Variable Soil Moisture Feedback Associated with Short-Spell Heavy Rainfall Events during Onset and Active Phases of the Indian Summer Monsoon

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Titel: Variable Soil Moisture Feedback Associated with Short-Spell Heavy Rainfall Events during Onset and Active Phases of the Indian Summer Monsoon
Autoren: Hara Prasad Nayak, K. K. Osuri, U. C. Mohanty, Yongkang Xue, A. K. Das, Mukesh Kumar, D. Niyogi
Quelle: Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology. 64:317-337
Verlagsinformationen: American Meteorological Society, 2025.
Publikationsjahr: 2025
Schlagwörter: 0207 environmental engineering, 02 engineering and technology, 01 natural sciences, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Beschreibung: This study investigates the influence of land surface processes on short-spell monsoonal heavy rainfall events under varying soil wetness conditions in India, using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with two land surface schemes: Noah and SLAB. To represent contrasting soil conditions, four rainfall events are chosen, two in onset (June) and two in active (August) months, during the Indian summer monsoon season. The results indicate that rainfall sensitivity differs notably between onset and active cases. Specifically, in onset, the SLAB overpredicts rainfall to the north of the storm compared to the Noah. The northward displacement of rainfall is attributed to the sensitivity of evapotranspiration to the preferential soil moisture regime in onset. Furthermore, the higher surface air saturation deficit in onset favors plant transpiration, resulting in increased boundary layer moisture. This contributes to enhanced moist static energy, thereby affecting potential vorticity and precipitation. In contrast, evapotranspiration sensitivity is modest during active months, under wet soil and lower surface air saturation deficit conditions. The study reveals the distinct soil moisture feedback mechanisms during the onset and active phases, through variations in evapotranspiration sensitivity. Variations in soil moisture and surface air saturation deficit in these phases play a crucial role in modulating evapotranspiration, which in turn affects precipitation. These findings underscore the importance of land surface initialization and land data assimilation in land–atmosphere interaction studies.
Publikationsart: Article
ISSN: 1558-8432
1558-8424
DOI: 10.1175/jamc-d-24-0002.1
Rights: URL: http://www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses
Dokumentencode: edsair.doi...........c44088276c903371fe3a69f8ab02f8c9
Datenbank: OpenAIRE
Beschreibung
Abstract:This study investigates the influence of land surface processes on short-spell monsoonal heavy rainfall events under varying soil wetness conditions in India, using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with two land surface schemes: Noah and SLAB. To represent contrasting soil conditions, four rainfall events are chosen, two in onset (June) and two in active (August) months, during the Indian summer monsoon season. The results indicate that rainfall sensitivity differs notably between onset and active cases. Specifically, in onset, the SLAB overpredicts rainfall to the north of the storm compared to the Noah. The northward displacement of rainfall is attributed to the sensitivity of evapotranspiration to the preferential soil moisture regime in onset. Furthermore, the higher surface air saturation deficit in onset favors plant transpiration, resulting in increased boundary layer moisture. This contributes to enhanced moist static energy, thereby affecting potential vorticity and precipitation. In contrast, evapotranspiration sensitivity is modest during active months, under wet soil and lower surface air saturation deficit conditions. The study reveals the distinct soil moisture feedback mechanisms during the onset and active phases, through variations in evapotranspiration sensitivity. Variations in soil moisture and surface air saturation deficit in these phases play a crucial role in modulating evapotranspiration, which in turn affects precipitation. These findings underscore the importance of land surface initialization and land data assimilation in land–atmosphere interaction studies.
ISSN:15588432
15588424
DOI:10.1175/jamc-d-24-0002.1