HR: 15:05h
AN: H23F-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Investigating Land Memory Characteristics Using Observations and Modeling
AU: * Amenu, G G
EM: amenu@uiuc.edu
AF: University of Illinois, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 United States
AU: Kumar, P
EM: kumar1@uiuc.edu
AF: University of Illinois, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 United States
AB: It has been speculated that understanding land memory dynamics may provide a basis for hydrologic and climate prediction at seasonal to longer time-scales. In this study the characteristics of land memory are explored using observed soil-moisture data from the Illinois Climate Network stations and corresponding simulated soil temperature. The soil moisture data is observed for 11 layers from the surface to a depth of 2 meters and spans 23 years, 1981 to 2003. The soil temperature profile is obtained using the numerical solution of the heat transfer equation, constrained by observed soil-moisture, and driven by observed surface variables which include air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, and snow depth. Spatio-temporal variability of soil moisture and soil temperature with depth is explored. Depth-wise variability of the magnitudes of amplitude, phase-lag, and temporal scales are quantified for both soil moisture and soil temperature. Dominant signals are identified using spectral analysis techniques and their variability with depth is investigated. Linkage between the inter-annual signals of soil moisture, soil temperature, and ENSO is explored. Further, the sensitivity of surface temperature and surface energy fluxes to the variability of soil moisture at different depths is demonstrated.
DE: 3322 Land/atmosphere interactions
DE: 1866 Soil moisture
DE: 1875 Unsaturated zone
DE: 0315 Biosphere/atmosphere interactions
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting