Validation of TRMM-3B42 precipitation product over the tropical Indian Ocean using rain gauge data from the RAMA buoy array

In the present study, an attempt has been made to validate the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA)-3B42 recently released version 7 product over the tropical Indian Ocean using surface rain gauges from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory Research Moored Array for African–Asian–Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction buoy array available since late 2004. The validation exercise is carried out at daily scale for an 8-year period of 2004–2011. Results show statistically significant linear correlation between these two precipitation estimates ranging from 0.40 to 0.89 and the root-mean-square error varies from about 1 to 22 mm day^?1. Although systematic overestimation of precipitation by the TMPA product is evident over most of the buoy locations, the TMPA noticeably underestimates higher (more than 100 mm day^?1) and light (less than 0.5 mm day^?1) precipitation events. The highest correlation is observed during the southwest monsoon season (June–September) even though bias is the maximum possibly due to relatively lower fraction of stratiform precipitation during the monsoon season than other seasons. Furthermore, the TMPA estimates slightly underestimate or misses intermittent warm precipitation events as compared to the precipitation radar derived precipitation rates.     

Comparison of the Bowen ratio-energy balance and stability-corrected aerodynamic methods for measurement of evapotranspiration

Summary The Bowen ratio-energy balance (BREB) and the stability-corrected aerodynamic method were used to estimate turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat at an irrigated alfalfa site in a semi-arid valley in northern Utah, U.S.A., during August and September of 1991. Despite inclusion of a generalized stability factor, the aerodynamic method underestimated the daytime (sunrise-sunset) sensible and latent heat fluxes by approximately 30% in comparison with the BREB method. The sum of the aerodynamic estimates of sensible and latent heat seldom balanced the energy avaiable from net radiation and change in storage. Wind speed was low during the experiment (averaging 1.6 m s^–1), and so a second analysis was run for data from daytime, non-rainy, turbulent conditions (wind > 1.5 m s^–1). This showed that sensible and latent heat were still underestimated by approximately 30% in comparison with the BREB approach. This suggests that underestimation of sensible and latent heat fluxes by the aerodynamic method was not related to the wind speed conditions during the experiment. These results show that the stability-corrected aerodynamic model did not agree with the Bowen ratio method in this experiment. It appears unlikely that the discrepancies resulted from measurement errors. Perhaps the theoretical foundation of the similarity parameters (stability functions) in the aerodynamic model are not sufficiently generalized. The discrepancies found here confirm the necessity of calibration checks on the validity of aerodynamic estimates of the turbulent fluxes.With 7 Figures     

Surface fluxes estimation over agricultural areas. Comparisonof methods and the effects of land surface inhomogeneity

Summary  The Bowen Ratio-Energy Balance (BREB) and the aerodynamic method were used to estimate turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat flux over an irrigated agricultural area (IAA) and over two dry agricultural areas (DAA1 and DAA2). These turbulent fluxes were analysed and particular attention paid to two specific areas. First, a quantitative analysis of sensible and latent heat fluxes obtained by the BREB method was carried out, taking into account different soil type, vegetation and surface conditions. The results showed that in IAA latent heat flux was higher than sensible heat flux, except in summer months, while in DAA1 and DAA2, sensible heat flux was higher except in the months when the vegetation was at the stage of maximum development. Second, sensible and latent heat fluxes estimates from the BREB method were compared with those obtained from the aerodynamic method. In this comparison factors such as soil type, soil vegetation cover, homogeneity or inhomogeneity of terrain and mesoscale effects such as orography and wind patterns were taken into account. The results show that in conditions of light wind, the two methods only concur if the condition of horizontal homogeniety is fulfilled. The influence of inhomogeneity seems to decrease and agreement between methods improves, if the wind is stronger and the effects of meso and synoptic scales are predominant. Received May 18, 1999/Revised March 15, 2000     

The atmospheric component of the Mediterranean Sea water budget in a WRF multi-physics ensemble and observations

