Articles | Volume 25, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1569-2021
© Author(s) 2021. 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-25-1569-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Mar 2021
Research article |
| 29 Mar 2021
| 29 Mar 2021
The benefit of brightness temperature assimilation for the SMAP Level-4 surface and root-zone soil moisture analysis
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering (Guangdong,
Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China
Jianzhi Dong
USDA ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
Wade T. Crow
USDA ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
Xiaohu Zhang
National Engineering and Technology Center for Information
Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Nanjing
Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Rolf H. Reichle
Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Gabrielle J. M. De Lannoy
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium
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SMCI1.0 is a 1 km resolution dataset of daily soil moisture over China for 2000–2020 derived through machine learning trained with in situ measurements of 1789 stations, meteorological forcings, and land surface variables. It contains 10 soil layers with 10 cm intervals up to 100 cm deep. Evaluated by in situ data, the error (ubRMSE) ranges from 0.045 to 0.051, and the correlation (R) range is 0.866-0.893. Compared with ERA5-Land, SMAP-L4, and SoMo.ml, SIMI1.0 has higher accuracy and resolution.
Zhengang Wang, Jianxiu Qiu, and Kristof Van Oost
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This study developed a spatially distributed carbon cycling model applicable in an eroding landscape. It includes all three carbon isotopes so that it is able to represent the carbon isotopic compositions. The model is able to represent the observations that eroding area is enriched in 13C and depleted of 14C compared to depositional area. Our simulations show that the spatial variability of carbon isotopic properties in an eroding landscape is mainly caused by the soil redistribution.
Jianxiu Qiu, Wade T. Crow, Jianzhi Dong, and Grey S. Nearing
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The new generation of satellite soil moisture observations are used to correct the streamflow in a regional-scale river basin simulated by a mathematical model. The correction is done via both the direct updating of soil moisture and correction of rainfall input. Results show some streamflow improvement, but the magnitude is small. A larger improvement will need future generations of even higher-quality satellite soil moisture data and better process representation in the mathematical model.
Jianxiu Qiu, Wade T. Crow, Jianzhi Dong, and Grey S. Nearing
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 581–594, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-581-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-581-2020, 2020
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Accurately estimating coupling of evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water content (θ) at different depths is key to investigating land–atmosphere interaction. Here we examine whether the model can accurately represent surface θ (θs) versus ET coupling and vertically integrated θ (θv) versus ET coupling. We find that all models agree with observations that θs contains slightly more information with fPET than θv. In addition, an ET scheme is crucial for accurately estimating coupling of θ and ET.
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Yonghong Yi, John S. Kimball, Richard H. Chen, Mahta Moghaddam, Rolf H. Reichle, Umakant Mishra, Donatella Zona, and Walter C. Oechel
The Cryosphere, 12, 145–161, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-145-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-145-2018, 2018
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An important feature of the Arctic is large spatial heterogeneity in active layer conditions. We developed a modeling framework integrating airborne longwave radar and satellite data to investigate active layer thickness (ALT) sensitivity to landscape heterogeneity in Alaska. We find uncertainty in spatial and vertical distribution of soil organic carbon is the largest factor affecting ALT accuracy. Advances in remote sensing of soil conditions will enable more accurate ALT predictions.
Kenneth J. Tobin, Roberto Torres, Wade T. Crow, and Marvin E. Bennett
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4403–4417, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4403-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4403-2017, 2017
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This study applied the exponential filter to produce an estimate of root-zone soil moisture at 20 to 25 cm depths. Four types of microwave, surface satellite soil moisture were used. The study focused on the continental United States, and in situ data were used from the International Soil Moisture Network for comparison. This study spans almost two decades (1997 to 2014). Root mean square error was close to 0.04, which is the baseline value for accuracy designated for many satellite missions.
