitioning of runoff generation mechanisms using remote sensing data
Land–atmosphere interactions in the tropics – a review
Global-scale human pressure evolution imprints on sustainability of river systems
Using GRACE in a streamflow recession to determine drainable water storage in the Mississippi River basin
A new dense 18-year time series of surface water fraction estimates from MODIS for the Mediterranean region
Global joint assimilation of GRACE and SMOS for improved estimation of root-zone soil moisture and vegetation response
Using modelled discharge to develop satellite-based river gauging: a case study for the Amazon Basin
Global downscaling of remotely sensed soil moisture using neural networks
Global 5 km resolution estimates of secondary evaporation including irrigation through satellite data assimilation
Exploring the merging of the global land evaporation WACMOS-ET products based on local tower measurements
Estimating time-dependent vegetation biases in the SMAP soil moisture product
Daily GRACE gravity field solutions track major flood events in the Ganges–Brahmaputra Delta
Quantification of surface water volume changes in the Mackenzie Delta using satellite multi-mission data
Microwave implementation of two-source energy balance approach for estimating evapotranspiration
A global approach to estimate irrigated areas – a comparison between different data and statistics
The future of Earth observation in hydrology
Validation of terrestrial water storage variations as simulated by different global numerical models with GRACE satellite observations
MSWEP: 3-hourly 0.25° global gridded precipitation (1979–2015) by merging gauge, satellite, and reanalysis data
Evaluating the hydrological consistency of evaporation products using satellite-based gravity and rainfall data
Evaluating the strength of the land–atmosphere moisture feedback in Earth system models using satellite observations
Cloud tolerance of remote-sensing technologies to measure land surface temperature
Dynamic changes in terrestrial net primary production and their effects on evapotranspiration
Assessing changes in urban flood vulnerability through mapping land use from historical information
SACRA – a method for the estimation of global high-resolution crop calendars from a satellite-sensed NDVI
A global data set of the extent of irrigated land from 1900 to 2005
Evaluation of the satellite-based Global Flood Detection System for measuring river discharge: influence of local factors
Spatial patterns in timing of the diurnal temperature cycle
Potential and limitations of multidecadal satellite soil moisture observations for selected climate model evaluation studies
Martin Hirschi, Pietro Stradiotti, Bas Crezee, Wouter Dorigo, and Sonia I. Seneviratne
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 397–425, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-397-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-397-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the potential of long-term satellite and reanalysis products for characterising soil drying by analysing their 2000–2022 soil moisture trends and their representation of agroecological drought events of this period. Soil moisture trends are globally diverse and partly contradictory between products. This also affects the products' drought-detection capacity. Based on the best-estimate products, consistent soil drying is observed over more than 40 % of the land area covered.
Eva Boergens, Andreas Güntner, Mike Sips, Christian Schwatke, and Henryk Dobslaw
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4733–4754, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4733-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4733-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The satellites GRACE and GRACE-FO observe continental terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes. With over 20 years of data, we can look into long-term variations in the East Africa Rift region. We focus on analysing the interannual TWS variations compared to meteorological data and observations of the water storage compartments. We found strong influences of natural precipitation variability and human actions over Lake Victoria's water level.
Margarita Choulga, Francesca Moschini, Cinzia Mazzetti, Stefania Grimaldi, Juliana Disperati, Hylke Beck, Peter Salamon, and Christel Prudhomme
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2991–3036, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2991-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2991-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
CEMS_SurfaceFields_2022 dataset is a new set of high-resolution maps for land type (e.g. lake, forest), soil properties and population water needs at approximately 2 and 6 km at the Equator, covering Europe and the globe (excluding Antarctica). We describe what and how new high-resolution information can be used to create the dataset. The paper suggests that the dataset can be used as input for river, weather or other models, as well as for statistical descriptions of the region of interest.
Sadia Bibi, Tingju Zhu, Ashraf Rateb, Bridget R. Scanlon, Muhammad Aqeel Kamran, Abdelrazek Elnashar, Ali Bennour, and Ci Li
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1725–1750, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1725-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1725-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We assessed 13 global models using GRACE satellite data over 29 river basins. Simulated seasonal water storage cycles showed discrepancies compared to GRACE. The models overestimated seasonal amplitude in boreal basins and showed underestimation in tropical, arid, and temperate zones, with phase differences of 2–3 months compared to GRACE in cold basins and of 1 month in temperate, arid, and semi-arid basins. Seasonal amplitude and phase differences provide insights for model improvement.
Björn Nyberg, Roger Sayre, and Elco Luijendijk
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1653–1663, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1653-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1653-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of surface water is crucial for effective water resource management, maintaining ecosystem health and assessing flood risks. This study examined permanent and seasonal rivers and lakes globally over 38 years, uncovering a statistically significant expansion in seasonal extent captured in the new SARL database. The findings offer valuable resources for assessing the impact of changing river and lake extents on ecosystems and human livelihoods.
Claire I. Michailovsky, Bert Coerver, Marloes Mul, and Graham Jewitt
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 4335–4354, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-4335-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-4335-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Many remote sensing products for precipitation, evapotranspiration, and water storage variations exist. However, when these are used with in situ runoff data in water balance closure studies, no single combination of products consistently outperforms others. We analyzed the water balance closure using different products in catchments worldwide and related the results to catchment characteristics. Our results can help identify the dataset combinations best suited for use in different catchments.
Robert A. Emberson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3547–3563, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3547-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3547-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Soil can be eroded by rainfall, and this is a major threat to agricultural sustainability. Estimating the erosivity of rainfall is essential as a first step to determine how much soil might be lost. Until recently, satellite data have not been used to estimate rainfall erosivity, but the data quality is now sufficient to do so. In this study, I test several methods to calculate rainfall erosivity using satellite rainfall data and contrast this with ground-based estimates.
