Soil moisture memory is a key component of seasonal predictability. However, uncertainty in current memory estimates is not clear and it is not obvious to what extent these are dependent on model uncertainties. To address this question, we perform a global sensitivity analysis of memory to key hydraulic parameters, using an uncoupled version of the H-TESSEL land surface model. Results show sign...

Modelling solute transport in an unsaturated zone (vadose) depends very much on the simulation of soil moisture and moisture fluxes, which are strongly influenced by precipitation, evapotranspiration, surface runoff and land-surface properties. To provide good approximations of soil moisture and moisture fluxes, a model capable of simulating land-surface processes is required. In this study, a ...

Accurate land surface process modelling might be limited due to lack of reliable model input data. Key surface variables as land cover information or soil moisture conditions have been proven to be observable by remote sensing systems. The integration of remote sensing data into land surface process models might therefore help to improve their simulations results. Longer wavelength SAR data has...

To improve the understanding of water–vegetation relationships, direct comparative studies assessing the utility of satellite remotely sensed soil moisture, gridded precipitation products, and land surface model output are needed. A case study was investigated for a water-limited, lateral inflow receiving area in northeastern Australia during December 2008 to May 2009. In January 2009, monthly ...

[1] Summer soil moisture increased significantly from 1958 to the mid 1990s in Ukraine and Russia. This trend cannot be explained by changes in precipitation and temperature alone. To investigate the possible contribution from solar dimming and upward CO2 trends, we conducted experiments with a sophisticated land surface model. We demonstrate, by imposing a downward trend in incoming shortwave ...

Land–atmosphere (LA) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of both planetary boundary layer (PBL) and land surface heat andmoisture budgets, aswell as controlling feedbackswith clouds and precipitation that lead to the persistence of dry and wet regimes. In this study, the authors examine the impact of improved specification of land surface states, anomalies, an...

Accurate latent and sensible heat flux prediction in response to land surface soil moisture at midlatitudes has been shown to be as important as sea surface temperature in making accurate precipitation prediction at mid-latitudes over land (Koster et al., 2000). Unfortunately, land surface models typically give a poor prediction of soil moisture and atmospheric feedback, with large differences ...

Recent studies have shown that a variety of remote sensing techniques may be used for the estimation of soil moisture over large areas. The shallow moisture sensing depth of passive microwave measurements, however, limits the use of remotely sensed soil moisture for many land–atmosphere interaction studies. In this study, a method is proposed for soil moisture profile estimation by sequential a...

Knowledge of surface hydrology is essential for many applications, including studies that aim to understand permafrost response to changing climate and the associated feedback mechanisms. Advanced remote sensing techniques make it possible to retrieve a range of land-surface variables, including radar retrieved soil moisture (SSM). It has been pointed out before that soil moisture retrieval fro...

A distributed land-surface model is used to simulate the seasonal cycle of snow cover for a high-latitude basin. In comparison with the distributed model, a simulation using surface parameters and meteorological data averaged over the entire basin overestimates the peak snow accumulation and underestimates the duration of snow cover. Dividing the basin into a small number of elevation bands and...