Christian Massari, Wade Crow, and Luca Brocca
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4347–4361, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4347-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4347-2017, 2017
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The paper explores a method for the assessment of the performance of global rainfall estimates without relying on ground-based observations. Thanks to this method, different global correlation maps are obtained (for the first time without relying on a benchmark dataset) for some of the most used globally available rainfall products. This is central for hydroclimatic studies within data-scarce regions, where ground observations are scarce to evaluate the relative quality of a rainfall product
Wade T. Crow, Eunjin Han, Dongryeol Ryu, Christopher R. Hain, and Martha C. Anderson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1849–1862, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1849-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1849-2017, 2017
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Terrestrial water storage is defined as the total volume of water stored within the land surface and sub-surface and is a key variable for tracking long-term variability in the global water cycle. Currently, annual variations in terrestrial water storage can only be measured at extremely coarse spatial resolutions (> 200 000 km2) using gravity-based remote sensing. Here we provide evidence that microwave-based remote sensing of soil moisture can be applied to enhance this resolution.
Gabriëlle J. M. De Lannoy and Rolf H. Reichle
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4895–4911, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4895-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4895-2016, 2016
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The SMOS mission provides various various products to estimate soil moisture. This paper evaluates the performance of assimilating either Level-1-based multi-angle brightness temperature (Tb) observations, Level-1-based single-angle Tb observations, or Level 2 soil moisture retrievals, into the NASA Catchment land surface model.
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
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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.
C. Draper and R. Reichle
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4831–4844, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4831-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4831-2015, 2015
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A soil moisture assimilation experiment is evaluated separately at sub-seasonal, seasonal, and inter-annual timescales. In addition to previously reported improvements in sub-seasonal scale soil moisture, it is show that such an assimilation can also improve the model soil moisture at seasonal and inter-annual timescales, demonstrating the potential for near-surface soil moisture assimilation to improve model representation of important long-term events, such as droughts.
S. V. Kumar, C. D. Peters-Lidard, J. A. Santanello, R. H. Reichle, C. S. Draper, R. D. Koster, G. Nearing, and M. F. Jasinski
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4463–4478, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4463-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4463-2015, 2015
C. Alvarez-Garreton, D. Ryu, A. W. Western, C.-H. Su, W. T. Crow, D. E. Robertson, and C. Leahy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1659–1676, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1659-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1659-2015, 2015
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We assimilate satellite soil moisture into a rainfall-runoff model for improving flood prediction within a data-scarce region. We argue that the spatially distributed satellite data can alleviate the model prediction limitations. We show that satellite soil moisture DA reduces the uncertainty of the streamflow ensembles. We propose new techniques for the DA scheme, including seasonal error characterisation, bias correction of the satellite retrievals, and model error representation.
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
Related subject area
Subject: Hydrometeorology | Techniques and Approaches: Remote Sensing and GIS
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Jin Feng, Ke Zhang, Huijie Zhan, and Lijun Chao
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Here we improved a satellite-driven evaporation algorithm by introducing the modified versions of the two constraint schemes. The two moisture constraint schemes largely improved the evaporation estimation on two barren-dominated basins of the Tibetan Plateau. Investigation of moisture constraint uncertainty showed that high-quality soil moisture can optimally represent moisture, and more accessible precipitation data generally help improve the estimation of barren evaporation.
Kunlong He, Wei Zhao, Luca Brocca, and Pere Quintana-Seguí
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 169–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-169-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-169-2023, 2023
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In this study, we developed a soil moisture-based precipitation downscaling (SMPD) method for spatially downscaling the GPM daily precipitation product by exploiting the connection between surface soil moisture and precipitation according to the soil water balance equation. Based on this physical method, the spatial resolution of the daily precipitation product was downscaled to 1 km and the SMPD method shows good potential for the development of the high-resolution precipitation product.
Elias Nkiaka, Robert G. Bryant, Joshua Ntajal, and Eliézer I. Biao
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5899–5916, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5899-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5899-2022, 2022
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Achieving water security in poorly gauged regions is hindered by a lack of in situ hydrometeorological data. In this study, we validated nine existing gridded water resource reanalyses and eight evapotranspiration products in eight representative gauged basins in Central–West Africa. Our results show the strengths and and weaknesses of the existing products and that these products can be used to assess water security in ungauged basins. However, it is imperative to validate these products.