Daniel Blank, Annette Eicker, Laura Jensen, and Andreas Güntner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2413–2435, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2413-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2413-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Soil moisture (SM), a key variable of the global water cycle, is analyzed using two types of satellite observations; microwave sensors measure the top few centimeters and satellite gravimetry (GRACE) the full vertical water column. As SM can change very fast, non-standard daily GRACE data are applied for the first time for this analysis. Jointly analyzing these data gives insight into the SM dynamics at different soil depths, and time shifts indicate the infiltration time into deeper layers.
Remi Madelon, Nemesio J. Rodríguez-Fernández, Hassan Bazzi, Nicolas Baghdadi, Clement Albergel, Wouter Dorigo, and Mehrez Zribi
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1221–1242, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1221-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1221-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present an approach to estimate soil moisture (SM) at 1 km resolution using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-3 satellites. The estimates were compared to other high-resolution (HR) datasets over Europe, northern Africa, Australia, and North America, showing good agreement. However, the discrepancies between the different HR datasets and their lower performances compared with in situ measurements and coarse-resolution datasets show the remaining challenges for large-scale HR SM mapping.
Jinghua Xiong, Shenglian Guo, Abhishek, Jie Chen, and Jiabo Yin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6457–6476, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6457-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6457-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Although the "dry gets drier, and wet gets wetter (DDWW)" paradigm is prevalent in summarizing wetting and drying trends, we show that only 11.01 %–40.84 % of the global land confirms and 10.21 %–35.43 % contradicts the paradigm during 1985–2014 from a terrestrial water storage change perspective. Similar proportions that intensify with the increasing emission scenarios persist until the end of the 21st century. Findings benefit understanding of global hydrological responses to climate change.
Yuya Kageyama and Yohei Sawada
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 4707–4720, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4707-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4707-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the link between hydrometeorological droughts and their socioeconomic impact at a subnational scale based on the newly developed disaster dataset with subnational location information. Hydrometeorological drought-prone areas were generally consistent with socioeconomic drought-prone areas in the disaster dataset. Our analysis clarifies the importance of the use of subnational disaster information.
Vasaw Tripathi, Andreas Groh, Martin Horwath, and Raaj Ramsankaran
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 4515–4535, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4515-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4515-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
GRACE/GRACE-FO provided global observations of water storage change since 2002. Scaling is a common approach to compensate for the spatial filtering inherent to the results. However, for complex hydrological basins, the compatibility of scaling with the characteristics of regional hydrology has been rarely assessed. We assess traditional scaling approaches and a new scaling approach for the Indus Basin. Our results will help users with regional focus understand implications of scaling choices.
Jiawei Hou, Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Hylke E. Beck, Luigi J. Renzullo, and Yoshihide Wada
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3785–3803, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3785-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3785-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We used satellite imagery to measure monthly reservoir water volumes for 6695 reservoirs worldwide for 1984–2015. We investigated how changing precipitation, streamflow, evaporation, and human activity affected reservoir water storage. Almost half of the reservoirs showed significant increasing or decreasing trends over the past three decades. These changes are caused, first and foremost, by changes in precipitation rather than by changes in net evaporation or dam release patterns.
Robin van der Schalie, Mendy van der Vliet, Clément Albergel, Wouter Dorigo, Piotr Wolski, and Richard de Jeu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3611–3627, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3611-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3611-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Climate data records of surface soil moisture, vegetation optical depth, and land surface temperature can be derived from passive microwave observations. The ability of these datasets to properly detect anomalies and extremes is very valuable in climate research and can especially help to improve our insight in complex regions where the current climate reanalysis datasets reach their limitations. Here, we present a case study over the Okavango Delta, where we focus on inter-annual variability.
Paolo Filippucci, Luca Brocca, Raphael Quast, Luca Ciabatta, Carla Saltalippi, Wolfgang Wagner, and Angelica Tarpanelli
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2481–2497, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2481-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2481-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A high-resolution (1 km) rainfall product with 10–30 d temporal resolution was obtained starting from SM data from Sentinel-1. Good performances are achieved using observed data (gauge and radar) over the Po River Valley, Italy, as a benchmark. The comparison with a product characterized by lower spatial resolution (25 km) highlights areas where the high spatial resolution of Sentinel-1 has great benefits. Possible applications include water management, agriculture and index-based insurances.
Zhaofei Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4417–4433, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4417-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4417-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Instantaneous evapotranspiration (ET), which is detected by the remote sensing technique, needs to be upscaled to daily values in order to practical applications. The accuracy of seven upscaling methods is evaluated by using global observations. The sine function and the evaporative fraction method using extraterrestrial solar irradiance are recommended. Although every upscaling scheme has high accuracy at most sites, it is less accurate at tropical rainforest and tropical monsoon sites.
Hanqing Chen, Bin Yong, Pierre-Emmanuel Kirstetter, Leyang Wang, and Yang Hong
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 3087–3104, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3087-2021, 2021
Alka Singh, John Thomas Reager, and Ali Behrangi
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 511–526, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-511-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-511-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The study demonstrates the utility of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) terrestrial water storage anomalies (TWSAs) for obtaining statistics of hydrological droughts, i.e., recovery periods and required precipitation in different precipitation scenarios. The findings of this study are that the GRACE-based drought index is valid for estimating the required precipitation for drought recovery, and the period of drought recovery depends on the intensity of the precipitation.