The use of high resolution atmosphere–ocean coupled regional climate models to study possible future climate changes in the Mediterranean Sea requires an accurate simulation of the atmospheric component of the water budget (i.e., evaporation, precipitation and runoff). A specific configuration of the version 3.1 of the weather research and forecasting (WRF) regional climate model was shown to systematically overestimate the Mediterranean Sea water budget mainly due to an excess of evaporation (~1,450 mm yr^?1) compared with observed estimations (~1,150 mm yr^?1). In this article, a 70-member multi-physics ensemble is used to try to understand the relative importance of various sub-grid scale processes in the Mediterranean Sea water budget and to evaluate its representation by comparing simulated results with observed-based estimates. The physics ensemble was constructed by performing 70 1-year long simulations using version 3.3 of the WRF model by combining six cumulus, four surface/planetary boundary layer and three radiation schemes. Results show that evaporation variability across the multi-physics ensemble (～10 % of the mean evaporation) is dominated by the choice of the surface layer scheme that explains more than ～70 % of the total variance and that the overestimation of evaporation in WRF simulations is generally related with an overestimation of surface exchange coefficients due to too large values of the surface roughness parameter and/or the simulation of too unstable surface conditions. Although the influence of radiation schemes on evaporation variability is small (～13 % of the total variance), radiation schemes strongly influence exchange coefficients and vertical humidity gradients near the surface due to modifications of temperature lapse rates. The precipitation variability across the physics ensemble (～35 % of the mean precipitation) is dominated by the choice of both cumulus (～55 % of the total variance) and planetary boundary layer (～32 % of the total variance) schemes with a strong regional dependence. Most members of the ensemble underestimate total precipitation amounts with biases as large as 250 mm yr^?1 over the whole Mediterranean Sea compared with ERA Interim reanalysis mainly due to an underestimation of the number of wet days. The larger number of dry days in simulations is associated with a deficit in the activation of cumulus schemes. Both radiation and planetary boundary layer schemes influence precipitation through modifications on the available water vapor in the boundary layer generally tied with changes in evaporation.     

农田蒸散量计算方法的比较研究

根据观测资料,采用波文比法、廓线梯度法和综合阻地等分别计算了农田植被层上的蒸散量,并对比分析了不同方法之间的相对误差和相关程度。结果表明,用波文比法计算的潜热通量存在系统性偏小的现象,而工法和综合阻抗法的计算结果比较一致。文中还讨论了不同方法的优缺点和产生误差的可能原因。     

Estimation of evapotranspiration based on only air temperature data using artificial neural networks for a subtropical climate in Iran

This paper examines the potential for the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to estimate the reference crop evapotranspiration (ET₀) based on air temperature data under humid subtropical conditions on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea situated in the north of Iran. The input variables for the networks were the maximum and minimum air temperature and extraterrestrial radiation. The temperature data were obtained from eight meteorological stations with a range of latitude, longitude, and elevation throughout the study area. A comparison of the estimates provided by the ANNs and by Hargreaves equation was also conducted. The FAO-56 Penman–Monteith model was used as a reference model for assessing the performance of the two approaches. The results of this study showed that ANNs using air temperature data successfully estimated the daily ET₀ and that the ANNs with an R ² of 0.95 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.41 mm day^?1 simulated ET₀ better than the Hargreaves equation, which had an R ² of 0.91 and a RMSE of 0.51 mm day^?1.     

利用变分法计算西北典型干旱区地表通量的研究

利用2000年5～6月在敦煌进行的陆面过程野外观测试验加强期的观测资料,采用变分法计算了西北干旱区荒漠戈壁的地表感热通量和潜热通量,并与Bowen比能量平衡方法(简称BREB法)的结果进行了对比.结果表明:变分法由于同时应用了地表能量平衡方程和相似性廓线方程,充分利用了边界层观测资料的信息,避免了BREB法中出现在Bowen比接近于-1时产生的计算不稳定和虚假的峰值,使计算的通量结果更趋合理和稳定.同时也计算了动量和感热的总体输送系数,与已有结果比较表明也具有合理性.     

