Evaluation of HCMM data for assessing soil moisture and water table depth

Soil moisture in the 0-cm to 4-cm layer could be estimated with 1-mm soil temperatures throughout the growing season of a rainfed barley crop in eastern South Dakota. Empirical equations were developed to reduce the effect of canopy cover when radiometrically estimating the soil temperature. Corrective equations were applied to an aircraft simulation of HCMM data for a diversity of crop types and land cover conditions to estimate the soil moisture. The average difference between observed and measured soil moisture was 1.6% of field capacity. Shallow alluvial aquifers were located with HCMM predawn data. After correcting the data for vegetation differences, equations were developed for predicting water table depths within the aquifer. A finite difference code simulating soil moisture and soil temperature shows that soils with different moisture profiles differed in soil temperatures in a well defined functional manner. A significant surface thermal anomaly was found to be associated with shallow water tables

Evaluation of HCMM data for assessing soil moisture and water table depth

Data were analyzed for variations in eastern South Dakota. Soil moisture in the 0-4 cm layer could be estimated with 1-mm soil temperatures throughout the growing season of a rainfed barley crop (% cover ranging from 30% to 90%) with an r squared = 0.81. Empirical equations were developed to reduce the effect of canopy cover when radiometrically estimating the 1-mm soil temperature, r squared = 0.88. The corrective equations were applied to an aircraft simulation of HCMM data for a diversity of crop types and land cover conditions to estimate the 0-4 cm soil moisture. The average difference between observed and measured soil moisture was 1.6% of field capacity. HCMM data were used to estimate the soil moisture for four dates with an r squared = 0.55 after correction for crop conditions. Location of shallow alluvial aquifers could be accomplished with HCMM predawn data. After correction of HCMM day data for vegetation differences, equations were developed for predicting water table depths within the aquifer (r=0.8)

Estimation of Regional Evapotranspiration Using Remotely Sensed Land Surface Temperature. Part 1: Measurement of Evapotranspiration at the Environmental Research Center and Determination of Priestley-taylor Parameter

In order to study the distribution of evapotranspiration in the humid region using remote sensing technology, the parameter (alpha) in the Priestley-Taylor model was determined. The daily means of the parameter alpha = 1.14 can be available from summer to autumn and alpha = to approximately 2.0 in winter. The results of the satellite and the airborne sensing done on 21st and 22nd January, 1983, are described. Using the vegetation distribution in the Tsukuba Academic New Town, as well as the radiation temperature obtained by remote sensing and the radiation data observed at the ground surface, the evapotranspiration was calculated for each vegetation type by the Priestley-Taylor method. The daily mean evapotranspiration on 22nd January, 1983, was approximately 0.4 mm/day. The differences in evapotranspiration between the vegetation types were not detectable, because the magnitude of evapotranspiration is very little in winter

Daytime sensible heat flux estimation over heterogeneous surfaces using multitemporal land‐surface temperature observations

Equations based on surface renewal (SR) analysis to estimate the sensible heat flux (H) require as input the mean ramp amplitude and period observed in the ramp‐like pattern of the air temperature measured at high frequency. A SR‐based method to estimate sensible heat flux (HSR‐LST) requiring only low‐frequency measurements of the air temperature, horizontal mean wind speed, and land‐surface temperature as input was derived and tested under unstable conditions over a heterogeneous canopy (olive grove). HSR‐LST assumes that the mean ramp amplitude can be inferred from the difference between land‐surface temperature and mean air temperature through a linear relationship and that the ramp frequency is related to a wind shear scale characteristic of the canopy flow. The land‐surface temperature was retrieved by integrating in situ sensing measures of thermal infrared energy emitted by the surface. The performance of HSR‐LST was analyzed against flux tower measurements collected at two heights (close to and well above the canopy top). Crucial parameters involved in HSR‐LST, which define the above mentioned linear relationship, were explained using the canopy height and the land surface temperature observed at sunrise and sunset. Although the olive grove can behave as either an isothermal or anisothermal surface, HSR‐LST performed close to H measured using the eddy covariance and the Bowen ratio energy balance methods. Root mean square differences between HSR‐LST and measured H were of about 55 W m−2. Thus, by using multitemporal thermal acquisitions, HSR‐LST appears to bypass inconsistency between land surface temperature and the mean aerodynamic temperature. The one‐source bulk transfer formulation for estimating H performed reliable after calibration against the eddy covariance method. After calibration, the latter performed similar to the proposed SR‐LST method.This research was funded by project CGL2012‐37416‐C04‐01 and CGL2015‐65627‐C3‐1‐R (Ministerio de Ciencia y Innovación of Spain), CEI Iberus, 2014 (Proyecto financiado por el Ministerio de Educación en el marco del Programa Campus de Excelencia Internacional of Spain), and Ayuda para estancias en centros extranjeros (Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte of Spain)

Hydrological Behavior of Grasslands of the Sandhills of Nebraska: Water and Energy Balance Assessment from Measurements, Treatments and Modeling

Understanding energy and water balance processes in the Sandhills is crucial to assess the land-atmosphere feedback effects. The Sandhills located in western Nebraska covers a vast grassland ecosystem with limited variability in vegetation and soil. However, the combined effect of topography, land cover and micrometeorology by subjecting the land surface to various disturbances and treatments is rarely studied. The NOAH Land Surface Model was used to estimate net radiation, latent, sensible and ground heat fluxes as well as water balance components for two growing seasons between 2005 and 2006 in various plots at the Grasslands Destabilization Experimental site where these plots were subjected to four different treatments and located at two topographical locations namely high and low positions. The simulated results of net radiation and ground heat fluxes correlated well with measurements. While the amount of precipitation received was between 900 and 1000 mm for both seasons, on a daily and sub-daily time scale, the partitioning of net radiation into latent, sensible and ground heat fluxes showed high variability across the plots, primarily driven by vegetation and soil moisture. Total evapotranspiration and soil moisture averages suggested the influence of vegetation and timing of precipitation also in controlling various land surface processes in the Sandhills. This study provides a framework for using the LSM to quantify the feedback effects and emphasizes the importance of microtopography and land treatments in the model environment

Soil water content and evaporation determined by thermal parameters obtained from ground-based and remote measurements

A procedure is presented for calculating 24-hour totals of evaporation from wet and drying soils. Its application requires a knowledge of the daily solar radiation, the maximum and minimum, air temperatures, moist surface albedo, and maximum and minimum surface temperatures. Tests of the technique on a bare field of Avondale loam at Phoenix, Arizona showed it to be independent of season

Simulation of energy and water exchanges between vegetated surfaces and the atmosphere