Marloes Gutenstein, Karsten Fennig, Marc Schröder, Tim Trent, Stephan Bakan, J. Brent Roberts, and Franklin R. Robertson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 121–146, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-121-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-121-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The net exchange of water between the surface and atmosphere is mainly determined by the freshwater flux: the difference between evaporation (E) and precipitation (P), or E−P. Although there is consensus among modelers that with a warming climate E−P will increase, evidence from satellite data is still not conclusive, mainly due to sensor calibration issues. We here investigate the degree of correspondence among six recent
satellite-based climate data records and ERA5 reanalysis E−P data.
Xianfeng Liu, Xiaoming Feng, Philippe Ciais, and Bojie Fu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3663–3676, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3663-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3663-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Freshwater availability is crucial for sustainable development across the Asian and eastern European regions. Our results indicate widespread decline in terrestrial water storage (TWS) over the region during 2002–2017, primarily due to the intensive over-extraction of groundwater and warmth-induced surface water loss. The findings provide insights into changes in TWS and its components over the Asian and eastern European regions, where there is growing demand for food grains and water supplies.
Sujay V. Kumar, Thomas R. Holmes, Rajat Bindlish, Richard de Jeu, and Christa Peters-Lidard
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3431–3450, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3431-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3431-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Vegetation optical depth (VOD) is a byproduct of the soil moisture retrieval from passive microwave instruments. This study demonstrates that VOD information can be utilized for improving land surface water budget and carbon conditions through data assimilation.
Victor Pellet, Filipe Aires, Fabrice Papa, Simon Munier, and Bertrand Decharme
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3033–3055, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3033-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3033-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The water mass variation at and below the land surface is a major component of the water cycle that was first estimated using GRACE observations (2002–2017). Our analysis shows the advantages of the use of satellite observation for precipitation and evapotranspiration along with river discharge measurement to perform an indirect and coherent reconstruction of this water component estimate over longer time periods.
Joseph T. D. Lucey, John T. Reager, and Sonya R. Lopez
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1415–1427, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1415-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1415-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This work relates total water storage (TWS) and rainfall to surface water inundation (SWI) using NASA satellite data. We determine whether TWS and/or rainfall control global SWI developments. Regression methods and cross-correlations were used to relate the measurements and correct for time differences among peaks. Results show TWS and rainfall control most global SWI developments. To our knowledge, this is the first global study on SWI controls and validates previous findings.
Pierre Gentine, Adam Massmann, Benjamin R. Lintner, Sayed Hamed Alemohammad, Rong Fu, Julia K. Green, Daniel Kennedy, and Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4171–4197, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4171-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4171-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Land–atmosphere interactions are key for the exchange of water, energy, and carbon dioxide, especially in the tropics. We here review some of the recent findings on land–atmosphere interactions in the tropics and where we see potential challenges and paths forward.
Serena Ceola, Francesco Laio, and Alberto Montanari
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3933–3944, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3933-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3933-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
A simple and effective index for the quantitative estimation of the evolution of human pressure on rivers at global scale is proposed. This index, based on nightlights and river discharge data, shows a significant increase from 1992 to 2013 worldwide. The most notable changes are found in river basins across Africa and Asia, where human pressure on rivers is growing markedly. This index identifies priority areas that can be targeted for the implementation of mitigation strategies and plans.
Heloisa Ehalt Macedo, Ralph Edward Beighley, Cédric H. David, and John T. Reager
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3269–3277, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3269-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3269-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The water stored under the surface is very important for defining the amount of water available for human and environmental applications; however, it is still a challenge to obtain such measurements. NASA's GRACE satellites provide information on total terrestrial water storage based on observations of gravity changes. Here, we relate GRACE data to streamflow measurements, providing estimations of the fraction of baseflow and total drainable storage for the Mississippi River basin.
Linlin Li, Andrew Skidmore, Anton Vrieling, and Tiejun Wang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3037–3056, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3037-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3037-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We derived an 8 d, 500 m resolution surface water fraction product over the Mediterranean region for 2000–2017 based on MODIS data. This dataset complements existing surface water/wetland datasets by adding more temporal detail. It allows for the seasonal, inter-annual, and long-term dynamics of the surface water extent to be monitored, inclusive of small-sized and highly dynamic water bodies; it can also contribute to biodiversity and climate change assessment.
Siyuan Tian, Luigi J. Renzullo, Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Paul Tregoning, and Jeffrey P. Walker
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1067–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1067-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1067-2019, 2019
Jiawei Hou, Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Luigi J. Renzullo, and Robert A. Vertessy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6435–6448, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6435-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6435-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite-based river gauging can be constructed based on remote-sensing-derived surface water extent and modelled discharge, and used to estimate river discharges with satellite observations only. This provides opportunities for monitoring river discharge in the absence of a real-time hydrological model or gauging stations.
Seyed Hamed Alemohammad, Jana Kolassa, Catherine Prigent, Filipe Aires, and Pierre Gentine
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5341–5356, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5341-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5341-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
A new machine learning algorithm is developed to downscale satellite-based soil moisture estimates from their native spatial scale of 9 km to 2.25 km.
Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Jaap Schellekens, Marta Yebra, Hylke E. Beck, Luigi J. Renzullo, Albrecht Weerts, and Gennadii Donchyts
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4959–4980, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4959-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4959-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Evaporation from wetlands, lakes and irrigation areas needs to be measured to understand water scarcity. So far, this has only been possible for small regions. Here, we develop a solution that can be applied at a very high resolution globally by making use of satellite observations. Our results show that 16% of global water resources evaporate before reaching the ocean, mostly from surface water. Irrigation water use is less than 1% globally but is a very large water user in several dry basins.
