Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Hydrometeorological Conditions in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico during the North American Monsoon
Abstract
The hydrometeorological conditions of mountain environments in semiarid regions are poorly understood, particularly during the North American Monsoon. Although it is well known that the climate and hydrology of mountain ranges are dynamically distinct of surrounding lowlands, little quantitative observational data has been collected to assess the spatial and temporal variations in hydrometeorological conditions in these settings. Factors such as topographic position, vegetation type and soil properties have a strong influence on the hydrological response to atmospheric conditions. Similarly, landscape features such as relief and aspect can play a major role on the local meteorological conditions in mountainous environments. In order to better understand the relation between mountain hydrometeorology and topographic and ecological factors, a spatially extensive field campaign was carried out in the Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, USA. This region forms a portion of the headwaters of the Rio Grande and displays distinct hydrologic responses during the summer and winter seasons. A twelve day sampling period during the summer monsoon season (July to August 2005) was selected to observe the land-atmosphere interactions resulting from convective storms in the region. The hydrometeorological field campaign included seventy-one sampling sites where daily rainfall, meteorological variables (e.g. air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and barometric pressure), volumetric soil moisture, and soil temperature were measured. Each site consisted of a one square meter plot that was characterized in term of terrain position, vegetation and surface properties. Likewise, daily gravimetric soil samples were taken in order to compare with the volumetric measurements inferred using an impedance probe. In this study, we present a preliminary analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of soil and atmospheric variables during the field campaign. In particular, we present evidence for the significance of topography and the local distribution of ecosystems on the observed soil moisture and soil temperature. Comparisons between the rainfall and soil moisture distributions are performed to assess the spatial scale of the observed convective systems and the persistence of soil moisture during interstorm periods. Finally, we compare our observations with geospatial data sets on topography, vegetation and other landscape features obtained from remote sensing.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2005
- Bibcode:
- 2005AGUFM.H11B1259M
- Keywords:
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- 1813 Eco-hydrology;
- 1840 Hydrometeorology;
- 1843 Land/atmosphere interactions (1218;
- 1631;
- 3322);
- 1854 Precipitation (3354);
- 1866 Soil moisture