HR: 1340h
AN: H43E-0538    [Abstracts]
TI: Spatiotemporal Variability of Precipitation over Complex Terrain during the North American Monsoon
AU: * Gebremichael, M
EM: mekonnen@nmt.edu
AF: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, MSEC, Socorro, NM 87801 United States
AU: Vivoni, E R
EM: vivoni@nmt.edu
AF: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, MSEC, Socorro, NM 87801 United States
AB: Understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation and the associated local forcing mechanisms is important to produce rainfall estimates at high resolution and with satisfactory accuracy for hydrometeorological applications. This task is particularly challenging in mountainous terrains where there are large uncertainties associated with sparse observations and variations in the precipitation mechanisms over short spatial and temporal scales, especially during summer convection. The overall goal of this work is two-fold: to provide a better understanding of the local forcing mechanisms (topography, vegetation, and soil moisture) that are associated with precipitation characteristics (spatial organization, diurnal cycle, and temporal variation), and to assess the ability of different observing sensors in retrieving the spatiotemporal variability present in precipitation over complex terrain. Our analysis utilizes remote sensing and field observations collected during the North American Monsoon Experiment-Soil Moisture Experiment (NAME-SMEX04) that took place during a two-week period in August 2004 in northern Sonora, Mexico. We focus on a watershed-based approach to understanding precipitation, soil moisture and streamflow variability, in particular for a major flooding event in the R¡o San Miguel basin sampled during the experiment. The remote sensing data include the near-surface rainfall rate obtained from the Precipitation Radar (PR) onboard the TRMM satellite and the cloud infrared data onboard GOES satellites. The field data considered include rainfall and soil moisture observations from fifteen continuous sites, soil moisture data taken at multiple sites in the domain, and discharge measurements at the watershed outlet. The results of this study should shed light on orographic precipitation phenomena and its hydrologic response, on scaling regimes in convective precipitation variability, and on the capabilities and limitations of remote sensing observations over complex terrains during the North American Monsoon.
DE: 1840 Hydrometeorology
DE: 1843 Land/atmosphere interactions (1218, 1631, 3322)
DE: 1848 Monitoring networks
DE: 1854 Precipitation (3354)
DE: 1855 Remote sensing (1640)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005