Assimilation of Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture in the MESH Model

Soil moisture information is critically important to weather, climate, and hydrology forecasts since the wetness of the land strongly affects the partitioning of energy and water at the land surface. Spatially distributed soil moisture information, especially at regional, continental, and global scales, is difficult to obtain from ground-based (in situ) measurements, which are typically based upon sparse point sources in practice. Satellite microwave remote sensing can provide large-scale monitoring of surface soil moisture because microwave measurements respond to changes in the surface soil’s dielectric properties, which are strongly controlled by soil water content. With recent advances in satellite microwave soil moisture estimation, in particular the launch of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite and the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, there is an increased demand for exploiting the potential of satellite microwave soil moisture observations to improve the predictive capability of hydrologic and land surface models. In this work, an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) scheme is designed for assimilating satellite soil moisture into a land surface-hydrological model, Environment Canada’s standalone MESH to improve simulations of soil moisture. After validating the established assimilation scheme through an observing system simulation experiment (synthetic experiment), this study explores for the first time the assimilation of soil moisture retrievals, derived from SMOS, the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) and the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), in the MESH model over the Great Lakes basin. A priori rescaling on satellite retrievals (separately for each sensor) is performed by matching their cumulative distribution function (CDF) to the model surface soil moisture’s CDF, in order to reduce the satellite-model bias (systematic error) in the assimilation system that is based upon the hypothesis of unbiased errors in model and observation. The satellite retrievals, the open-loop model soil moisture (no assimilation) and the assimilation estimates are, respectively, validated against point-scale in situ soil moisture measurements in terms of the daily-spaced time series correlation coefficient (skill R). Results show that assimilating either L-band retrievals (SMOS) or X-band retrievals (AMSR-E/AMSR2) can favorably influence the model soil moisture skill for both surface and root zone soil layers except for the cases with a small observation (retrieval) skill and a large open-loop skill. The skill improvement ΔRA-M, defined as the skill for the assimilation soil moisture product minus the skill for the open-loop estimates, typically increases with the retrieval skill and decreases with increased open-loop skill, showing a strong dependence upon ΔRS-M, defined as the retrieval skill minus the model (open-loop) surface soil moisture skill. The SMOS assimilation reveals that the cropped areas typically experience large ΔRA-M, consistent with a high satellite observation skill and a low open-loop skill, while ΔRA-M is usually weak or even negative for the forest-dominated grids due to the presence of a low retrieval skill and a high open-loop skill. The assimilation of L-band retrievals (SMOS) typically results in greater ΔRA-M than the assimilation of X-band products (AMSR-E/AMSR2), although the sensitivity of the assimilation to the satellite retrieval capability may become progressively weaker as the open-loop skill increases. The joint assimilation of L-band and X-band retrievals does not necessarily yield the best skill improvement. As compared to previous studies, the primary contributions of this thesis are as follows. (i) This work examined the potential of latest satellite soil moisture products (SMOS and AMSR2), through data assimilation, to improve soil moisture model estimates. (ii) This work, by taking advantage of the ability of SMOS to estimate surface soil moisture underneath different vegetation types, revealed the vegetation cover modulation of satellite soil moisture assimilation. (iii) The assimilation of L-band retrievals (SMOS) was compared with the assimilation of X-band retrievals (AMSR-E/AMSR2), providing new insight into the dependence of the assimilation upon satellite retrieval capability. (iv) The influence of satellite-model skill difference ΔRS-M on skill improvement ΔRA-M was consistently demonstrated through assimilating soil moisture retrievals derived from radiometers operating at different microwave frequencies, different vegetation cover types, and different retrieval algorithms

Earth resources: A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 50

This bibliography lists 523 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between April 1 and June 30, 1986. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis

An Improved Framework for Watershed Discretization and Model Calibration: Application to the Great Lakes Basin

Large-scale (~103–106 km2) physically-based distributed hydrological models have been used increasingly, due to advances in computational capabilities and data availability, in a variety of water and environmental resources management, such as assessing human impacts on regional water budget. These models inevitably contain a large number of parameters used in simulation of various physical processes. Many of these parameters are not measurable or nearly impossible to measure. These parameters are typically estimated using model calibration, defined as adjusting the parameters so that model simulations can reproduce the observed data as close as possible. Due to the large number of model parameters, it is essential to use a formal automated calibration approach in distributed hydrological modelling. The St. Lawrence River Basin in North America contains the largest body of surface fresh water, the Great Lakes, and is of paramount importance for United States and Canada. The Lakes’ water levels have huge impact on the society, ecosystem, and economy of North America. A proper hydrological modelling and basin-wide water budget for the Great Lakes Basin is essential for addressing some of the challenges associated with this valuable water resource, such as a persistent extreme low water levels in the lakes. Environment Canada applied its Modélisation Environnementale-Surface et Hydrologie (MESH) modelling system to the Great Lakes watershed in 2007. MESH is a coupled semi-distributed land surface-hydrological model intended for various water management purposes including improved operational streamflow forecasts. In that application, model parameters were only slightly adjusted during a brief manual calibration process. Therefore, MESH streamflow simulations were not satisfactory and there was a considerable need to improve its performance for proper evaluation of the MESH modelling system. Collaborative studies between the United States and Canada also highlighted the need for inclusion of the prediction uncertainty in modelling results, for more effective management of the Great Lakes system. One of the primary goals of this study is to build an enhanced well-calibrated MESH model over the Great Lakes Basin, particularly in the context of streamflow predictions in ungauged basins. This major contribution is achieved in two steps. First, the MESH performance in predicting streamflows is benchmarked through a rather extensive formal calibration, for the first time, in the Great Lakes Basin. It is observed that a global calibration strategy using multiple sub-basins substantially improved MESH streamflow predictions, confirming the essential role of a formal model calibration. At the next step, benchmark results are enhanced by further refining the calibration approach and adding uncertainty assessment to the MESH streamflow predictions. This enhancement was mainly achieved by modifying the calibration parameters and increasing the number of sub-basins used in calibration. A rigorous multi-criteria comparison between the two experiments confirmed that the MESH model performance is indeed improved using the revised calibration approach. The prediction uncertainty bands for the MESH streamflow predictions were also estimated in the new experiment. The most influential parameters in MESH were also identified to be soil and channel roughness parameters based on a local sensitivity test. One of the main challenges in hydrological distributed modelling is how to represent the existing spatial heterogeneity in nature. This task is normally performed via watershed discretization, defined as the process of subdividing the basin into manageable “hydrologically similar” computational units. The model performance, and how well it can be calibrated using a limited budget, largely depends on how a basin is discretized. Discretization decisions in hydrologic modelling studies are, however, often insufficiently assessed prior to model simulation and parameter. Few studies explicitly present an organized and objective methodology for assessing discretization schemes, particularly with respect to the streamflow predictions in ungauged basins. Another major goal of this research is to quantitatively assess watershed discretization schemes for distributed hydrological models, with various level of spatial data aggregation, in terms of their skill to predict flows in ungauged basins. The methodology was demonstrated using the MESH model as applied to the Nottawasaga river basin in Ontario, Canada. The schemes differed from a simple lumped scheme to more complex ones by adding spatial land cover and then spatial soil information. Results reveal that calibration budget is an important factor in model performance. In other words, when constrained by calibration budget, using a more complex scheme did not necessarily lead to improved performance in validation. The proposed methodology was also implemented using a shorter sub-period for calibration, aiming at substantial computational saving. This strategy is shown to be promising in producing consistent results and has the potential to increase computational efficiency of this comparison framework. The outcome of this very computationally intensive research, i.e., the well-calibrated MESH model for the Great Lakes and all the final parameter sets found, are now available to be used by other research groups trying to study various aspects of the Great Lakes System. In fact, the benchmark results are already used in the Great Lakes Runoff Intercomparison Project (GRIP). The proposed comparison framework can also be applied to any distributed hydrological model to evaluate alternative discretization schemes, and identify one that is preferred for a certain case

Space-Based Remote Sensing of the Earth: A Report to the Congress

The commercialization of the LANDSAT Satellites, remote sensing research and development as applied to the Earth and its atmosphere as studied by NASA and NOAA is presented. Major gaps in the knowledge of the Earth and its atmosphere are identified and a series of space based measurement objectives are derived. The near-term space observations programs of the United States and other countries are detailed. The start is presented of the planning process to develop an integrated national program for research and development in Earth remote sensing for the remainder of this century and the many existing and proposed satellite and sensor systems that the program may include are described

Realising Global Water Futures: a Summary of Progress in Delivering Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change

Canada First Research Excellence FundNon-Peer ReviewedOver the past six years the Global Water Futures program has produced a wide range of scientific findings and engagements with multiple types of potential users of the research. This briefing book provides a snapshot of some of the science advancements and user engagement that have taken place to date. Annual reports to the funding agency are the most up to date source of information: this compilation has been created from reports submitted by projects in 2022, representing both completed and current project work. The briefing book aims to provide quick access to information about GWF projects in a single place for GWF’s User Advisory Panel: we hope that knowing more about the research being produced will spark conversations about how to make the best use of the new knowledge in both policy and practice

The WWRP Polar Prediction Project (PPP)

Mission statement: “Promote cooperative international research enabling development of improved weather and environmental prediction services for the polar regions, on time scales from hours to seasonal”. Increased economic, transportation and research activities in polar regions are leading to more demands for sustained and improved availability of predictive weather and climate information to support decision-making. However, partly as a result of a strong emphasis of previous international efforts on lower and middle latitudes, many gaps in weather, sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasting in polar regions hamper reliable decision making in the Arctic, Antarctic and possibly the middle latitudes as well. In order to advance polar prediction capabilities, the WWRP Polar Prediction Project (PPP) has been established as one of three THORPEX (THe Observing System Research and Predictability EXperiment) legacy activities. The aim of PPP, a ten year endeavour (2013-2022), is to promote cooperative international research enabling development of improved weather and environmental prediction services for the polar regions, on hourly to seasonal time scales. In order to achieve its goals, PPP will enhance international and interdisciplinary collaboration through the development of strong linkages with related initiatives; strengthen linkages between academia, research institutions and operational forecasting centres; promote interactions and communication between research and stakeholders; and foster education and outreach. Flagship research activities of PPP include sea ice prediction, polar-lower latitude linkages and the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP) - an intensive observational, coupled modelling, service-oriented research and educational effort in the period mid-2017 to mid-2019

Great Plains Research, Spring 2011, Vol. 21, No. 1 (complete issue)

