Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather Predictions

Green vegetation fraction (GVF) is one of the input parameters of the Noah land surface model (LSM) that is the land component of a number of operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of NOAA. The Noah LSM in current NCEP operat...

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Main Authors: Li Fang, Xiwu Zhan, Christopher R. Hain, Jicheng Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Advances in Meteorology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/9256396
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author Li Fang
Xiwu Zhan
Christopher R. Hain
Jicheng Liu
author_facet Li Fang
Xiwu Zhan
Christopher R. Hain
Jicheng Liu
author_sort Li Fang
collection DOAJ
description Green vegetation fraction (GVF) is one of the input parameters of the Noah land surface model (LSM) that is the land component of a number of operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of NOAA. The Noah LSM in current NCEP operational NWP models has been using static multiyear averages of monthly GVF derived from satellite observations of NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) normalized difference vegetation index. The multiyear averages of GVF are evidently not the representative of actual conditions of the land surface vegetation cover. This study used a near-real-time (NRT) GVF data set generated from the 8-day composite of the leaf area index product from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to assess the impact of NRT GVF on off-line Noah LSM simulations and NWP forecast model. Simulations of the off-line Noah LSM in the Land Information System (LIS) and weather forecasts of the NASA-Unified Weather and Research Forecasting (NUWRF) were obtained using either the static multiyear average AVHRR GVF data set or the NRT MODIS GVF while meteorological forcing data and other settings were kept the same. The off-line simulations and WRF forecasts were then compared against in situ measurements or reanalysis products to assess the impact of using NRT GVF. Improvements of both soil moisture simulations as well as forecasts of 2-meter air temperature and humidity and precipitation from NUWRF were observed using the NRT GVF data products. The RMSE in SM estimates from the off-line Noah model is reduced by around 1.0% (1.41%) during the green-up phase and by 1.48% (2.24%) over the senescence phase for the surface (root zone) SM simulations. Around 82.3% validation sites (out of 1178 sites) showed positive impact on coupled WRF model with the insertion of NRT GVF.
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spelling doaj-art-42d36068cd5041949d6484f448d5ed4b2025-02-03T05:53:06ZengWileyAdvances in Meteorology1687-93091687-93172018-01-01201810.1155/2018/92563969256396Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather PredictionsLi Fang0Xiwu Zhan1Christopher R. Hain2Jicheng Liu3Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, 5825 University Research Court, College Park, MD 20740, USANOAA/NESDIS/STAR, 5830 University Research Court, College Park, MD 20740, USANASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, AL 35812, USAEarth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, 5825 University Research Court, College Park, MD 20740, USAGreen vegetation fraction (GVF) is one of the input parameters of the Noah land surface model (LSM) that is the land component of a number of operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of NOAA. The Noah LSM in current NCEP operational NWP models has been using static multiyear averages of monthly GVF derived from satellite observations of NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) normalized difference vegetation index. The multiyear averages of GVF are evidently not the representative of actual conditions of the land surface vegetation cover. This study used a near-real-time (NRT) GVF data set generated from the 8-day composite of the leaf area index product from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to assess the impact of NRT GVF on off-line Noah LSM simulations and NWP forecast model. Simulations of the off-line Noah LSM in the Land Information System (LIS) and weather forecasts of the NASA-Unified Weather and Research Forecasting (NUWRF) were obtained using either the static multiyear average AVHRR GVF data set or the NRT MODIS GVF while meteorological forcing data and other settings were kept the same. The off-line simulations and WRF forecasts were then compared against in situ measurements or reanalysis products to assess the impact of using NRT GVF. Improvements of both soil moisture simulations as well as forecasts of 2-meter air temperature and humidity and precipitation from NUWRF were observed using the NRT GVF data products. The RMSE in SM estimates from the off-line Noah model is reduced by around 1.0% (1.41%) during the green-up phase and by 1.48% (2.24%) over the senescence phase for the surface (root zone) SM simulations. Around 82.3% validation sites (out of 1178 sites) showed positive impact on coupled WRF model with the insertion of NRT GVF.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/9256396
spellingShingle Li Fang
Xiwu Zhan
Christopher R. Hain
Jicheng Liu
Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather Predictions
Advances in Meteorology
title Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather Predictions
title_full Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather Predictions
title_fullStr Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather Predictions
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather Predictions
title_short Impact of Using Near Real-Time Green Vegetation Fraction in Noah Land Surface Model of NOAA NCEP on Numerical Weather Predictions
title_sort impact of using near real time green vegetation fraction in noah land surface model of noaa ncep on numerical weather predictions
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/9256396
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AT christopherrhain impactofusingnearrealtimegreenvegetationfractioninnoahlandsurfacemodelofnoaanceponnumericalweatherpredictions
AT jichengliu impactofusingnearrealtimegreenvegetationfractioninnoahlandsurfacemodelofnoaanceponnumericalweatherpredictions