盘锦芦苇湿地水热通量计算方法的比较研究

利用2005年7月盘锦芦苇湿地生长旺季的小气候梯度系统30 min观测资料和开放式涡动相关系统10Hz原始观测资料,比较并分析了廓线法、波文比能量平衡法与涡动相关法计算的芦苇湿地生态系统水热通量。结果表明:廓线法与波文比能量平衡法计算的芦苇湿地生态系统水热通量与涡动相关法得到的芦苇湿地生态系统水热通量具有较好的相关性,但是涡动相关法存在能量不平衡。分析盘锦芦苇湿地生态系统水热通量的日变化发现,能量平衡各分量基本上以正午为中心,呈倒“U”型分布。用波文比法计算得到的芦苇湿地生态系统日感热通量最大值为164.25 W.m-2,日潜热通量最大值为294.18 W.m-2。降雨之后,芦苇湿地生态系统水热通量都有所增加,尤其是潜热通量增加显著,且峰值出现时间提前。     

Energy balance comparison of the Hartheim forest and an adjacent grassland site during the HartX experiment

Summary Energy balance components over a grassland surface were compared to those obtained above an adjacent, uniform Scots pine plantation during a five-day period of fine, sunny, spring weather. Soils were judged to contain ample water. Shortwave and total radiation flux densities were measured at both sites with pyranometers and total pyrradiometers. Soil heat flux densities were measured with heat flux plates at both sites, and additional storage changes were estimated for air and canopy at the forest site. The forest gained more shortwave energy than the grassland during daytime because of its lower albedo, but it lost more longwave radiation at night. The turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent energy were evaluated with the Bowen ratio energy balance (BREB) method at both sites. Temperature and humidity gradients were measured with fixed psychrometers at the grassland site, and with interchanging psychrometers at the forest site. Mean daily evapotranspiration (ET) averaged 2.26 mm over the five days for the Scots pine, or only 57 percent of the 3.94 mm measured at the grassland site. The mean Bowen ratios were 2.6 and 0.8, respectively.An error analysis was carried out for the BREB estimates of latent heat flux at the two sites. For a given error in latent heat flux and at a specified Bowen ratio the demands on accuracy of dry- and wet-bulb temperature gradients above the rough forest canopy was found to be 10 times higher than above the smoother grassland. If additionally the observed differences in transpiration rates between the two sites were taken into account, the precision for temperature gradient measurements above the slowly transpiring forest becomes fortyfold greater than required above the rapidly transpiring grass. At present, BREB precision requirements for gradients above rougher, drier canopies appear achievable only through use of specialized instrumentation, such as measurement systems that incorporate interchangeable psychrometers into their design.With 9 Figures     

A comparison of bowen ratio and eddy correlation sensible and latent heat flux measurements above deciduous forest

Sensible and latent heat flux densities (H and E) were measured above a mature, 18 m deciduous forest during July and August, 1988, using the Bowen ratio-energy balance (BREB) and eddy correlation (EC) methods. EC estimates ofH and E underestimated day-time surface available energy by 11%. EC also partitioned available energy differently than BREB. for/L<0.0, EC favouredH and BREB favoured E. Practical and theoretical limitations of the BREB and EC methods above forests are discussed. The most plausible causes for the failure of EC to close the surface energy balance are a low frequency loss of flux and the failure of a single point measurement to account for the spatial dispersive flux. The most plausible causes of the EC-BREB energy partitioning anomaly are the invalidity of the BREB similarity assumption and the violation of flux-gradient diffusion assumptions in the near-field diffusion region.     

