Identifying parameters to describe local land-atmosphere coupling
Abstract
The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Land-Atmosphere System Study / Local Coupling (GLASS/LoCo) project seeks to understand the role of local land-atmosphere coupling in the evolution of surface fluxes and boundary layer state variables including clouds. The theme of land-atmosphere interaction is a research area that is rapidly developing; after the well-known GLACE experiments and various diagnostic studies, new research has evolved in modeling and observing the degree of land-atmosphere coupling on local scales. Questions of interest are (1) how much is coupling related to local versus "remote" processes, (2) what is the nature and strength of coupling, and (3) how does this change (e.g. for different temporal and spatial scales, geographic regions, and changing climates). As such, this is an important issue on both weather and climate time scales. The GLASS/LoCo working group is investigating diagnostics to quantify land-atmosphere coupling. Coupling parameters include the roles of soil moisture and surface evaporative fraction as well as the evolving atmospheric boundary layer and boundary-layer entrainment. After suitable diagnostic parameters are identified, observational data and output from weather and climate models will be used to "map" land-atmosphere coupling in regards to (1)-(3) above.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AGUFM.H44D..05E
- Keywords:
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- 1840 HYDROLOGY / Hydrometeorology;
- 3307 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES / Boundary layer processes;
- 3322 ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES / Land/atmosphere interactions