Articles | Volume 24, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3857-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3857-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Mar 2024
Research article |
| 28 Mar 2024
| 28 Mar 2024
Influence of lower-tropospheric moisture on local soil moisture–precipitation feedback over the US Southern Great Plains
Gaoyun Wang
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
The High School Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
Rong Fu
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Paul A. Dirmeyer
Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Joseph A. Santanello
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Guiling Wang
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Kaighin McColl
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Related authors
No articles found.
Sarah Worden and Rong Fu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8529–8552, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8529-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8529-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how the rainy seasons begin in the equatorial Congo Basin in Africa. Using satellite observations and climate data, we found they are triggered by shifts in large-scale winds that bring in ocean moisture. Evapotranspiration from forests supplies most atmospheric moisture but does not change during this period. These winds push atmospheric moisture up against the East African Rift mountains to moisten the atmosphere and start the rainy seasons.
Gyuyeon Choi, Eunkyo Seo, and Paul A. Dirmeyer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2867, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2867, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluates five satellite and four reanalysis products against 6,824 ground-based observations for diurnal cycle fidelity. Satellites show a 1 to 2 hour phase delay from upper-level ice detection, while reanalyses peak 3 to 6 hours early from premature convective onset. Contrasting performances are linked to specific design choices in retrieval algorithms and convective parameterization, offering physically grounded guidance for dataset selection in hydrological and climate studies.
Junnyeong Han, Eunkyo Seo, and Paul A. Dirmeyer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 2207–2223, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2207-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2207-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Soil moisture sensors often exhibit misleading daytime peaks because they are sensitive to temperature. This study proposes a method to correct the spurious diurnal cycle of surface soil moisture, using Fourier analysis with land reanalyses. The diurnally adjusted time series better captures realistic soil moisture behavior and provides more reliable insight into land–atmosphere interactions on a diurnal timescale.
Eunkyo Seo, Paul A. Dirmeyer, and Sunlae Tak
Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 1261–1280, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1261-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1261-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines a multi-layer snow scheme in seasonal forecasts. Compared to a single-layer scheme, it better captures snow insulation, delaying spring snowmelt by 1–2 weeks. This postpones evaporation and slows soil moisture depletion, which promotes evaporative cooling due to increasing energy partitioning into latent heat flux and enhances precipitation occurrence. This leads to realistic land-atmosphere interactions and reduced biases across Northern Hemisphere mid- and high-latitudes.
Jiamin Wang, Kun Yang, Jiarui Liu, Xu Zhou, Xiaogang Ma, Wenjun Tang, Ling Yuan, and Zuhuan Ren
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 10077–10094, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-10077-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-10077-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We set out to improve the accuracy of near-surface wind simulations in areas where buildings and tall vegetation have made the ground surface very rough. Through a clever use of differences between weather station measurements and reanalysis data, we estimated more realistic surface roughness values and created a new high-resolution map for China. This map greatly improves wind speed simulations and supports better decisions in wind-related fields.
Siyu Zhao, Rong Fu, Kelly Núñez Ocasio, Robert Nystrom, Cenlin He, Jiaying Zhang, Xianan Jiang, and Joao Teixeira
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 17301–17318, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17301-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17301-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Congo Basin has frequent organized thunderstorms producing much of the region’s rainfall, yet their development remains unclear due to limited data. Using a high-resolution global model, it shows the long-lasting storm is significantly linked to and supported by vertical wind shear up to 400 km ahead, with the mid-level jet stream playing a role in maintaining the shear. The findings highlight the value of such model in data-sparse regions for examining storms and their impacts.
Iris Mužić, Øivind Hodnebrog, Yeliz A. Yilmaz, Terje K. Berntsen, Jana Sillmann, David M. Lawrence, and Paul A. Dirmeyer
Adv. Stat. Clim. Meteorol. Oceanogr., 11, 273–292, https://doi.org/10.5194/ascmo-11-273-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ascmo-11-273-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates soil moisture–temperature coupling during the extreme warm conditions in May–August 2018 in southern and central Sweden using the merged GLEAM-E-OBS dataset and four simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with the Community Terrestrial Systems Model (WRF-CTSM). Based on changes in surface soil moisture, evaporative fraction, and daily maximum 2 m temperature, on average across the region and five datasets, the coupling lasted for 22 d.
Yuna Lim, Andrea M. Molod, Randal D. Koster, and Joseph A. Santanello
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3435–3445, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3435-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3435-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To better utilize a given set of predictions, identifying “forecasts of opportunity” is valuable as this helps anticipate when prediction skill will be higher. This study shows that when strong land–atmosphere (L–A) coupling is detected 3–4 weeks into a forecast, the surface air temperature prediction skill at this lead time increases across the Midwest and northern Great Plains. Regions experiencing strong L–A coupling exhibit warm and dry anomalies, enhancing predictions of abnormally warm events.
Manisha Ganeshan, Dong L. Wu, Joseph A. Santanello, Jie Gong, Chi Ao, Panagiotis Vergados, and Kevin J. Nelson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1389–1403, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1389-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1389-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the potential of two newly launched commercial Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) satellite missions for advancing Arctic lower-atmospheric studies. The products have a good sampling of the lower Arctic atmosphere and are useful to derive the planetary boundary layer (PBL) height during winter months. This research is a step towards closing the observation gap in polar regions due to the decomissioning of Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC-1) GNSS RO mission and the lack of high-latitude coverage by its successor (COSMIC-2).
Payal R. Makhasana, Joseph A. Santanello, Patricia M. Lawston-Parker, and Joshua K. Roundy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5087–5106, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5087-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5087-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines how soil moisture impacts land–atmosphere interactions, crucial for understanding Earth's water and energy cycles. The study used two different soil moisture datasets from the SMAP satellite to measure how strongly soil moisture influences the atmosphere's ability to retain moisture (called coupling strength). Leveraging SMAP soil moisture data and integrating multiple atmospheric datasets, the study offers new insights into the dynamics of land–atmosphere coupling strength.
Xu Zhou, Binbin Wang, Xiaogang Ma, Zhu La, and Kun Yang
The Cryosphere, 18, 4589–4605, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4589-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4589-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The simulation of the ice phenology of Nam Co by WRF is investigated. Compared with the default model, improving the key lake schemes, such as water surface roughness length for heat fluxes and the shortwave radiation transfer for lake ice, can better simulate the lake ice phenology. The still existing errors in the spatial patterns of lake ice phenology imply that challenges still exist in modelling key lake and non-lake physics such as grid-scale water circulation and snow-related processes.
Kirsten L. Findell, Zun Yin, Eunkyo Seo, Paul A. Dirmeyer, Nathan P. Arnold, Nathaniel Chaney, Megan D. Fowler, Meng Huang, David M. Lawrence, Po-Lun Ma, and Joseph A. Santanello Jr.
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 1869–1883, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-1869-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-1869-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We outline a request for sub-daily data to accurately capture the process-level connections between land states, surface fluxes, and the boundary layer response. This high-frequency model output will allow for more direct comparison with observational field campaigns on process-relevant timescales, enable demonstration of inter-model spread in land–atmosphere coupling processes, and aid in targeted identification of sources of deficiencies and opportunities for improvement of the models.
Yizhou Zhuang and Rong Fu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1641–1657, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1641-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1641-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigated how atmospheric circulation affects precipitation variability and changes in the US Great Plains (GP) and southwest (SW). By developing a new method called self organizing map–analogue, we found that circulation significantly influences short-term precipitation variability, accounting for 54 %–61 % of the total variance. Furthermore, circulation contributes considerably to the multi-decadal changes in precipitation and its extremes, especially for the southern GP and SW.
Wenjun Tang, Junmei He, Jingwen Qi, and Kun Yang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4537–4551, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4537-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4537-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we have developed a dense station-based, long-term dataset of daily surface solar radiation in China with high accuracy. The dataset consists of estimates of global, direct and diffuse radiation at 2473 meteorological stations from the 1950s to 2021. Validation indicates that our station-based radiation dataset clearly outperforms the satellite-based radiation products. Our dataset will contribute to climate change research and solar energy applications in the future.
Patricia Lawston-Parker, Joseph A. Santanello Jr., and Nathaniel W. Chaney
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2787–2805, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2787-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2787-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Irrigation has been shown to impact weather and climate, but it has only recently been considered in prediction models. Prescribing where (globally) irrigation takes place is important to accurately simulate its impacts on temperature, humidity, and precipitation. Here, we evaluated three different irrigation maps in a weather model and found that the extent and intensity of irrigated areas and their boundaries are important drivers of weather impacts resulting from human practices.
Zun Yin, Kirsten L. Findell, Paul Dirmeyer, Elena Shevliakova, Sergey Malyshev, Khaled Ghannam, Nina Raoult, and Zhihong Tan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 861–872, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-861-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-861-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Land–atmosphere (L–A) interactions typically focus on daytime processes connecting the land state with the overlying atmospheric boundary layer. However, much prior L–A work used monthly or daily means due to the lack of daytime-only data products. Here we show that monthly smoothing can significantly obscure the L–A coupling signal, and including nighttime information can mute or mask the daytime processes of interest. We propose diagnosing L–A coupling within models or archiving subdaily data.
Yaozhi Jiang, Kun Yang, Youcun Qi, Xu Zhou, Jie He, Hui Lu, Xin Li, Yingying Chen, Xiaodong Li, Bingrong Zhou, Ali Mamtimin, Changkun Shao, Xiaogang Ma, Jiaxin Tian, and Jianhong Zhou
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 621–638, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-621-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-621-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Our work produces a long-term (1979–2020) high-resolution (1/30°, daily) precipitation dataset for the Third Pole (TP) region by merging an advanced atmospheric simulation with high-density rain gauge (more than 9000) observations. Validation shows that the produced dataset performs better than the currently widely used precipitation datasets in the TP. This dataset can be used for hydrological, meteorological and ecological studies in the TP.
Eunkyo Seo and Paul A. Dirmeyer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5411–5429, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5411-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5411-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the climatology of the observed land–atmosphere interactions on a subdaily timescale during the warm season from flux site observations. Multivariate metrics are employed to examine the land, atmosphere, and combined couplings, and a mixing diagram is adopted to understand the coevolution of the moist and thermal energy budget within the atmospheric mixed layer. The diurnal cycles of both mixing diagrams and hourly land–atmosphere couplings exhibit hysteresis.
Yaozhi Jiang, Kun Yang, Hua Yang, Hui Lu, Yingying Chen, Xu Zhou, Jing Sun, Yuan Yang, and Yan Wang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 4587–4601, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4587-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4587-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our study quantified the altitudinal precipitation gradients (PGs) over the Third Pole (TP). Most sub-basins in the TP have positive PGs, and negative PGs are found in the Himalayas, the Hengduan Mountains and the western Kunlun. PGs are positively correlated with wind speed but negatively correlated with relative humidity. In addition, PGs tend to be positive at smaller spatial scales compared to those at larger scales. The findings can assist precipitation interpolation in the data-sparse TP.
Wenjun Tang, Jun Qin, Kun Yang, Yaozhi Jiang, and Weihao Pan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2007–2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2007-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2007-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is a fundamental physiological variable for research in the ecological, agricultural, and global change fields. In this study, we produced a 35-year high-resolution global gridded PAR dataset. Compared with the well-known global satellite-based PAR product of the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), our PAR product was found to be a more accurate dataset with higher resolution.