Les échanges de chaleur et de vapeur d’eau ont lieu à l’interface terre-atmosphère. Une représentation précise de ces flux est nécessaire dans les modèles atmosphériques et hydrologiques, compte tenu de leur importance dans la régulation des cycles climatiques et hydrologiques. À cette fin, des modèles de surface terrestre (MST) ont été construits pour fournir des informations pertinentes sur les conditions de surface terrestre, et plus spécifiquement, sur les échanges d’énergie, d’eau et parfois de carbone. Dans cette thèse, l’objectif principal est de mieux comprendre les différents processus conduisant au transfert d’énergie et d’eau à travers l’interface sol-végétation-atmosphère, ainsi que d’évaluer la simulation des échanges d’énergie et d’eau par des MST pilotés par des forçages météorologiques de différentes sources. Premièrement, deux différentes philosophies de modélisation de la surface terrestre ont été contrastées sur des sites sans neige à travers le monde. Les performances d’une approche basée sur la répartition statistique de l’énergie de surface, le modèle « Maximum Entropy Production » (MEP), ont été comparées à celles d’un MST à base physique, le « Canadian Land Surface Scheme » (CLASS). Le modèle MEP propose une approche simplifiée pour estimer les flux thermiques de surface tout en imposant la conservation d’énergie. Par conséquent, ce modèle semble approprié pour une intégration dans les études hydrologiques et de télédétection, où les quelques données d’entrée requises peuvent être facilement récupérées, et lorsque l’estimation des flux de chaleur de surface est l’objectif principal. En général, l’approche MEP était comparable aux mesures in situ et aux résultats CLASS. Bien que MEP utilise une formulation simple et moins de variables d’entrée, le modèle était comparable ou même meilleur que les simulations du modèle CLASS. Cependant, le modèle de surface était moins performant pour simuler les flux turbulents nocturnes et le flux de chaleur du sol dans son ensemble. Deuxièmement, CLASS a été appliqué à une échelle locale pour évaluer ses performances lorsqu’il est piloté par les données de réanalyse ERA5. L’énergie de surface simulée et les flux d’eau, ainsi que le manteau neigeux et les propriétés du sol, ont été étudiés dans quatre sites différents distribués sur le biome boréal canadien. Les résultats de CLASS pilotés par ERA5 ont été comparés aux observations in situ disponibles, ainsi qu’aux résultats de CLASS pilotés par des observations; des simulations et des analyses supplémentaires ont été menées pour évaluer les effets des biais dans les précipitations d’ERA5. Cette analyse a mis en évidence la iii capacité de CLASS à représenter les variables de la surface terrestre des sites boréaux lorsqu’il est forcé par la réanalyse ERA5, montrant une grande similitude avec les observations et avec les résultats de CLASS pilotés par les observations. Bien que la réanalyse ERA5 ait une résolution relativement grossière, les données peuvent toujours être utilisées pour piloter un MST et produire des résultats cohérents à une échelle locale. Enfin, nous avons évalué la fiabilité du modèle CLASS dans la simulation de l’évapotranspiration (ET) et du ruissellement (ROF) lorsqu’il est forcé par des données stochastiques, produites par un modèle générateur de temps à l’échelle horaire, sur deux sites boréaux canadiens avec une disponibilité d’eau contrastée (un site sec et un site humide). Les résultats ont été comparés aux flux d’eau simulés par CLASS forcés avec des données de référence (ERA5). Cette étude s’est concentrée sur la variation interannuelle et saisonnière des flux d’eau, ainsi que sur leurs périodes de retour de valeurs journalières extrêmes. Sur le site sec, l’ET et le ROF simulés par CLASS forcé avec les données stochastiques et de référence étaient similaires les uns aux autres; les deux simulations ont montré que l’ET et le ROF annuels sont limités par la disponibilité en eau. Sur le site humide, cependant, les résultats des deux simulations ont montré des écarts importants. CLASS piloté par les données stochastiques n’a pas pu capturer la signature d’ET, qui se situe globalement entre 550 mm an−1 et 600 mm an−1 , et elle n’est pas limitée par l’eau. Les précipitations, la température et l’humidité spécifique se sont révélées être les variables critiques dans la simulation des flux d’eau. De plus, les événements journaliers extrêmes de précipitations stochastiques et de ROF simulés par CLASS forcé avec les données stochastiques se sont révélés fiables sur les deux sites, révélant une excellente occasion d’utiliser cette méthode pour évaluer les ressources en eau dans un scénario de changement climatique. En conclusion, cette thèse s’est concentrée sur la modélisation de la surface terrestre sur plusieurs sites végétalisés, en mettant l’accent sur les échanges d’énergie et d’eau entre la surface terrestre et l’atmosphère. Les résultats ont permis d’apporter des perspectives de travaux futurs en ce qui concerne (i) l’utilisation d’une approche simplifiée pour estimer les flux