Shijie Li, Guojie Wang, Chenxia Zhu, Jiao Lu, Waheed Ullah, Daniel Fiifi Tawia Hagan, Giri Kattel, and Jian Peng
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3691–3707, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3691-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3691-2022, 2022
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We found that the precipitation variability dominantly controls global evapotranspiration (ET) in dry climates, while the net radiation has substantial control over ET in the tropical regions, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) impacts ET trends in boreal mid-latitude climate. The critical role of VPD in controlling ET trends is particularly emphasized due to its influence in controlling the carbon–water–energy cycle.
Ashwini Petchiappan, Susan C. Steele-Dunne, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Sebastian Hahn, Wolfgang Wagner, and Rafael Oliveira
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2997–3019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2997-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2997-2022, 2022
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This study investigates spatial and temporal patterns in the incidence angle dependence of backscatter from the ASCAT C-band scatterometer and relates those to precipitation, humidity, and radiation data and GRACE equivalent water thickness in ecoregions in the Amazon. The results show that the ASCAT data record offers a unique perspective on vegetation water dynamics exhibiting sensitivity to moisture availability and demand and phenological change at interannual, seasonal, and diurnal scales.
Paul C. Vermunt, Susan C. Steele-Dunne, Saeed Khabbazan, Jasmeet Judge, and Nick C. van de Giesen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1223–1241, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1223-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1223-2022, 2022
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This study investigates the use of hydrometeorological sensors to reconstruct variations in internal vegetation water content of corn and relates these variations to the sub-daily behaviour of polarimetric L-band backscatter. The results show significant sensitivity of backscatter to the daily cycles of vegetation water content and dew, particularly on dry days and for vertical and cross-polarizations, which demonstrates the potential for using radar for studies on vegetation water dynamics.
Xiaolu Ling, Ying Huang, Weidong Guo, Yixin Wang, Chaorong Chen, Bo Qiu, Jun Ge, Kai Qin, Yong Xue, and Jian Peng
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4209–4229, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4209-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4209-2021, 2021
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Soil moisture (SM) plays a critical role in the water and energy cycles of the Earth system, for which a long-term SM product with high quality is urgently needed. In situ observations are generally treated as the true value to systematically evaluate five SM products, including one remote sensing product and four reanalysis data sets during 1981–2013. This long-term intercomparison study provides clues for SM product enhancement and further hydrological applications.
Maoshan Li, Xiaoran Liu, Lei Shu, Shucheng Yin, Lingzhi Wang, Wei Fu, Yaoming Ma, Yaoxian Yang, and Fanglin Sun
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2915–2930, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2915-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2915-2021, 2021
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In this study, using MODIS satellite data and site atmospheric turbulence observation data in the Nagqu area of the northern Tibetan Plateau, with the Massman-retrieved model and a single height observation to determine aerodynamic surface roughness, temporal and spatial variation characteristics of the surface roughness were analyzed. The result is feasible, and it can be applied to improve the model parameters of the land surface model and the accuracy of model simulation in future work.
Jessica C. A. Baker, Luis Garcia-Carreras, Manuel Gloor, John H. Marsham, Wolfgang Buermann, Humberto R. da Rocha, Antonio D. Nobre, Alessandro Carioca de Araujo, and Dominick V. Spracklen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2279–2300, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2279-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2279-2021, 2021
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Evapotranspiration (ET) is a vital part of the Amazon water cycle, but it is difficult to measure over large areas. In this study, we compare spatial patterns, seasonality, and recent trends in Amazon ET from a water-budget analysis with estimates from satellites, reanalysis, and global climate models. We find large differences between products, showing that many widely used datasets and climate models may not provide a reliable representation of this crucial variable over the Amazon.