Jianping Guo, Jian Zhang, Kun Yang, Hong Liao, Shaodong Zhang, Kaiming Huang, Yanmin Lv, Jia Shao, Tao Yu, Bing Tong, Jian Li, Tianning Su, Steve H. L. Yim, Ad Stoffelen, Panmao Zhai, and Xiaofeng Xu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17079–17097, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17079-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17079-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The planetary boundary layer (PBL) is the lowest part of the troposphere, and boundary layer height (BLH) is the depth of the PBL and is of critical importance to the dispersion of air pollution. The study presents the first near-global BLH climatology by using high-resolution (5-10 m) radiosonde measurements. The variations in BLH exhibit large spatial and temporal dependence, with a peak at 17:00 local solar time. The most promising reanalysis product is ERA-5 in terms of modeling BLH.
Sudip Chakraborty, Jonathon H. Jiang, Hui Su, and Rong Fu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12855–12866, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12855-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12855-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Boreal autumn is the main wet season over the Congo basin. Thus, changes in its onset date have a significant impact on the rainforest. This study provides compelling evidence that the cooling effect of aerosols modifies the timing and strength of the southern African easterly jet that is central to the boreal autumn wet season over the Congo rainforest. A higher boreal summer aerosol concentration is positively correlated with the boreal autumn wet season onset timing.
Yongkang Xue, Tandong Yao, Aaron A. Boone, Ismaila Diallo, Ye Liu, Xubin Zeng, William K. M. Lau, Shiori Sugimoto, Qi Tang, Xiaoduo Pan, Peter J. van Oevelen, Daniel Klocke, Myung-Seo Koo, Tomonori Sato, Zhaohui Lin, Yuhei Takaya, Constantin Ardilouze, Stefano Materia, Subodh K. Saha, Retish Senan, Tetsu Nakamura, Hailan Wang, Jing Yang, Hongliang Zhang, Mei Zhao, Xin-Zhong Liang, J. David Neelin, Frederic Vitart, Xin Li, Ping Zhao, Chunxiang Shi, Weidong Guo, Jianping Tang, Miao Yu, Yun Qian, Samuel S. P. Shen, Yang Zhang, Kun Yang, Ruby Leung, Yuan Qiu, Daniele Peano, Xin Qi, Yanling Zhan, Michael A. Brunke, Sin Chan Chou, Michael Ek, Tianyi Fan, Hong Guan, Hai Lin, Shunlin Liang, Helin Wei, Shaocheng Xie, Haoran Xu, Weiping Li, Xueli Shi, Paulo Nobre, Yan Pan, Yi Qin, Jeff Dozier, Craig R. Ferguson, Gianpaolo Balsamo, Qing Bao, Jinming Feng, Jinkyu Hong, Songyou Hong, Huilin Huang, Duoying Ji, Zhenming Ji, Shichang Kang, Yanluan Lin, Weiguang Liu, Ryan Muncaster, Patricia de Rosnay, Hiroshi G. Takahashi, Guiling Wang, Shuyu Wang, Weicai Wang, Xu Zhou, and Yuejian Zhu
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 4465–4494, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4465-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4465-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The subseasonal prediction of extreme hydroclimate events such as droughts/floods has remained stubbornly low for years. This paper presents a new international initiative which, for the first time, introduces spring land surface temperature anomalies over high mountains to improve precipitation prediction through remote effects of land–atmosphere interactions. More than 40 institutions worldwide are participating in this effort. The experimental protocol and preliminary results are presented.
Cited articles
ARM Data Center: https://www.arm.gov/data/, last access: 24 September 2020.
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility: Oklahoma Mesonet Soil Moisture (OKMSOIL), ARM Data Center [data set], https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/science-data-products/vaps/okmsoil (last access: 12 June 2020), 1998.
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility: Balloon-Borne Sounding System (SONDEWNPN), ARM Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5439/1595321, 2001.
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility: Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBLHTSONDE1MCFARL), ARM Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5439/1991783, 2015.
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility: Arkansas-Red Basin River Forecast Center (ABRFCPCPQPE), ARM Data Center [data set], https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/science-data-products/vaps/abrfc (last access: 16 November 2019), 2016.
