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Soil Moisture and Mesoscale Convective Complex Development During the 1993 US Midwest Flood: Results from the MM5-PLACE Atmosphere/Land-Surface ModelThe 1993 US Midwest Flood produced record levels of flooding, in the Mississippi River Basin. This flooding resulted from repeated frontal passages and mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs) during the months of June and July. A better understanding of processes that influenced MCC development during the 1993 Flood may lead to improved forecasts of heavy precipitation and flooding. Here, we consider the impact of soil moisture on MCC development during a two-day period (June 23-24) of the 1993 US Midwest Flood. The purpose of this study is to assess the importance of soil moisture distribution on the timing, intensity, and location of heavy precipitation. In this study, the MM5-PLACE Atmosphere/Land-Surface Model is utilized. The atmospheric component consists of the Penn State/NCAR MM5 mesoscale model, and the land-surface component consists of the Goddard Parameterization for Land Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE). Initial soil moisture is provided from two sources: 1) NCEP reanalysis, and 2) Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) using NOAA rain gauge measurements as a proxy for soil moisture. NCEP reanalysis provides coarse resolution initial soil moisture (2.5 degree), while API provides high resolution initial soil moisture (10-200 km depending on NOAA rain gauge spacing). Initial results indicate that the distribution of soil moisture has a significant impact on the timing and location of heavy precipitation during this two-day flood event. Precipitation in simulations with high resolution initial soil moisture agrees more closely with observed precipitation. These results suggest that high resolution soil moisture observations are necessary to accurately predict severe storm development, heavy precipitation, and subsequent flooding.
Document ID
20000111068
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Baker, R. David
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD United States)
Wang, Yansen
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD United States)
Tao, Wei-Kuo
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Wetzel, Peter
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Einaudi, Franco
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2000
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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