Workplace Religious Accommodation for Muslims and the Promise of State Constitutionalism • Peter J. Longo and Joan M. Blauwkamp . 3 Using Euro-American Hunting Data to Assess Western Great Plains Biogeography, 1806-35 • Cody Newton . 17 The Political Consequences of Population Consolidation in Nebraska • Diane L. Duffin . 27 Cottonwood Riparian Site Selection on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation • Julie A. Thorstenson, Diane H. Rickerl, and Janet H. Gritzner . 39 Do Invasive Riparian Woody Plants Affect Hydrology and Ecosystem Processes? • Julie A. Huddle, Tala Awada, Derrel L. Martin, Xinhua Zhou, Sue Ellen Pegg, and Scott J. Josiah . 49 Estimation of Land Surface Evapotranspiration with a Satellite Remote Sensing Procedure • Ayse Irmak, Ian Ratcliffe, Pariskhit Ranade, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Ramesh K. Singh, Babuarao Kamble, and Jeppe Kjaersgaard . 73 Health and Fertility Implications Related to Seasonal Changes in Kidney Fat Index of White-tailed Jackrabbits in South Dakota • Dustin Schaible and Charles Dieter . 89 Historic and Contemporary Trends of the Conservation Reserve Program and Ring-necked Pheasants in South Dakota • Christopher R. Laingen . 95 BOOK REVIEWS . 105 Phillips, Caroline, and Harry Allen, eds. Bridging the Divide: Indigenous Communities and Archaeology into the 21st Century • Reviewed by Larry J. Zimmerman . 105 Larson, Mary Lou, Marcel Kornfeld, and George C. Frison, eds. Hell Gap: A Stratified Paleoindian Campsite at the Edge of the Rockies • Reviewed by Jack W. Brink . 105 Dingus, Lowell, and Mark A. Norell Barnum Brown: The Man Who Discovered Tyrannosaurus rex. • Reviewed by Donald M. Henderson . 106 Nicholls, Steve Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery • Reviewed by John Herron . 107 Barrow, Mark V, Jr. Nature\u27s Ghosts: Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology • Reviewed by Peter A. Bednekoff . 107 Lovelock, James; Foreword by Martin Rees The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning • Reviewed by R.F. Diffendal, Jr . 108 Marchildon, Gregory P., ed. A Dry Oasis: Institutional Adaptation to Climate on the Canadian Plains • Reviewed by Sian Mooney . 109 Armstrong, Christopher, Matthew Evenden, and H.v. Nelles The River Returns: An Environmental History of the Bow •Reviewed by Ted Binnema and David Vogt. . 109 Helzer, Chris The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States •Reviewed by David J. Gibson . 110 Smith, Daryl, Dave Williams, Greg Houseal, and Kirk Henderson The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Prairie Restoration in the Upper Midwest •Reviewed by Gerry Steinauer . 110 Williams, Dave The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest •Reviewed by H.L. Hillhouse . 111 Gupta, Ram B., and Ayhan Demirbas Gasoline, Diesel, and Ethanol Biofuels from Grasses and Plants •Reviewed by Adam J. Liska . 112 Reaume, Tom 620 Wild Plants of North America: Fully Illustrated Reviewed by MarkJ. Leoschke . 112 Janovy, John, Jr. Pieces of the Plains: Memories and Predictions from the Heart of America Reviewed by Mark Hammer . 113 Cartron, Jean-Luc E., ed. Raptors of New Mexico Reviewed by Brian A. Millsap . 114 Nigge, Klaus Whooping Crane: Images from the Wild •Reviewed by Paul A. Johnsgard . 114 Hornocker, Maurice, and Sharon Negri, eds. Cougar: Ecology and Conservation •Reviewed by Ora nit Gilad . 115 Popadiuk, Roman The Leadership of George Bush: An Insider\u27s View of the Forty-First President •Reviewed by Caroline Heldman . 115 Flentje, H. Edward, and Joseph A. Aistrup Kansas Politics and Government: The Clash of Political Cultures •Reviewed by Burdett A. Loomis . 116 Miller, J.R. Compact, Contract, Covenant: Aboriginal TreatyMaking in Canada •Reviewed by Sidney L. Harring . 117 Borrows, John Canada\u27s Indigenous Constitution •Reviewed by Signa A. Daum Shanks . 117 Knafla, Louis A., and Haijo Westra, eds. Aboriginal Title and Indigenous Peoples: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand •Reviewed by Dwight Newman . 118 Schick, Carol, and James McNinch, eds. I Thought Pocahontas Was a Movie : Perspectives on Race/Culture Binaries in Education and Service Professions •Reviewed by Tracy L. Friedel . 119 Work, L. Susan; Foreword by Lindsay G. Robertson The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma: A Legal History •Reviewed by Andrew K. Frank . 119 Meadows, William C. Kiowa Military Societies: Ethnohistory and Ritual •Reviewed by Gregory R. Campbell . 120 Marchildon, Gregory P., ed. Immigration and Settlement, 1870-1939 •Reviewed by Hans Werner . 121 Loewen, Royden, and Gerald Friesen Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in Twentieth-Century Canada •Reviewed by Lori Wilkinson . 121 Swearingen, William Scott, Jr. Environmental City: People, Place, Politics, and the Meaning of Modern Austin •Reviewed by Jonathan R. Wynn . 122 Long, Joshua Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas •Reviewed by Sally Caldwell . 123 Carr, Patrick J., and Maria J. Kefalas Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America •Reviewed by Peter F. Korsching . 123 NEWS AND NOTES

Great Plains Research, Spring 2011, Vol. 21, No. 1 (complete issue)