Carlos Jiménez, Brecht Martens, Diego M. Miralles, Joshua B. Fisher, Hylke E. Beck, and Diego Fernández-Prieto
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4513–4533, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4513-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4513-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Observing the amount of water evaporated in nature is not easy, and we need to combine accurate local measurements with estimates from satellites, more uncertain but covering larger areas. This is the main topic of our paper, in which local observations are compared with global land evaporation estimates, followed by a weighting of the global observations based on this comparison to attempt derive a more accurate evaporation product.
Simon Zwieback, Andreas Colliander, Michael H. Cosh, José Martínez-Fernández, Heather McNairn, Patrick J. Starks, Marc Thibeault, and Aaron Berg
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4473–4489, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4473-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4473-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite soil moisture products can provide critical information on incipient droughts and the interplay between vegetation and water availability. However, time-variant systematic errors in the soil moisture products may impede their usefulness. Using a novel statistical approach, we detect such errors (associated with changing vegetation) in the SMAP soil moisture product. The vegetation-associated biases impede drought detection and the quantification of vegetation–water interactions.
Ben T. Gouweleeuw, Andreas Kvas, Christian Gruber, Animesh K. Gain, Thorsten Mayer-Gürr, Frank Flechtner, and Andreas Güntner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2867–2880, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2867-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2867-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Daily GRACE gravity field solutions have been evaluated against daily river runoff data for major flood events in the Ganges–Brahmaputra Delta in 2004 and 2007. Compared to the monthly gravity field solutions, the trends over periods of a few days in the daily gravity field solutions are able to reflect temporal variations in river runoff during major flood events. This implies that daily gravity field solutions released in near-real time may support flood monitoring for large events.
Cassandra Normandin, Frédéric Frappart, Bertrand Lubac, Simon Bélanger, Vincent Marieu, Fabien Blarel, Arthur Robinet, and Léa Guiastrennec-Faugas
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1543–1561, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1543-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1543-2018, 2018
Thomas R. H. Holmes, Christopher R. Hain, Wade T. Crow, Martha C. Anderson, and William P. Kustas
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1351–1369, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1351-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1351-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In an effort to apply cloud-tolerant microwave data to satellite-based monitoring of evapotranspiration (ET), this study reports on an experiment where microwave-based land surface temperature is used as the key diagnostic input to a two-source energy balance method for the estimation of ET. Comparisons of this microwave ET with the conventional thermal infrared estimates show widespread agreement in spatial and temporal patterns from seasonal to inter-annual timescales over Africa and Europe.
Jonas Meier, Florian Zabel, and Wolfram Mauser
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1119–1133, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1119-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1119-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The following study extends existing irrigation maps based on official reports. The main idea was to extend the reported irrigated areas using agricultural suitability data and compare them with remote sensing information about plant conditions. The analysis indicates an increase in irrigated land by 18 % compared to the reported statistics. The additional areas are mainly identified within already known irrigated regions where irrigation is more dense than previously estimated.
Matthew F. McCabe, Matthew Rodell, Douglas E. Alsdorf, Diego G. Miralles, Remko Uijlenhoet, Wolfgang Wagner, Arko Lucieer, Rasmus Houborg, Niko E. C. Verhoest, Trenton E. Franz, Jiancheng Shi, Huilin Gao, and Eric F. Wood
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3879–3914, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3879-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3879-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We examine the opportunities and challenges that technological advances in Earth observation will present to the hydrological community. From advanced space-based sensors to unmanned aerial vehicles and ground-based distributed networks, these emergent systems are set to revolutionize our understanding and interpretation of hydrological and related processes.
Liangjing Zhang, Henryk Dobslaw, Tobias Stacke, Andreas Güntner, Robert Dill, and Maik Thomas
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 821–837, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-821-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-821-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Global numerical models perform differently, as has been found in some model intercomparison studies, which mainly focused on components like evapotranspiration, soil moisture or runoff. We have applied terrestrial water storage that is estimated from a GRACE-based state-of-art post-processing method to validate four global numerical models and try to identify the advantages and deficiencies of a certain model. GRACE-based TWS demonstrates its additional benefits to improve the models in future.
Hylke E. Beck, Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Vincenzo Levizzani, Jaap Schellekens, Diego G. Miralles, Brecht Martens, and Ad de Roo
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 589–615, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-589-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-589-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
MSWEP (Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation) is a new global terrestrial precipitation dataset with a high 3-hourly temporal and 0.25° spatial resolution. The dataset is unique in that it takes advantage of a wide range of data sources, including gauge, satellite, and reanalysis data, to obtain the best possible precipitation estimates at global scale. The dataset outperforms existing gauge-adjusted precipitation datasets.
Oliver López, Rasmus Houborg, and Matthew Francis McCabe
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 323–343, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-323-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-323-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The study evaluated the spatial and temporal consistency of satellite-based hydrological products based on the water budget equation, including three global evaporation products. The products were spatially matched using spherical harmonics analysis. The results highlighted the difficulty in obtaining agreement between independent satellite products, even over regions with simple water budgets. However, imposing a time lag on water storage data improved results considerably.
Paul A. Levine, James T. Randerson, Sean C. Swenson, and David M. Lawrence
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4837–4856, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4837-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4837-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We demonstrate a new approach to assess the strength of feedbacks resulting from land–atmosphere coupling on decadal timescales. Our approach was tailored to enable evaluation of Earth system models (ESMs) using data from Earth observation satellites that measure terrestrial water storage anomalies and relevant atmospheric variables. Our results are consistent with previous work demonstrating that ESMs may be overestimating the strength of land surface feedbacks compared with observations.