Tanel Voormansik, Roberto Cremonini, Piia Post, and Dmitri Moisseev
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 1245–1258, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1245-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1245-2021, 2021
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A long set of operational polarimetric weather radar rainfall accumulations from Estonia and Italy are generated and investigated. Results show that the combined product of specific differential phase and horizontal reflectivity yields the best results when compared to rain gauge measurements. The specific differential-phase-based product overestimates weak precipitation, and the horizontal-reflectivity-based product underestimates heavy rainfall in all analysed accumulation periods.
Rogier van der Velde, Andreas Colliander, Michiel Pezij, Harm-Jan F. Benninga, Rajat Bindlish, Steven K. Chan, Thomas J. Jackson, Dimmie M. D. Hendriks, Denie C. M. Augustijn, and Zhongbo Su
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 473–495, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-473-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-473-2021, 2021
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NASA’s SMAP satellite provides estimates of the amount of water in the soil. With measurements from a network of 20 monitoring stations, the accuracy of these estimates has been studied for a 4-year period. We found an agreement between satellite and in situ estimates in line with the mission requirements once the large mismatches associated with rapidly changing water contents, e.g. soil freezing and rainfall, are excluded.
Moctar Dembélé, Bettina Schaefli, Nick van de Giesen, and Grégoire Mariéthoz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5379–5406, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5379-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5379-2020, 2020
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This study evaluates 102 combinations of rainfall and temperature datasets from satellite and reanalysis sources as input to a fully distributed hydrological model. The model is recalibrated for each input dataset, and the outputs are evaluated with streamflow, evaporation, soil moisture and terrestrial water storage data. Results show that no single rainfall or temperature dataset consistently ranks first in reproducing the spatio-temporal variability of all hydrological processes.
Michael W. Burnett, Gregory R. Quetin, and Alexandra G. Konings
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4189–4211, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4189-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4189-2020, 2020
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Water that evaporates from Africa's tropical forests provides rainfall throughout the continent. However, there are few sources of meteorological data in central Africa, so we use observations from satellites to estimate evaporation from the Congo Basin at different times of the year. We find that existing evaporation estimates in tropical Africa do not accurately capture seasonal variations in evaporation and that fluctuations in soil moisture and solar radiation drive evaporation rates.
Suwash Chandra Acharya, Rory Nathan, Quan J. Wang, Chun-Hsu Su, and Nathan Eizenberg
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2951–2962, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2951-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2951-2020, 2020
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BARRA is a high-resolution reanalysis dataset over the Oceania region. This study evaluates the performance of sub-daily BARRA precipitation at point and spatial scales over Australia. We find that the dataset reproduces some of the sub-daily characteristics of precipitation well, although it exhibits some spatial displacement errors, and it performs better in temperate than in tropical regions. The product is well suited to complement other estimates derived from remote sensing and rain gauges.
Christian Massari, Luca Brocca, Thierry Pellarin, Gab Abramowitz, Paolo Filippucci, Luca Ciabatta, Viviana Maggioni, Yann Kerr, and Diego Fernandez Prieto
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2687–2710, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2687-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2687-2020, 2020
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Rain gauges are unevenly spaced around the world with extremely low gauge density over places like Africa and South America. Here, water-related problems like floods, drought and famine are particularly severe and able to cause fatalities, migration and diseases. We have developed a rainfall dataset that exploits the synergies between rainfall and soil moisture to provide accurate rainfall observations which can be used to face these problems.
Floyd Vukosi Khosa, Mohau Jacob Mateyisi, Martina Reynita van der Merwe, Gregor Timothy Feig, Francois Alwyn Engelbrecht, and Michael John Savage
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1587–1609, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1587-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1587-2020, 2020
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The paper evaluates soil moisture outputs from three structurally distinct models against in situ data. Our goal is to find how representative the model outputs are for site and region. This is a question of interest as some of the models have a specific regional focus on their inceptions. Much focus is placed on how the models capture the soil moisture signal. We find that there is agreement on seasonal patterns between the models and observations with a tolerable level of model uncertainty.