Evaporation from the reservoir of the High Aswan Dam, Egypt: A new comparison of relevant methods with limited data

Summary Previous estimates of average annual evaporation from the lake formed by the High Dam at Aswan, Egypt, fall in the range from 4.65 mm d^–1 to 7.95 mm d^–1. The difference between these limits, more than 7 billion m³ yr^–1 at the highest storage level, is nearly one-eighth the share by treaty of Egypt, and more than one-third of the share of the Sudan. It is also more than the estimated increase of the annual water need for Egypt between 1990 and 2000. This state of affairs renders proper management of the river flow for the sake of Egypt and the Sudan quite difficult. This paper compares the relevant methods of estimating evaporation from the limited data available.These methods are:water-balance, energy budget, bulk aerodynamic (Dalton),combination (Penman) andComplementary Relations Lake Evaporation (CRLE) model (Morton). The new estimates have a much narrower range, from 5.70 mm d^–1 to 7.05 mm d^–1, or only a bit more than 4% of the annual Nile flow below the High Aswan Dam. The average of these annual estimates of evaporation, after excluding the bulk aerodynamic method because of its severe limitations, is 6.0 ± 0.3 mm d^–1 or 20% less than the 7.5 mm d^–1 adopted by the irrigation authorities in Egypt and the Sudan. This difference corresponds to 3 billion m³ yr^–1 at the highest storage level or more than 5% of the annual outflow from the reservoir. Even when the higher estimates from the bulk aerodynamic method and from the Penman method with its usual wind function are included, the new average is still 15% less than the figure of 7.5 mm d^–1. The monthly distribution of the annual evaporation varies more widely with the method applied. Similar comparative studies in future, aiming at obtaining improved estimates of evaporation, require all the data relevant to all the methods to be collected properly for a common period of several years at relatively stable lake level.With 1 Figure     

内蒙古半干旱草原能量物质交换的微气象方法估算

根据1998年5～8月和1999年8月在中国科学院内蒙古草原生态系统定位试验站进行微气象观测的资料,作者分析了该地区能量平衡及其各分量的基本特征.结果表明:(1)净辐射通量的转化形式有明显的季节性变化,5～6月份,净辐射能大部分用于感热交换,而后期则多用于潜热交换,5～8月份的日波文比值分别为1.26,1.42,0 41和0.20.(2)观测期间,波文比的日变化特征表现为,早晚变化大不稳定,而白天则相对稳定.(3)用涡度相关方法观测的感热和潜热通量之和与同期的净辐射相比较,前者的结果偏小1 5%左右,两种方法观测到的潜热通量的差异达平均35%左右.(4)半干旱草原CO2通量有明显的日变化,在生长旺期,白天CO2通量强度可达到1.5 mg s-1m-2以上,但在生长后期,1998年和1999年8月份的白天CO2通量强度分别为0.38 mg s-1m-2和0.2 mg s-1m-2左右;其差异与草地土壤水分和植物长势有关.     

Estimating daily pan evaporation using artificial neural network in a semi-arid environment

The objective of this study was to test an artificial neural network (ANN) for estimating the evaporation from pan (E _Pan) as a function of air temperature data in the Safiabad Agricultural Research Center (SARC) located in Khuzestan plain in the southwest of Iran. The ANNs (multilayer perceptron type) were trained to estimate E _Pan as a function of the maximum and minimum air temperature and extraterrestrial radiation. The data used in the network training were obtained from a historical series (1996–2001) of daily climatic data collected in weather station of SARC. The empirical Hargreaves equation (HG) is also considered for the comparison. The HG equation calibrated for converting grass evapotranspiration to open water evaporation by applying the same data used for neural network training. Two historical series (2002–2003) were utilized to test the network and for comparison between the ANN and calibrated Hargreaves method. The results show that both empirical and neural network methods provided closer agreement with the measured values (R ²?>?0.88 and RMSE?<?1.2 mm day^?1), but the ANN method gave better estimates than the calibrated Hargreaves method.     

