Using ARM and Mesonet data to test COAMPS Soil-Vegetation Physics

Comprehensive surface observations and soil-vegetation data collected at the Oklahoma ARM central station are utilized to test the recently installed soil-vegetation physics in the Navy's Coupled Ocean/Atmospheric Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS). The soil-vegetation physics code was developed by the Center of Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS) at the University of Oklahoma based on Noilhan (1989). A column version of the code is extracted and installed into COAMPS with minor modifications. The ARM data include surface wind, temperature, humidity, solar and longwave radiations, eddy correlation fluxes, Bowen ratio energy balance fluxes, soil heat flux, soil temperature and water content. These data provide not only the necessary boundary conditions (in the vertical) for the time-integration of the column model but also the key internal parameters to verify the model's prediction. The detailed results and related problems will be reported at the conference. Currently, the COAMPS soil-vegetation physics is being further improved and will be tested with both ARM data and Oklahoma Mesonet data.