Yu Ma, Guangheng Ni, Chandrasekar V. Chandra, Fuqiang Tian, and Haonan Chen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4153–4170, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4153-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4153-2019, 2019
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Raindrop size distribution (DSD) information is fundamental in understanding the precipitation microphysics and quantitative precipitation estimation. This study extensively investigates the DSD characteristics during rainy seasons in the Beijing urban area using 5-year DSD observations from a Parsivel2 disdrometer. The statistical distributions of DSD parameters are examined and the polarimetric radar rainfall algorithms are derived to support the ongoing development of an X-band radar network.
Suwash Chandra Acharya, Rory Nathan, Quan J. Wang, Chun-Hsu Su, and Nathan Eizenberg
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3387–3403, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3387-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3387-2019, 2019
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BARRA is a novel regional reanalysis for Australia. Our research demonstrates that it is able to characterize a rich spatial variation in daily precipitation behaviour. In addition, its ability to represent large rainfalls is valuable for the analysis of extremes. It is a useful complement to existing precipitation datasets for Australia, especially in sparsely gauged regions.
Webster Gumindoga, Tom H. M. Rientjes, Alemseged Tamiru Haile, Hodson Makurira, and Paolo Reggiani
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2915–2938, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2915-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2915-2019, 2019
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We evaluate the influence of elevation and distance from large-scale open water bodies on bias for CMORPH satellite rainfall in the Zambezi basin. Effects of distance > 10 km from water bodies are minimal, whereas the effects at shorter distances are indicated but are not conclusive for lack of rain gauges. Taylor diagrams show station elevation influencing CMORPH performance. The
spatio-temporaland newly developed
elevation zonebias schemes proved more effective in removing CMORPH bias.
Seshagiri Rao Kolusu, Mohammad Shamsudduha, Martin C. Todd, Richard G. Taylor, David Seddon, Japhet J. Kashaigili, Girma Y. Ebrahim, Mark O. Cuthbert, James P. R. Sorensen, Karen G. Villholth, Alan M. MacDonald, and Dave A. MacLeod
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1751–1762, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1751-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1751-2019, 2019
Frédéric Satgé, Denis Ruelland, Marie-Paule Bonnet, Jorge Molina, and Ramiro Pillco
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 595–619, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-595-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-595-2019, 2019
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This paper assesses the potential of satellite precipitation estimates (SPEs) for precipitation measurement and hydrological and snow modelling. A total of 12 SPEs is considered to provide a global overview of available SPE accuracy for users interested in such datasets. Results show that, over poorly monitored regions, SPEs represent a very efficient alternative to traditional precipitation gauges to follow precipitation in time and space and for hydrological and snow modelling.
Maik Renner, Claire Brenner, Kaniska Mallick, Hans-Dieter Wizemann, Luigi Conte, Ivonne Trebs, Jianhui Wei, Volker Wulfmeyer, Karsten Schulz, and Axel Kleidon
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 515–535, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-515-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-515-2019, 2019
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We estimate the phase lag of surface states and heat fluxes to incoming solar radiation at the sub-daily timescale. While evapotranspiration reveals a minor phase lag, the vapor pressure deficit used as input by Penman–Monteith approaches shows a large phase lag. The surface-to-air temperature gradient used by energy balance residual approaches shows a small phase shift in agreement with the sensible heat flux and thus explains the better correlation of these models at the sub-daily timescale.
Victor Pellet, Filipe Aires, Simon Munier, Diego Fernández Prieto, Gabriel Jordá, Wouter Arnoud Dorigo, Jan Polcher, and Luca Brocca
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 465–491, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-465-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-465-2019, 2019
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This study is an effort for a better understanding and quantification of the water cycle and related processes in the Mediterranean region, by dealing with satellite products and their uncertainties. The aims of the paper are 3-fold: (1) developing methods with hydrological constraints to integrate all the datasets, (2) giving the full picture of the Mediterranean WC, and (3) building a model-independent database that can evaluate the numerous regional climate models (RCMs) for this region.
Samiro Khodayar, Amparo Coll, and Ernesto Lopez-Baeza
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 255–275, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-255-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-255-2019, 2019
Franziska K. Fischer, Tanja Winterrath, and Karl Auerswald
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6505–6518, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6505-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6505-2018, 2018
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The potential of rain to cause soil erosion by runoff is called rain erosivity. Rain erosivity is highly variable in space and time even over distances of less than 1 km. Contiguously measured radar rain data depict for the first time this spatio-temporal variation, but scaling factors are required to account for differences in spatial and temporal resolution compared to rain gauge data. These scaling factors were obtained from more than 2 million erosive events.
Phu Nguyen, Mohammed Ombadi, Soroosh Sorooshian, Kuolin Hsu, Amir AghaKouchak, Dan Braithwaite, Hamed Ashouri, and Andrea Rose Thorstensen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5801–5816, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5801-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5801-2018, 2018
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The goal of this article is to first provide an overview of the available PERSIANN precipitation retrieval algorithms and their differences. We evaluate the products over CONUS at different spatial and temporal scales using CPC data. Daily scale is the finest temporal scale used for the evaluation over CONUS. We provide a comparison of the available products at a quasi-global scale. We highlight the strengths and limitations of the PERSIANN products.
Jason A. Otkin, Yafang Zhong, David Lorenz, Martha C. Anderson, and Christopher Hain
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5373–5386, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5373-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5373-2018, 2018
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Correlation analyses were used to explore relationships between the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) – which depicts anomalies in evapotranspiration (ET) – and various land and atmospheric variables that impact ET. The results revealed that the ESI is more strongly correlated to anomalies in soil moisture and near-surface vapor pressure deficit than to precipitation and temperature anomalies. Large regional and seasonal dependencies in the strengths of the correlations were also observed.
Vikalp Mishra, James F. Cruise, Christopher R. Hain, John R. Mecikalski, and Martha C. Anderson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4935–4957, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4935-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4935-2018, 2018
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Multiple satellite observations can be used for surface and subsurface soil moisture estimations. In this study, satellite observations along with a mathematical model were used to distribute and develop multiyear soil moisture profiles over the southeastern US. Such remotely sensed profiles become particularly useful at large spatiotemporal scales, can be a significant tool in data-scarce regions of the world, can complement various land and crop models, and can act as drought indicators etc.
Solomon Hailu Gebrechorkos, Stephan Hülsmann, and Christian Bernhofer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4547–4564, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4547-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4547-2018, 2018
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In Africa field-based meteorological data are scarce; therefore global data sources based on remote sensing and climate models are often used as alternatives. To assess their suitability for a large and topographically complex area in East Africa, we evaluated multiple climate data products with available ground station data at multiple timescales over 21 regions. The comprehensive evaluation resulted in identification of preferential data sources to be used for climate and hydrological studies.
Ruifang Guo, Yuanbo Liu, Han Zhou, and Yaqiao Zhu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3685–3699, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3685-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3685-2018, 2018
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Existing satellite products are often insufficient for use in small-scale (< 10 km) hydrological and meteorological studies. We propose a new approach based on the cumulative distribution of frequency to downscale satellite precipitation products with geostationary (GEO) data. This paper uses CMORPH and FY2-E GEO data to examine the approach in six different climate regions. The downscaled precipitation performed better for convective systems.
Irina Y. Petrova, Chiel C. van Heerwaarden, Cathy Hohenegger, and Françoise Guichard
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3275–3294, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3275-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3275-2018, 2018
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In North Africa rain storms can be as vital as they are devastating. The present study uses multi-year satellite data to better understand how and where soil moisture conditions affect development of rainfall in the area. Our results reveal two major regions in the southwest and southeast, where drier soils show higher potential to cause rainfall development. This knowledge is essential for the hydrological sector, and can be further used by models to improve prediction of rainfall and droughts.