thermiques de surface ; (ii) l’utilisation de la réanalyse ERA5 comme forçage robuste des données aux MST dans les études à l’échelle locale sur la forêt boréale canadienne ; et (iii) l’utilisation d’ensembles de données stochastiques horaires pour forcer les données à des MST à base physique pour étudier les conditions hydrométéorologiques dans le climat actuel et les projections futures.Exchanges of heat and water vapor take place at the land-atmosphere interface. An accurate representation of water and energy fluxes is needed in atmospheric and hydrologic models, given their importance in the regulation of the climate and hydrological cycles. To this end, land surface models (LSMs) have been built to provide relevant information on the land surface conditions, and more specifically, on the exchanges of energy, water, and sometimes, carbon. In this thesis, the main objective is to better understand various processes driving the transfer of energy and water across the soil-vegetation-atmosphere interface, as well as to evaluate the simulation of energy and water exchanges by LSMs driven by meteorological forcings of different sources. Firstly, two different philosophies of land surface modeling were contrasted at snow-free sites across the world. The performance of a statistically based surface energy partitioning approach, the Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) model, was compared to that of a physically based LSM, the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS). The MEP model offers a simplified approach to estimate surface heat fluxes while imposing energy conservation. Therefore, this model seems suitable for integration into hydrological and remote sensing studies, where the few required input data can be easily retrieved, and when the estimation of the surface heat fluxes is the main objective. The MEP approach was comparable to in situ measurements and to CLASS results. Although MEP uses a simple formulation and fewer input variables, the model was comparable or even better than CLASS simulations. The surface model was, however, weak in simulating nocturnal turbulent fluxes and the soil heat flux overall. Secondly, CLASS was applied at a point scale to evaluate its performance when driven by the ERA5 reanalysis. Simulated surface energy and water fluxes, as well as snowpack and soil properties, were investigated at four different sites spread over the Canadian boreal biome. The results from CLASS driven by ERA5 were compared to available in situ measurements, as well as with results from CLASS driven by observations; additional simulations and analyses were conducted to evaluate the impacts of biases in the ERA5 precipitation. This analysis highlighted the ability of CLASS to represent the land surface variables of the boreal sites when forced by the ERA5 reanalysis, showing high similarity with the observations and with the results from CLASS driven by observations. Although this reanalysis has a relatively coarse v resolution, the data can still be used to drive an LSM and produce consistent results at a point scale. Lastly, we assessed the reliability of CLASS in simulating evapotranspiration (ET) and runoff (ROF) when driven by stochastic data produced by an hourly weather generator over two Canadian boreal sites with contrasting water availability (a dry and a wet site). The results were compared with simulated water fluxes from CLASS forced with reference data (ERA5). This study focused on the interannual and seasonal variation of the water fluxes, as well as on their return levels of extreme daily values. At the dry site, the simulated ET and ROF from CLASS driven by the stochastic and the reference data were similar to each other; both simulations showed that annual ET and ROF are limited by water availability. At the humid site, however, the results from both simulations showed significant discrepancies. CLASS driven by the stochastic data was not able to capture the ET signature, which overall ranges between 550 mm yr−1 and 600 mm yr−1 , and it is not water-limited. The precipitation, temperature, and specific humidity were found to be the critical variables in the simulation of the water fluxes. Moreover, the extreme daily events of stochastic precipitation and ROF from CLASS driven by the stochastic data proved to be reliable at both sites, revealing an excellent opportunity to use this framework to assess water resources under a changing climate scenario. In short, this thesis focused on land surface modeling over multiple vegetated sites, with an emphasis on the energy and water exchanges between the land surface and the atmosphere. The results brought some future work perspective in regards to (i) the use of a simplified approach for estimating the surface heat fluxes; (ii) the use of ERA5 reanalysis as robust forcing data to LSMs in local-scale studies over the Canadian boreal forest; and (iii) the use of hourly stochastic data sets as forcing data to physically based LSMs to investigate hydrometeorological conditions in the present climate and in future projections