Bretherton, C. S., Peters, M. E., and Back, L. E.: Relationships between water vapor path and precipitation over the tropical oceans, J. Climate, 17, 1517–1528, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017<1517:RBWVPA>2.0.CO;2, 2004.
Dirmeyer, P. A., Koster, R. D., and Guo, Z.: Do Global Models Properly Represent the Feedback between Land and Atmosphere?, J. Hydrometeorol., 7, 1177–1198, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM532.1, 2006.
Ek, M. B. and Holtslag, A. A. M.: Influence of soil moisture on boundary layer cloud development, J. Hydrometeorol., 5, 86–99, https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2004)005<0086:IOSMOB>2.0.CO;2, 2004.
Ferguson, C. R. and Wood, E. F.: An evaluation of satellite remote sensing data products for land surface hydrology: Atmospheric infrared sounder, J. Hydrometeorol., 11, 1234–1262, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JHM1217.1, 2010.
Fernando, D. N., Mo, K. C., Fu, R., Pu, B., Bowerman, A., Scanlon, B. R., Solis, R. S., Yin, L., Mace, R. E., Mioduszewski, J. R., Ren, T., and Zhang, K.: What caused the spring intensification and winter demise of the 2011 drought over Texas?, Clim. Dynam., 47, 3077–3090, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-3014-x, 2016.
Findell, K. L. and Eltahir, E. A. B.: Atmospheric controls on soil moisture-boundary layer interactions. Part I: Framework development, J. Hydrometeorol., 4, 552–569, https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2003)004<0552:ACOSML>2.0.CO;2, 2003a.
Findell, K. L. and Eltahir, E. A. B.: Atmospheric Controls on Soil Moisture-Boundary Layer Interactions. Part II: Feedbacks within the Continental United States, J. Hydrometeorol., 4, 570–583, https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2003)004<0570:ACOSML>2.0.CO;2, 2003b.
Ford, T. W., Rapp, A. D., and Quiring, S. M.: Does afternoon precipitation occur preferentially over dry or wet soils in Oklahoma?, J. Hydrometeorol., 16, 874–888, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-14-0005.1, 2015.
Fulton, R. A., Breidenbach, J. P., Seo, D. J., Miller, D. A., and O'Bannon, T.: The WSR-88D rainfall algorithm, Weather Forecast., 13, 377–395, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0434(1998)013<0377:TWRA>2.0.CO;2, 1998.
Gentine, P., Holtslag, A. A. M., D'Andrea, F., and Ek, M.: Surface and atmospheric controls on the onset of moist convection over land, J. Hydrometeorol., 14, 1443–1462, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-12-0137.1, 2013.
Guo, Z., Dirmeyer, P. A., Koster, R. D., Bonan, G., Chan, E., Cox, P., Gordon, C. T., Kanae, S., Kowalczyk, E., Lawrence, D., Liu, P., Lu, C. H., Malyshev, S., McAvaney, B., McGregor, J. L., Mitchell, K., Mocko, D., Oki, T., Oleson, K. W., Pitman, A., Sud, Y. C., Taylor, C. M., Verseghy, D., Vasic, R., Xue, Y., and Yamada, T.: GLACE: The Global Land-Atmosphere Coupling Experiment. Part II: Analysis, J. Hydrometeorol., 7, 611–625, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM511.1, 2006.
Higgins, R. W., Yao, Y., Yarosh, E. S., Janowiak, J. E., and Mo, K. C.: Influence of the Great Plains Low-Level Jet on Summertime Precipitation and Moisture Transport over the Central United States, J. Climate, 10, 481–507, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1997)010<0481:IOTGPL>2.0.CO;2, 1997.
Hodges, D. and Pu, Z.: Characteristics and variations of low-level jets in the contrasting warm season precipitation extremes of 2006 and 2007 over the Southern Great Plains, Theor. Appl. Climatol., 136, 753–771, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-018-2492-7, 2019.
Holloway, C. E. and Neelin, D. J.: Moisture vertical structure, column water vapor, and tropical deep convection, J. Atmos. Sci., 66, 1665–1683, https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JAS2806.1, 2009.