Nishan Bhattarai, Kaniska Mallick, Nathaniel A. Brunsell, Ge Sun, and Meha Jain
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2311–2341, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2311-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2311-2018, 2018
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We report the first ever regional-scale implementation of the Surface Temperature Initiated Closure (STIC1.2) model for mapping evapotranspiration (ET) using MODIS land surface and gridded climate datasets to overcome the existing uncertainties in aerodynamic temperature and conductance estimation in global ET models. Validation and intercomparison with SEBS and MOD16 products across an aridity gradient in the US manifested better ET mapping potential of STIC1.2 in different climates and biomes.
Edouard Goudenhoofdt, Laurent Delobbe, and Patrick Willems
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 5385–5399, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5385-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5385-2017, 2017
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Knowing the characteristics of extreme precipitation is useful for flood management applications like sewer system design. The potential of a 12-year high-quality weather radar precipitation dataset is investigated by comparison with rain gauges. Despite known limitations, a good agreement is found between the radar and the rain gauges. Using the radar data allow us to reduce the uncertainty of the extreme value analysis, especially for short duration extremes related to thunderstorms.
Christian Massari, Wade Crow, and Luca Brocca
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4347–4361, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4347-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4347-2017, 2017
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The paper explores a method for the assessment of the performance of global rainfall estimates without relying on ground-based observations. Thanks to this method, different global correlation maps are obtained (for the first time without relying on a benchmark dataset) for some of the most used globally available rainfall products. This is central for hydroclimatic studies within data-scarce regions, where ground observations are scarce to evaluate the relative quality of a rainfall product
Beas Barik, Subimal Ghosh, A. Saheer Sahana, Amey Pathak, and Muddu Sekhar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3041–3060, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3041-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3041-2017, 2017
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The article summarises changing patterns of the water-food-energy nexus in India during recent decades. The work first analyses satellite data of water storage with a validation using the observed well data. Northern India shows a declining trend of water storage and western-central India shows an increasing trend of the same. Major droughts result in a drop in water storage which is not recovered due to uncontrolled ground water irrigation for agricultural activities even in good monsoon years.
Francesco Marra, Efrat Morin, Nadav Peleg, Yiwen Mei, and Emmanouil N. Anagnostou
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2389–2404, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2389-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2389-2017, 2017
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Rainfall frequency analyses from radar and satellite estimates over the eastern Mediterranean are compared examining different climatic conditions. Correlation between radar and satellite results is high for frequent events and decreases with return period. The uncertainty related to record length is larger for drier climates. The agreement between different sensors instills confidence on their use for rainfall frequency analysis in ungauged areas of the Earth.
David Fairbairn, Alina Lavinia Barbu, Adrien Napoly, Clément Albergel, Jean-François Mahfouf, and Jean-Christophe Calvet
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2015–2033, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2015-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-2015-2017, 2017
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This study assesses the impact on river discharge simulations over France of assimilating ASCAT-derived surface soil moisture (SSM) and leaf area index (LAI) observations into the ISBA land surface model. Wintertime LAI has a notable impact on river discharge. SSM assimilation degrades river discharge simulations. This is caused by limitations in the simplified versions of the Kalman filter and ISBA model used in this study. Implementing an observation operator for ASCAT is needed.
Davi de C. D. Melo, Bridget R. Scanlon, Zizhan Zhang, Edson Wendland, and Lei Yin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4673–4688, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4673-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4673-2016, 2016
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Drought propagation from rainfall deficits to reservoir depletion was studied based on remote sensing, monitoring and modelling data. Regional droughts were shown by widespread depletion in total water storage that reduced soil moisture storage and runoff, greatly reducing reservoir storage. The multidisciplinary approach to drought assessment shows the linkages between meteorological and hydrological droughts that are essential for managing water resources subjected to climate extremes.
Zhi Qing Peng, Xiaozhou Xin, Jin Jun Jiao, Ti Zhou, and Qinhuo Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4409–4438, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4409-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4409-2016, 2016
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A remote sensing algorithm named temperature sharpening and flux aggregation (TSFA) was applied to HJ-1B satellite data to estimate evapotranspiration over heterogeneous surface considering landscape and statistical effects on mixed pixels. Footprint validation results showed TSFA was more accurate and less uncertain than other two upscaling methods. Additional analysis and comparison showed TSFA can capture land surface heterogeneities and integrate the effect of landscapes within mixed pixels.