A comparison of different methods of estimating energy‐limited evapotranspiration in the peace river region of British Columbia

Abstract

The performances of eight methods for estimating daily energy‐limited evapotranspiration (E_e) were compared with reliable values for the Peace River region of British Columbia. They included the methods of Priestley and Taylor (PT), Jensen and Haise (JH), Hargreaves (H) and Makkink (M), the first and second equations of Baier and Robertson (BR1 and BR2), and the modified methods of Blaney and Criddle (BC) and Thornthwaite (T). The reference data were obtained from previous workers, who in 1977 and 1979 made micrometeorological measurements of E_e using the Bowen ratio method.

The relationships between estimated and measured E_e values excluding the T method in 1977 had correlation coefficients (R) ranging from 0.65 to 0.84. These were not significantly different at the 5% level. The Standard Errors of the Estimate (SEE) ranged from 0.43 to 1.69 mm d^?1. The PT, JH, BR1 and T methods had low SEE values, whereas the BR2, H, BC and M methods had high SEE values. Six of the eight methods (PT, JH, H, M, BR2 and BC) were calibrated for local conditions using 1979 data. After calibration, the methods were tested with the 1977 data. The results indicated significant improvement in the fit of four of the methods (H, M, BR2 and BC). Overall, it was concluded that after calibration, six of the eight methods had predictive power and fit that were not significantly different at the 5% level.     

The water and energy balances of Perch Lake (1969–1980)

Abstract

Since 1969, meteorological and limnological measurements required for evaporation estimates by the energy budget method have been made almost continuously during the open water season at Perch Lake, a small (0.45 km²), shallow (mean depth 2 m) lake on the Canadian Shield. Hydrological measurements required for water budget calculations have been made continuously since 1970. Since ground water input to the lake has been found to be significant, energy budget estimates of evaporation are used in the water budget equation to estimate ground water inflow. Results are summarized as the long‐term averages along with the ranges of variation of the budget components observed during the eleven‐year period.     

The estimation of the energy balance of a lake from simple weather data

The energy balance of a lake with an area of approximately 46000 ha and a depth of 3 m has been estimated from simple weather data measured along the perimeter of the lake. These measurements are dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity, both at 1.5-m height, windspeed at 3-m height and sunshine duration. The estimated energy balance values were compared with the values computed from the measurements at the station situated at the centre of the lake. At this station, net radiation, water temperature, dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperature at a height of 2 m were measured. It is possible to estimate the daily evaporation from the lake with an error of 0.6 mm day^–1, if the location of measurement is downwind from the lake.     

Bowen ratio/energy balance technique for estimating crop net CO2 assimilation,and comparison with a canopy chamber

Summary This paper describes a Bowen ratio/energy balance (BREB) system which, in conjunction with an infra-red gas analyzer (IRGA), is referred to as BREB+ and is used to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) and net CO₂ flux (NCF) over crop canopies. The system is composed of a net radiometer, soil heat flux plates, two psychrometers based on platinum resistance thermometers (PRT), bridge circuits to measure resistances, an IRGA, air pumps and switching valves, and a data logger. The psychrometers are triple shielded and aspirated, and with aspiration also between the two inner shields. High resistance (1 000 ohm) PRT's are used for dry and wet bulbs to minimize errors due to wiring and connector resistances. A high (55 K ohm) fixed resistance serves as one arm of the resistance bridge to ensure linearity in output signals. To minimize gaps in data, to allow measurements at short (e.g., 5 min) intervals, and to simplify operation, the psychrometers were fixed at their upper and lower position over the crop and not alternated. Instead, the PRT's, connected to the bridge circuit and the data logger, were carefully calibrated together. Field tests using a common air source showed appartent effects of the local environment around each psychrometer on the temperatures measured. ET rates estimated with the BREB system were compared to those measured with large lysimeters. Daily totals agreed within 5%. There was a tendency, however, for the lysimeter measurements to lag behind the BREB measurements. Daily patterns ofNCF estimated with the BREB+ system are consistent with expectations from theories and data in the literature. Side-by-side comparisons with a stirred Mylar canopy chamber showed similarNCF patterns. On the other hand, discrepancies between the results of the two methods were quite marked in the morning or afternoon on certain dates. Part of the discrepancies may be attributed to inaccuracies in the psychrometric temperature measurements. Other possible causes include the highly artificial air turbulence in the canopy chamber and possible associated stomatal response. More work is necessary to identify conclusively the causes. In spite of these uncertainties, the BREB+ technique appears well suited for the automated and simultaneous tracking of photosynthetic performance and water economy of crops in their virtually undisturbed natural environment.To whom reprint requests should be sent.With 7 Figures     