Thomas R. H. Holmes, Christopher R. Hain, Martha C. Anderson, and Wade T. Crow
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3263–3275, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3263-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3263-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We test the cloud tolerance of two technologies to estimate land surface temperature (LST) from space: microwave (MW) and thermal infrared (TIR). Although TIR has slightly lower errors than MW with ground data under clear-sky conditions, it suffers increasing negative bias as cloud cover increases. In contrast, we find no direct impact of clouds on the accuracy and bias of MW-LST. MW-LST can therefore be used to improve TIR cloud screening and increase sampling in clouded regions.
Zhi Li, Yaning Chen, Yang Wang, and Gonghuan Fang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2169–2178, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2169-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2169-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Global net primary production (NPP) slightly increased in 2000–2014. More than 64 % of vegetated land in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) showed increased NPP, while 60.3 % in Southern Hemisphere (SH) showed a decreasing trend. Vegetation greening and climate change promote rises of global evapotranspiration (ET). The increased rate of ET in the NH is faster than that in the SH. Meanwhile, global warming and vegetation greening accelerate evaporation in soil moisture. Continuation of these trends will likely exacerbate the risk of ecological drought.
M. Boudou, B. Danière, and M. Lang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 161–173, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-161-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-161-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents an appraisal of flood vulnerability of two French cities, Besançon and Moissac, which have been largely impacted by two ancient major floods (resp. in January 1910 and March 1930). An analysis of historical sources allows the mapping of land use and occupation within the flood extent of the two historical floods, both in past and present contexts. It gives an insight into the complexity of flood risk evolution, at a local scale.
S. Kotsuki and K. Tanaka
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4441–4461, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4441-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4441-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This study aims to develop a new global data set of a satellite-derived crop calendar (SACRA) and to reveal its advantages and disadvantages compared to other global products. The cultivation period of SACRA is identified from the time series of NDVI; therefore, SACRA considers current effects of human decisions and natural disasters. The difference between the estimated sowing dates and other existing products is less than 2 months (< 62 days) in most areas.
S. Siebert, M. Kummu, M. Porkka, P. Döll, N. Ramankutty, and B. R. Scanlon
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1521–1545, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1521-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1521-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We developed the historical irrigation data set (HID) depicting the spatio-temporal development of the area equipped for irrigation (AEI) between 1900 and 2005 at 5arcmin resolution.
The HID reflects very well the spatial patterns of irrigated land as shown on two historical maps for 1910 and 1960.
Global AEI increased from 63 million ha (Mha) in 1900 to 111 Mha in 1950 and 306 Mha in 2005. Mean aridity on irrigated land increased and mean natural river discharge decreased from 1900 to 1950.
B. Revilla-Romero, J. Thielen, P. Salamon, T. De Groeve, and G. R. Brakenridge
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4467–4484, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4467-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4467-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
One of the main challenges in global hydrological modelling is the limited availability of observational data for calibration and model verification. The aim of this study is to test the potentials and constraints of the remote sensing signal of the Global Flood Detection System (GFDS) for converting the flood detection signal into river discharge values. This work also provides a first analysis of the local factors influencing the accuracy of discharge measurement as provided by this system.
T. R. H. Holmes, W. T. Crow, and C. Hain
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 3695–3706, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3695-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3695-2013, 2013
A. Loew, T. Stacke, W. Dorigo, R. de Jeu, and S. Hagemann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 3523–3542, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3523-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3523-2013, 2013
Cited articles
Allen, R.: Using the FAO-56 dual crop coefficient method over an irrigated
region as part of an evapotranspiration intercomparison study, J. Hydrol.,
229, 27–41, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(99)00194-8, 2000.
Betts, A. K., Chen, F., Mitchell, K. E., and Janjić, Z. I.: Assessment of
the Land Surface and Boundary Layer Models in Two Operational Versions of the
NCEP Eta Model Using FIFE Data, Mon. Weather Rev., 125, 2896–2916,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1997)125<2896:AOTLSA>2.0.CO;2, 1997.
Breshears, D. D., Nyhan, J. W., Heil, C. E., and Wilcox, B. P.: Effects of
Woody Plants on Microclimate in a Semiarid Woodland: Soil Temperature and
Evaporation in Canopy and Intercanopy Patches, Int. J. Plant Sci., 159,
1010–1017, https://doi.org/10.1086/314083, 1998.
Campbell, G. and Norman, J.: Introduction to Enviromental Biophysics, 2nd
ed., Springer-Verlag, New York, 1998.
Campbell, G. S.: Simple Method for Determining Unsaturated Conductivity from
Moisture Retention Data, Soil Sci., 117, 311–314, 1974.
Cavanaugh, M. L., Kurc, S. A., and Scott, R. L.: Evapotranspiration
partitioning in semiarid shrubland ecosystems: a two-site evaluation of soil
moisture control on transpiration, Ecohydrology, 4, 671–681,
https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.157, 2011.
Chan, S. K., Bindlish, R., E. O'Neill, P., Njoku, E., Jackson, T.,
Colliander, A., Chen, F., Burgin, M., Dunbar, S., Piepmeier, J., Yueh, S.,
Entekhabi, D., Cosh, M. H., Caldwell, T., Walker, J., Wu, X., Berg, A.,
Rowlandson, T., Pacheco, A., McNairn, H., Thibeault, M., Martinez-Fernandez,
J., Gonzalez-Zamora, A., Seyfried, M., Bosch, D., Starks, P., Goodrich, D.,
Prueger, J., Palecki, M., Small, E. E., Zreda, M., Calvet, J.-C., Crow, W.
