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Influence of Land Cover and Soil Moisture based Brown Ocean Effect on an Extreme Rainfall Event from a Louisiana Gulf Coast Tropical SystemExtreme flooding over southern Louisiana in mid-August of 2016 resulted from an unusual tropical low that formed and intensified over land. We used numerical experiments to highlight the role of ‘Brown Ocean’ effect (where saturated soils function similar to a warm ocean surface) on intensification and it’s modulation by land cover change. A numerical modeling experiment that successfully captured the flood event (control) was modified to alter moisture availability by converting wetlands to open water, wet croplands, and dry croplands. Storm evolution in the control experiment with wet antecedent soils most resembles tropical lows that form and intensify over oceans. Irrespective of soil moisture conditions, conversion of wetlands to croplands reduced storm intensity, and also, non-saturated soils reduced rain by 20% and caused shorter durations of high intensity wind conditions. Developing agricultural croplands and more so restoring wetlands and not converting them into open water can impede intensification of tropical systems that affect the area.
Document ID
20190033104
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Authors
Udaysankar S Nair
(University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, Alabama, United States)
Eric Rappin
(Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States)
Emily Foshee
(University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, Alabama, United States)
Warren Smith
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado, United States)
Roger A Pielke Sr
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado, United States)
Rezaul Mahmood
(University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska, United States)
Jonathan L Case
(Ensco (United States) Falls Church, Virginia, United States)
Clay B Blankenship
(Universities Space Research Association Columbia, Maryland, United States)
Marshall Shepherd
(University of Georgia Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia)
Joseph A Santanello
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland, United States)
Dev Niyogi
(Purdue University West Lafayette West Lafayette, Indiana, United States)
Date Acquired
November 19, 2019
Publication Date
November 20, 2019
Publication Information
Publication: Scientific Reports
Publisher: Nature Research
Volume: 9
Issue Publication Date: January 1, 2019
e-ISSN: 2045-2322
URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-53031-6
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN75121
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: SCMD-EarthScienceSystem_281945
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Technical Review
NASA Peer Committee
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