Huang, H. Y. and Margulis, S. A.: Investigating the impact of soil moisture and atmospheric stability on cloud development and distribution using a coupled large-eddy simulation and land surface model, J. Hydrometeorol., 12, 787–804, https://doi.org/10.1175/2011JHM1315.1, 2011.
Illston, B. G., Basara, J. B., Fisher, D. K., Elliott, R., Fiebrich, C. A., Crawford, K. C., Humes, K., and Hunt, E.: Mesoscale monitoring of soil moisture across a statewide network, J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 25, 167–182, https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JTECHA993.1, 2008.
Konings, A. G., Katul, G. G., and Porporato, A.: The rainfall-no rainfall transition in a coupled land-convective atmosphere system, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L14401, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL043967, 2010.
Koster, R. D., Dirmeyer, P. A., Guo, Z., Bonan, G., Chan, E., Cox, P., Gordon, C. T., Kanae, S., Kowalczyk, E., Lawrence, D. and Liu, P.: Regions of strong coupling between soil moisture and precipitation, Science, 305, 1138–1140, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1100217, 2004.
Koster, R. D., Guo, Z., Dirmeyer, P. A., Bonan, G., Chan, E., Cox, P., Davies, H., Gordon, C. T., Kanae, S., Kowalczyk, E., Lawrence, D., Liu, P., Lu, C. H., Malyshev, S., McAvaney, B., Mitchell, K., Mocko, D., Oki, T., Oleson, K. W., Pitman, A., Sud, Y. C., Taylor, C. M., Verseghy, D., Vasic, R., Xue, Y., and Yamada, T.: GLACE: The Global Land-Atmosphere Coupling Experiment. Part I: Overview, J. Hydrometeorol., 7, 590–610, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM510.1, 2006.
Liu, S. and Liang, X. Z.: Observed diurnal cycle climatology of planetary boundary layer height, J. Climate, 23, 5790–5809, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3552.1, 2010.
Mapes, B., Tulich, S., Lin, J., and Zuidema, P.: The mesoscale convection life cycle: Building block or prototype for large-scale tropical waves?, Dynam. Atmos. Oceans, 42, 3–29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dynatmoce.2006.03.003, 2006.
Mo, K. C., Paegle, J. N., and Higgins, R. W.: Atmospheric processes associated with summer floods and droughts in the central United States, J. Climate, 10, 3028–3046, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1997)010<3028:APAWSF>2.0.CO;2, 1997.
Myoung, B. and Nielsen-Gammon, J. W.: The convective instability pathway to warm season drought in Texas. Part I: The role of convective inhibition and its modulation by soil moisture, J. Climate, 23, 4461–4473, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI2946.1, 2010.
Pu, B. and Dickinson, R. E.: Diurnal Spatial Variability of Great Plains Summer Precipitation Related to the Dynamics of the Low-Level Jet, J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 1807–1817, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-13-0243.1, 2014.
Pu, B., Dickinson, R. E., and Fu, R.: Dynamical connection between Great Plains low-level winds and variability of central Gulf States precipitation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 3421–3434, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024045, 2016.
Raz-Yaseef, N., Billesbach, D. P., Fischer, M. L., Biraud, S. C., Gunter, S. A., Bradford, J. A., and Torn, M. S.: Vulnerability of crops and native grasses to summer drying in the U.S. Southern Great Plains, Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 213, 209–218, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2015.07.021, 2015.
Roundy, J. K. and Santanello, J. A.: Utility of Satellite Remote Sensing for Land–Atmosphere Coupling and Drought Metrics, J. Hydrometeorol., 18, 863–877, https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-16-0171.1, 2017.
Roundy, J. K., Ferguson, C. R., and Wood, E. F.: Temporal Variability of Land-Atmosphere Coupling and Its Implications for Drought over the Southeast United States, J. Hydrometeorol., 14, 622–635, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-12-090.1, 2013.