T., and Kerr, Y.: Assessment of the SMAP Passive Soil Moisture Product, IEEE
Geosci. Remote S., 54, 4994–5007, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2016.2561938,
2016.
Chan, S. K., Bindlish, R., O'Neill, P., Jackson, T., Njoku, E., Dunbar, S.,
Chaubell, J., Piepmeier, J., Yueh, S., Entekhabi, D., Colliander, A., Chen,
F., Cosh, M. H., Caldwell, T., Walker, J., Berg, A., McNairn, H., Thibeault,
M., Martínez-Fernández, J., Uldall, F., Seyfried, M., Bosch, D.,
Starks, P., Holifield Collins, C., Prueger, J., van der Velde, R., Asanuma,
J., Palecki, M., Small, E. E., Zreda, M., Calvet, J., Crow, W. T., and Kerr,
Y.: Development and assessment of the SMAP enhanced passive soil moisture
product, Remote Sens. Environ., 204, 931–941, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.08.025, 2018.
Chen, F. and Dudhia, J.: Coupling an advanced land surface-hydrology model
with the Penn State-NCAR MM5 modeling system. Part I: Model implementation
and sensitivity, Mon. Weather Rev., 129, 569–585,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2001)129<0569:CAALSH>2.0.CO;2,
2001.
Clapp, R. B. and Hornberger, G. M.: Empirical equations for some soil
hydraulic properties, Water Resour. Res., 14, 601,
https://doi.org/10.1029/WR014i004p00601, 1978.
Cosby, B. J., Hornberger, G. M., Clapp, R. B., and Ginn, T. R.: A Statistical
Exploration of the Relationships of Soil Moisture Characteristics to the
Physical Properties of Soils, Water Resour. Res., 20, 682–690,
https://doi.org/10.1029/WR020i006p00682, 1984.
Cosgrove, B. A., Lohmann, D., Mitchell, K. E., Houser, P. R., Wood, E. F.,
Schaake, J. C., Robock, A., Marshall, C., Sheffield, J., Duan, Q., Luo, L.,
Higgins, R. W., Pinker, R. T., Tarpley, J. D., and Meng, J.: Real-time and
retrospective forcing in the North American Land Data Assimilation System
(NLDAS) project, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 8842, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD003118,
2003.
Daly, C., Neilson, R. P., and Phillips, D. L.: A statistical-topographic
model for mapping climatological precipitation over mountainous terrain, J.
Appl. Meteorol., 33, 140–158,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1994)033<0140:ASTMFM>2.0.CO;2,
1994.
Detto, M., Montaldo, N., Albertson, J. D., Mancini, M., and Katul, G.: Soil
moisture and vegetation controls on evapotranspiration in a heterogeneous
Mediterranean ecosystem on Sardinia, Italy, Water Resour. Res., 42,
W08419,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004693, 2006.
Didan, K.: MOD13A2 MODIS/Terra Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 1 km SIN
Grid V006, distributed by NASA EOSDIS LP DAAC, available at:
https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD13A2.006 (last access: December 2016), 2015.
Efron, B. and Tibshirani, R.: An Introduction to the Bootstrap, Chapman &
Hall, New York, 1993.
Ek, M. B., Mitchell, K. E., Lin, Y., Rogers, E., Grunmann, P., Koren, V.,
Gayno, G., and Tarpley, J. D.: Implementation of Noah land surface model
advances in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction operational
mesoscale Eta model, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 8851,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD003296, 2003.
Entekhabi, D., Rodriguez-Iturbe, I., and Castelli, F.: Mutual interaction of
soil moisture state and atmospheric processes, J. Hydrol., 184, 3–17,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(95)02965-6, 1996.
Entekhabi, D., Njoku, E. G., O'Neill, P. E., Kellogg, K. H., Crow, W. T.,
Edelstein, W. N., Entin, J. K., Goodman, S. D., Jackson, T. J., Johnson, J.,
Kimball, J., Piepmeier, J. R., Koster, R. D., Martin, N., McDonald, K. C.,
Moghaddam, M., Moran, S., Reichle, R., Shi, J. C., Spencer, M. W., Thurman,
S. W., Tsang, L., and Van Zyl, J.: The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)
Mission, Proc. IEEE, 98, 704–716, https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2010.2043918, 2010.
Entekhabi, D., Yueh, S., O'Neill, P. E., Kellogg, K. H., Allen, A., Bindlish,
R., Brown, M., Chan, S., Colliander, A., Crow, W. T., Das, N., De Lannoy, G.,
Dunbar, R. S., Edelstein, W. N., Entin, J. K., Escobar, V., Goodman, S. D.,
Jackson, T. J., Jai, B., and Johnson, J.: SMAP Handbook Soil Moisture Active
Passive, Mapping Soil Moisture Freeze/Thaw from Space, Pasadena, CA, 2014.
Federer, C. A., Vörösmarty, C., and Fekete, B.: Sensitivity of Annual
Evaporation to Soil and Root Properties in Two Models of Contrasting
Complexity, J. Hydrometeorol., 4, 1276–1290,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2003)004<1276:SOAETS>2.0.CO;2,
2003.
Guswa, A. J., Celia, M. A., and Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: Models of soil moisture
dynamics in ecohydrology: A comparative study, Water Resour. Res., 38,
5–15, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001WR000826, 2002.
Gutman, G. and Ignatov, A.: The derivation of the green vegetation fraction
from NOAA/AVHRR data for use in numerical weather prediction models, Int. J.
Remote Sens., 19, 1533–1543, https://doi.org/10.1080/014311698215333, 1998.
Gutmann, E. D. and Small, E. E.: The effect of soil hydraulic properties vs.
soil texture in land surface models, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32,
L02402, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021843, 2005.
