Impact of SGP97 remotely-sensed soil moisture data on coupled land-surface/atmosphere model (MM5-SHEELS) simulations

In this study, the effects of the remotely-sensed SGP97 (Southern Great Plains 1997 Hydrology Experiment) soil moisture data are investigated during a six-day simulation from 11 to 16 July 1997 over the Little Washita watershed, Oklahoma. The simulations are carried out by dynamic updating of the surface water content with the SGP97 ESTAR (Electronically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer) daily mappings and also with two climatological values at initial time. To minimize the uncertainty in vegetation cover and soil texture, the Landsat TM satellite observation (30 m resolution) and the STATSGO(1 km resolution) data are used. The simulations are compared with multiple sources of field measurements over the Little Washita area, including latent and sensisble heat fluxes, skin temperature, wind, precipiation, and plantenary boundary layer height. The results demonstrate the general trend of improvment in simulation by incorprating the SGP97 ESTAR data. It is indiative that the utility of remotely sensed environmental status may provide an essential approach for improving mesoscale simulation by systematically evaluating and updating the surface characteristics.