Workplace Religious Accommodation for Muslims and the Promise of State Constitutionalism • Peter J. Longo and Joan M. Blauwkamp . 3 Using Euro-American Hunting Data to Assess Western Great Plains Biogeography, 1806-35 • Cody Newton . 17 The Political Consequences of Population Consolidation in Nebraska • Diane L. Duffin . 27 Cottonwood Riparian Site Selection on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation • Julie A. Thorstenson, Diane H. Rickerl, and Janet H. Gritzner . 39 Do Invasive Riparian Woody Plants Affect Hydrology and Ecosystem Processes? • Julie A. Huddle, Tala Awada, Derrel L. Martin, Xinhua Zhou, Sue Ellen Pegg, and Scott J. Josiah . 49 Estimation of Land Surface Evapotranspiration with a Satellite Remote Sensing Procedure • Ayse Irmak, Ian Ratcliffe, Pariskhit Ranade, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Ramesh K. Singh, Babuarao Kamble, and Jeppe Kjaersgaard . 73 Health and Fertility Implications Related to Seasonal Changes in Kidney Fat Index of White-tailed Jackrabbits in South Dakota • Dustin Schaible and Charles Dieter . 89 Historic and Contemporary Trends of the Conservation Reserve Program and Ring-necked Pheasants in South Dakota • Christopher R. Laingen . 95 BOOK REVIEWS . 105 Phillips, Caroline, and Harry Allen, eds. Bridging the Divide: Indigenous Communities and Archaeology into the 21st Century • Reviewed by Larry J. Zimmerman . 105 Larson, Mary Lou, Marcel Kornfeld, and George C. Frison, eds. Hell Gap: A Stratified Paleoindian Campsite at the Edge of the Rockies • Reviewed by Jack W. Brink . 105 Dingus, Lowell, and Mark A. Norell Barnum Brown: The Man Who Discovered Tyrannosaurus rex. • Reviewed by Donald M. Henderson . 106 Nicholls, Steve Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery • Reviewed by John Herron . 107 Barrow, Mark V, Jr. Nature\u27s Ghosts: Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology • Reviewed by Peter A. Bednekoff . 107 Lovelock, James; Foreword by Martin Rees The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning • Reviewed by R.F. Diffendal, Jr . 108 Marchildon, Gregory P., ed. A Dry Oasis: Institutional Adaptation to Climate on the Canadian Plains • Reviewed by Sian Mooney . 109 Armstrong, Christopher, Matthew Evenden, and H.v. Nelles The River Returns: An Environmental History of the Bow •Reviewed by Ted Binnema and David Vogt. . 109 Helzer, Chris The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States •Reviewed by David J. Gibson . 110 Smith, Daryl, Dave Williams, Greg Houseal, and Kirk Henderson The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Prairie Restoration in the Upper Midwest •Reviewed by Gerry Steinauer . 110 Williams, Dave The Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide to Seed and Seedling Identification in the Upper Midwest •Reviewed by H.L. Hillhouse . 111 Gupta, Ram B., and Ayhan Demirbas Gasoline, Diesel, and Ethanol Biofuels from Grasses and Plants •Reviewed by Adam J. Liska . 112 Reaume, Tom 620 Wild Plants of North America: Fully Illustrated Reviewed by MarkJ. Leoschke . 112 Janovy, John, Jr. Pieces of the Plains: Memories and Predictions from the Heart of America Reviewed by Mark Hammer . 113 Cartron, Jean-Luc E., ed. Raptors of New Mexico Reviewed by Brian A. Millsap . 114 Nigge, Klaus Whooping Crane: Images from the Wild •Reviewed by Paul A. Johnsgard . 114 Hornocker, Maurice, and Sharon Negri, eds. Cougar: Ecology and Conservation •Reviewed by Ora nit Gilad . 115 Popadiuk, Roman The Leadership of George Bush: An Insider\u27s View of the Forty-First President •Reviewed by Caroline Heldman . 115 Flentje, H. Edward, and Joseph A. Aistrup Kansas Politics and Government: The Clash of Political Cultures •Reviewed by Burdett A. Loomis . 116 Miller, J.R. Compact, Contract, Covenant: Aboriginal TreatyMaking in Canada •Reviewed by Sidney L. Harring . 117 Borrows, John Canada\u27s Indigenous Constitution •Reviewed by Signa A. Daum Shanks . 117 Knafla, Louis A., and Haijo Westra, eds. Aboriginal Title and Indigenous Peoples: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand •Reviewed by Dwight Newman . 118 Schick, Carol, and James McNinch, eds. I Thought Pocahontas Was a Movie : Perspectives on Race/Culture Binaries in Education and Service Professions •Reviewed by Tracy L. Friedel . 119 Work, L. Susan; Foreword by Lindsay G. Robertson The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma: A Legal History •Reviewed by Andrew K. Frank . 119 Meadows, William C. Kiowa Military Societies: Ethnohistory and Ritual •Reviewed by Gregory R. Campbell . 120 Marchildon, Gregory P., ed. Immigration and Settlement, 1870-1939 •Reviewed by Hans Werner . 121 Loewen, Royden, and Gerald Friesen Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in Twentieth-Century Canada •Reviewed by Lori Wilkinson . 121 Swearingen, William Scott, Jr. Environmental City: People, Place, Politics, and the Meaning of Modern Austin •Reviewed by Jonathan R. Wynn . 122 Long, Joshua Weird City: Sense of Place and Creative Resistance in Austin, Texas •Reviewed by Sally Caldwell . 123 Carr, Patrick J., and Maria J. Kefalas Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America •Reviewed by Peter F. Korsching . 123 NEWS AND NOTES