Jian Peng, Alexander Loew, Xuelong Chen, Yaoming Ma, and Zhongbo Su
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3167–3182, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3167-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3167-2016, 2016
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The Tibetan Plateau plays a major role in regional and global climate. The knowledge of latent heat flux can help to better describe the complex interactions between land and atmosphere. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed cross-comparison of existing latent heat flux products over the TP. The results highlight the recently developed latent heat product – High Resolution Land Surface Parameters from Space (HOLAPS).
J. Peng, J. Niesel, and A. Loew
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4765–4782, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4765-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4765-2015, 2015
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This paper gives a comprehensive evaluation of a simple newly developed downscaling scheme using in situ measurements from REMEDHUS network, a first cross-comparison of the performance of the downscaled soil moisture from MODIS and MSG SEVIRI, an evaluation of the performance of the downscaled soil moisture at different spatial resolutions, and an exploration of the influence of LST, vegetation index, terrain, clouds, and land cover heterogeneity on the performance of VTCI.
G. Boulet, B. Mougenot, J.-P. Lhomme, P. Fanise, Z. Lili-Chabaane, A. Olioso, M. Bahir, V. Rivalland, L. Jarlan, O. Merlin, B. Coudert, S. Er-Raki, and J.-P. Lagouarde
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4653–4672, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4653-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4653-2015, 2015
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The paper presents a new model (SPARSE) to estimate total evapotranspiration as well as its components (evaporation and transpiration) from remote-sensing data in the thermal infra-red domain. The limits of computing two unknowns (evaporation and transpiration) out of one piece of information (one surface temperature) are assessed theoretically. The model performance in retrieving the components as well as the water stress is assessed for two wheat crops (one irrigated and one rainfed).
O. P. Prat and B. R. Nelson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2037–2056, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2037-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2037-2015, 2015
Y. Duan, A. M. Wilson, and A. P. Barros
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1501–1520, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1501-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1501-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
A diagnostic analysis of the space-time structure of error in quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) from the precipitation radar on the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission satellite is presented here in preparation for the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx) in 2014. A high-density raingauge network over the southern Appalachians allows for direct comparison between ground-based measurements and satellite-based QPE (PR 2A25 Version 7 with 5 years of data 2008-2013).
A. W. Worqlul, B. Maathuis, A. A. Adem, S. S. Demissie, S. Langan, and T. S. Steenhuis
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4871–4881, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4871-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4871-2014, 2014
S. Schneider, A. Jann, and T. Schellander-Gorgas
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 2899–2905, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2899-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2899-2014, 2014
R. van der Velde, M. S. Salama, T. Pellarin, M. Ofwono, Y. Ma, and Z. Su
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 1323–1337, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1323-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1323-2014, 2014
J. Chirouze, G. Boulet, L. Jarlan, R. Fieuzal, J. C. Rodriguez, J. Ezzahar, S. Er-Raki, G. Bigeard, O. Merlin, J. Garatuza-Payan, C. Watts, and G. Chehbouni
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 1165–1188, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1165-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1165-2014, 2014
A. L. Barbu, J.-C. Calvet, J.-F. Mahfouf, and S. Lafont
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 173–192, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-173-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-173-2014, 2014
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Short summary
The SMAP L4 dataset has been extensively used in hydrological applications. We innovatively use a machine learning method to analyze how the efficiency of the L4 data assimilation (DA) system is determined. It shows that DA efficiency is mainly related to Tb innovation, followed by error in precipitation forcing and microwave soil roughness. Since the L4 system can effectively filter out precipitation error, future development should focus on correctly specifying the SSM–RZSM coupling strength.
The SMAP L4 dataset has been extensively used in hydrological applications. We innovatively use...