Herbst, M., Kappen, L., Thamm, F., and Vanselow, R.: Simultaneous
measurements of transpiration, soil evaporation and total evaporation in a
maize field in northern Germany, J. Exp. Bot., 47, 1957–1962,
https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/47.12.1957, 1996.
Jackson, T. J., Bindlish, R., Cosh, M. H., Zhao, T., Starks, P. J., Bosch, D.
D., Seyfried, M., Moran, M. S., Goodrich, D. C., Kerr, Y. H., and Leroux, D.:
Validation of Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Soil Moisture Over
Watershed Networks in the U.S., IEEE Geosci. Remote S., 50,
1530–1543, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2011.2168533, 2012.
Kerr, Y. H.: Soil moisture from space: Where are we?, Hydrogeol. J., 15,
117–120, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-006-0095-3, 2006.
Kool, D., Agam, N., Lazarovitch, N., Heitman, J. L., Sauer, T. J., and
Ben-Gal, A.: A review of approaches for evapotranspiration partitioning,
Agric. For. Meteorol., 184, 56–70, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2013.09.003,
2014.
Koster, R. D., Dirmeyer, P. A., Guo, Z. C., Bonan, G., Chan, E., Cox, P.,
Gordon, C. T., Kanae, S., Kowalczyk, E., Lawrence, D., Liu, P., Lu, C. H.,
Malyshev, S., McAvaney, B., Mitchell, K., Mocko, D., Oki, T., Oleson, K.,
Pitman, A., Sud, Y. C., Taylor, C. M., Verseghy, D., Vasic, R., Xue, Y. K.,
Yamada, T., and Team, G.: Regions of strong coupling between soil moisture
and precipitation, Science, 305, 1138–1140,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1100217, 2004.
Kurc, S. A. and Small, E. E.: Dynamics of evapotranspiration in semiarid
grassland and shrubland ecosystems during the summer monsoon season, central
New Mexico, Water Resour. Res., 40, W09305,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004WR003068, 2004.
Kurc, S. A. and Small, E. E.: Soil moisture variations and ecosystem-scale
fluxes of water and carbon in semiarid grassland and shrubland, Water Resour.
Res., 43, W06416, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005011, 2007.
Laio, F., Porporato, A., Ridolfi, L., and Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: Plants in
water-controlled ecosystems: active role in hydrologic processes and response
to water stress II. Probabilistic soil moisture dynamics, Adv. Water Resour.,
24, 707–723, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1708(01)00005-7, 2001.
Mahfouf, J. F. and Noilhan, J.: Comparative Study of Various Formulations of
Evaporations from Bare Soil Using In Situ Data, J. Appl. Meteorol., 30,
1354–1365,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1991)030<1354:CSOVFO>2.0.CO;2,
1991.
Mahrt, L. and Ek, M.: The Influence of Atmospheric Stability on Potential
Evaporation, J. Clim. Appl. Meteorol., 23, 222–234,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1984)023<0222:TIOASO>2.0.CO;2,
1984.
McColl, K. A., Wang, W., Peng, B., Akbar, R., Short Gianotti, D. J., Lu, H.,
Pan, M., and Entekhabi, D.: Global characterization of surface soil moisture
drydowns, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 3682–3690, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL072819,
2017a.
McColl, K. A., Alemohammad, S. H., Akbar, R., Konings, A. G., Yueh, S., and
Entekhabi, D.: The global distribution and dynamics of surface soil moisture,
Nat. Geosci., 10, 100–104, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2868, 2017b.
Miller, D. A. and White, R. A.: A Conterminous United States Multilayer Soil
Characteristics Dataset for Regional Climate and Hydrology Modeling, Earth
Interact., 2, 1–26, https://doi.org/10.1175/1087-3562(1998)002<0001:ACUSMS>2.3.CO;2, 1998.
Mitchell, K. E., Lohmann, D., Houser, P. R., Wood, E. F., Schaake, J. C.,
Robock, A., Cosgrove, B. A., Sheffield, J., Duan, Q. Y., Luo, L. F., Higgins,
R. W., Pinker, R. T., Tarpley, J. D., Lettenmaier, D. P., Marshall, C. H.,
Entin, J. K., Pan, M., Shi, W., Koren, V., Meng, J., Ramsay, B. H., and
Bailey, A. A.: The multi-institution North American Land Data Assimilation
System (NLDAS): Utilizing multiple GCIP products and partners in a
continental distributed hydrological modeling system, J. Geophys. Res.,
109, 1–32, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JD003823, 2004.
Monteith, J. L. and Unsworth, M.: Principles of environmental physics, 4th
ed., Academic Press, Oxford, 2013.
Njoku, E. G. and Entekhabi, D.: Passive microwave remote sensing of soil
moisture, J. Hydrol., 184, 101–129, https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(95)02970-2,
1996.
Njoku, E. G. and Kong, J.-A.: Theory for passive microwave remote sensing of
near-surface soil moisture, J. Geophys. Res., 82, 3108–3118,
https://doi.org/10.1029/JB082i020p03108, 1977.
O'Neill, P. E., Chan, S., Njoku, E. G., Jackson, T., and Bindlish, R.: SMAP
Enhanced L3 Radiometer Global Daily 9 km EASE-Grid Soil Moisture Version 1,
Boulder, Colorado USA, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed
Active Archive Center, available at: https://doi.org/10.5067/ZRO7EXJ8O3XI (last access:
March 2017), 2016.
Penman, H. L.: Natural Evaporation from Open Water, Bare Soil and Grass,
Proc. R. Soc. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci., 193, 120–145,
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1948.0037, 1948.
