A Nonlinear Dynamics Approach to the Analysis of Soil Moisture-Rainfall Feedback
Abstract
Soil moisture plays a fundamental role in modulating the exchange of water and energy fluxes at the land-atmosphere interface. The soil moisture- rainfall feedback mechanism whereby positive (negative) soil moisture anomalies impact consequent rainfall and reinforce wetness (drought) conditions has long been of interest in hydrology and climate. Several studies investigated the existence of this feedback utilizing primarily controlled simulations of Global Climate Models (GCMs). In this study, we investigate the existence and strength of the soil moisture-rainfall feedback using FLUXNET observational datasets from several sites across Contiguous Unites States (CONUS) and Europe. We use the emerging techniques of nonlinear empirical dynamical modeling and time delay embedding as a framework to diagnose the existence of the feedback across multiple time scales (hourly, daily … monthly). The results show agreement with previous studies in terms of the spatial distribution of regions with strong soil moisture - rainfall feedback. Moreover, the results demonstrate the existence of the feedback at multiple temporal scales extending from sub-daily to seasonal scales.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.H51U1788O
- Keywords:
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- 1833 Hydroclimatology;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1840 Hydrometeorology;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1843 Land/atmosphere interactions;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1866 Soil moisture;
- HYDROLOGY