Radiative surface temperature and energy balance of a wheat canopy

The sensible heat loss from a stand of winter wheat was calculated from radiometric measurements of crop surface temperature, measurements of air temperature, and an atmospheric resistance to momentum transfer; corresponding latent heat flux was obtained through the energy balance equation. These estimates of sensible and latent heat were compared with fluxes from the Bowen Ratio method. When radiative temperature was derived using a measured canopy emissivity of 0.98, calculations of sensible heat flux were systematically 50–100 W m^-2 less than Bowen Ratio values. The two techniques agreed more closely when an apparent emissivity of 0.96 was used with an apparent reflectivity of 0.03. The mean difference between the estimates of latent heat flux was then -16 ± 32 W m^-2.The surface temperature method showed less systematic error in comparison with the Bowen Ratio values than did estimates using the aerodynamic method.On leave from: University of Nottingham, School of Agriculture, Loughborough LE12 5RD.     

Validating a rapid-update satellite precipitation analysis across telescoping space and time scales

In order to properly utilize remotely sensed precipitation estimates in hydrometeorological applications, knowledge of the accuracy of the estimates are needed. However, relatively few ground validation networks operate with the necessary spatial density and time-resolution required for validation of high-resolution precipitation products (HRPP) generated at fine space and time scales (e.g., hourly accumulations produced on a 0.25° spatial scale). In this article, we examine over-land validation statistics for an operationally designed, meteorological satellite-based global rainfall analysis that blends intermittent passive microwave-derived rainfall estimates aboard a variety of low Earth-orbiting satellite platforms with sub-hourly time sampling capabilities of visible and infrared imagers aboard operational geostationary platforms. The validation dataset is comprised of raingauge data collected from the dense, nearly homogeneous, 1-min reporting Automated Weather Station (network of the Korean Meteorological Administration during the June to August 2000 summer monsoon season. The space-time RMS error, mean bias, and correlation matrices were computed using various time windows for the gauge averaging, centered about the satellite observation time. For ±10 min time window, a correlation of 0.6 was achieved at 0.1° spatial scale by averaging more than 3 days; coarsening the spatial scale to 1.8° produced the same correlation by averaging over 1 h. Finer than approximately 24-h and 1° time and space scales, respectively, a rapid decay of the error statistics was obtained by trading-off either spatial or time resolution. Beyond a daily time scale, the blended estimates were nearly unbiased and with an RMS error of no worse than 1 mm day^?1.     

Increasing trend of northeast monsoon rainfall over the equatorial Indian Ocean and peninsular India

Peninsular India and Sri Lanka receive major part of their annual rainfall during the northeast monsoon season (October–December). The long-term trend in the northeast monsoon rainfall over the Indian Ocean and peninsular India is examined in the vicinity of global warming scenario using the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) dataset available for the period 1979–2010. The result shows a significant increasing trend in rainfall rate of about 0.5 mm day^?1 decade^?1 over a large region bounded by 10 °S–10 °N and 55 °E–100 °E. The interannual variability of seasonal rainfall rate over peninsular India using conventional rain gauge data is also investigated in conjunction to the Indian Ocean dipole. The homogeneous rain gauge data developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology over peninsular India also exhibit the considerable upward rainfall trend of about 0.4 mm day^?1 decade^?1 during this period. The associated outgoing longwave radiation shows coherent decrease in the order of 2 W?m^?2 decade^?1 over the rainfall increase region.