Porporato, A., Daly, E., and Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: Soil Water Balance and
Ecosystem Response to Climate Change, Am. Nat., 164, 625–632,
https://doi.org/10.1086/424970, 2004.
Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: Ecohydrology: A hydrologic perspective of
climate-soil-vegetation dynamies, Water Resour. Res., 36, 3–9,
https://doi.org/10.1029/1999WR900210, 2000.
Rondinelli, W. J., Hornbuckle, B. K., Patton, J. C., Cosh, M. H., Walker, V.
A., Carr, B. D., and Logsdon, S. D.: Different Rates of Soil Drying after
Rainfall Are Observed by the SMOS Satellite and the South Fork in situ Soil
Moisture Network, J. Hydrometeorol., 16, 889–903,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-14-0137.1, 2015.
Schenk, H. J. and Jackson, R. B.: Rooting depths, lateral root spreads and
below-ground/above-ground allometries of plants in water-limited ecosystems,
J. Ecol., 90, 480–494, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.2002.00682.x, 2002.
Shellito, P. J., Small, E. E., and Cosh, M. H.: Calibration of Noah Soil
Hydraulic Property Parameters Using Surface Soil Moisture from SMOS and
Basinwide In Situ Observations, J. Hydrometeorol., 17, 2275–2292,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-15-0153.1, 2016a.
Shellito, P. J., Small, E. E., Colliander, A., Bindlish, R., Cosh, M. H.,
Berg, A. A., Bosch, D. D., Caldwell, T. G., Goodrich, D. C., McNairn, H.,
Prueger, J. H., Starks, P. J., van der Velde, R., and Walker, J. P.: SMAP
soil moisture drying more rapid than observed in situ following rainfall
events, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 8068–8075, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069946,
2016b.
Stannard, D. I. and Weltz, M. A.: Partitioning evapotranspiration in sparsely
vegetated rangeland using a portable chamber, Water Resour. Res., 42, W02413,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004251, 2006.
Tuttle, S. and Salvucci, G.: Empirical evidence of contrasting soil
moisture-precipitation feedbacks across the United States, Science,
352, 825–828, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa7185, 2016.
Van Genuchten, M. T.: A Closed-Form Equation for Predicting the Hydraulic
Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 44, 892–898,
1980.
Viterbo, P. and Betts, A. K.: Impact of the ECMWF reanalysis soil water on
forecasts of the July 1993 Mississippi flood, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos.,
104, 19361–19366, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JD900449, 1999.
Xia, Y., Mitchell, K., Ek, M., Cosgrove, B., Sheffield, J., Luo, L., Alonge,
C., Wei, H., Meng, J., Livneh, B., Duan, Q., and Lohmann, D.:
Continental-scale water and energy flux analysis and validation for North
American Land Data Assimilation System project phase 2 (NLDAS-2): 2.
Validation of model-simulated streamflow, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D03110,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD016051, 2012a.
Xia, Y., Mitchell, K., Ek, M., Sheffield, J., Cosgrove, B., Wood, E., Luo,
L., Alonge, C., Wei, H., Meng, J., Livneh, B., Lettenmaier, D., Koren, V.,
Duan, Q., Mo, K., Fan, Y., and Mocko, D.: Continental-scale water and energy
flux analysis and validation for the North American Land Data Assimilation
System project phase 2 (NLDAS-2): 1. Intercomparison and application of model
products, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D03109, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD016048, 2012b.
Xia, Y., Mitchell, K., Ek, M., Sheffield, J., Cosgrove, B., Wood, E., Luo,
L., Alonge, C., Wei, H., Meng, J., Livneh, B., Lettenmaier, D., Koren, V.,
Duan, Q., Mo, K., Fan, Y., and Mocko, D.: NLDAS Noah Land Surface Model L4
Hourly 0.125 x 0.125 degree V002, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, Goddard Earth
Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC),
available at: https://doi.org/10.5067/47Z13FNQODKV (last access: April
2017), 2012c.
Xia, Y., Mitchell, K., Ek, M., Sheffield, J., Cosgrove, B., Wood, E., Luo,
L., Alonge, C., Wei, H., Meng, J., Livneh, B., Lettenmaier, D., Koren, V.,
Duan, Q., Mo, K., Fan, Y., and Mocko, D.: NLDAS Primary Forcing Data L4
Hourly 0.125 × 0.125 degree V002, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, Goddard
Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), available at:
https://doi.org/10.5067/6J5LHHOHZHN4 (last access: March 2017), 2012d.
Xia, Y., Ek, M. B., Wu, Y., Ford, T., and Quiring, S. M.: Comparison of
NLDAS-2 Simulated and NASMD Observed Daily Soil Moisture. Part I: Comparison
and Analysis, J. Hydrometeorol., 16, 1962–1980,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-14-0096.1, 2015a.
Xia, Y., Ek, M. B., Wu, Y., Ford, T., and Quiring, S. M.: Comparison of
NLDAS-2 Simulated and NASMD Observed Daily Soil Moisture. Part II: Impact of
Soil Texture Classification and Vegetation Type Mismatches, J.
Hydrometeorol., 16, 1981–2000, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-14-0097.1, 2015b.
Short summary
After soil gets wet, much of the surface moisture evaporates directly back into the air. Recent satellite data show that this process is enhanced when there is more water in the soil, less humidity in the air, and less vegetation covering the ground. A widely used model shows similar effects of soil water and humidity, but it largely misses the role of vegetation and assigns outsized importance to soil type. These results are encouraging evidence that the satellite can be used to improve models.
After soil gets wet, much of the surface moisture evaporates directly back into the air. Recent...