Santanello, J. A., Peters-Lidard, C. D., Kumar, S. V., Alonge, C., and Tao, W.: A Modeling and Observational Framework for Diagnosing Local Land–Atmosphere Coupling on Diurnal Time Scales, J. Hydrometeorol., 10, 577–599, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JHM1066.1, 2009.
Santanello, J. A., Dirmeyer, P. A., Ferguson, C. R., Findell, K. L., Tawfik, A. B., Berg, A., Ek, M., Gentine, P., Guillod, B. P., Van Heerwaarden, C., Roundy, J., and Wulfmeyer, V.: Land–Atmosphere Interactions: The LoCo Perspective, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 99, 1253–1272, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0001.1, 2018.
Schiro, K. A., Neelin, J. D., Adams, D. K., and Lintner, B. R.: Deep convection and column water vapor over tropical land versus tropical ocean: A comparison between the amazon and the tropical Western Pacific, J. Atmos. Sci., 73, 4043–4063, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-16-0119.1, 2016.
Schiro, K. A., Ahmed, F., Giangrande, S. E., and David Neelin, J.: GoAmazon2014/5 campaign points to deep-inflow approach to deep convection across scales, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 115, 4577–4582, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719842115, 2018.
Schneider, J. M., FIsher, D. K., Elliott, R. L., Brown, G. O., and Bahrmann, C. P.: Spatiotemporal variations in soil water: First results from the ARM SGP CART network, J. Hydrometeorol., 4, 106–120, https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2003)004<0106:SVISWF>2.0.CO;2, 2003.
Seneviratne, S. I., Corti, T., Davin, E. L., Hirschi, M., Jaeger, E. B., Lehner, I., Orlowsky, B., and Teuling, A. J.: Investigating soil moisture–climate interactions in a changing climate: A review, Earth Sci. Rev., 99, 125–161, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.02.004, 2010.
Siebesma, A. P., Soares, P. M. M., and Teixeira, J.: A Combined Eddy-Diffusivity Mass-Flux Approach for the Convective Boundary Layer, J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 1230–1248, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS3888.1, 2007.
Song, H. J., Ferguson, C. R., and Roundy, J. K.: Land-atmosphere coupling at the southern great plains atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) field site and its role in anomalous afternoon peak precipitation, J. Hydrometeorol., 17, 541–556, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-15-0045.1, 2016.
Tawfik, A. B., Dirmeyer, P. A., and Santanello, J. A.: The heated condensation framework. Part I: Description and southern great plains case study, J. Hydrometeorol., 16, 1929–1945, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-14-0117.1, 2015a.
Tawfik, A. B., Dirmeyer, P. A., and Santanello, J. A.: The heated condensation framework. Part II: Climatological behavior of convective initiation and land-atmosphere coupling over the conterminous United States, J. Hydrometeorol., 16, 1946–1961, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-14-0118.1, 2015b.
Taylor, C. M.: Detecting soil moisture impacts on convective initiation in Europe, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 4631–4638, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL064030, 2015.
Tuttle, S. and Salvucci, G.: Atmospheric science: Empirical evidence of contrasting soil moisture-precipitation feedbacks across the United States, Science, 352, 825–828, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa7185, 2016.
Wakefield, R. A., Basara, J. B., Furtado, J. C., Illston, B. G., Ferguson, C. R., and Klein, P. M.: A modified framework for quantifying land–atmosphere covariability during hydrometeorological and soil wetness extremes in oklahoma, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 58, 1465–1483, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0230.1, 2019.
Wang, G., Kim, Y., and Wang, D.: Quantifying the strength of soil moisture–precipitation coupling and its sensitivity to changes in surface water budget, J. Hydrometeorol., 8, 551–570, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM573.1, 2007
Weaver, S. J. and Nigam, S.: Variability of the Great Plains Low-Level Jet: Large-Scale Circulation Context and Hydroclimate Impacts, J. Climate, 21, 1532–1551, https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JCLI1586.1, 2008.
Wilks, D. S.: Statistical methods in the atmospheric sciences, 3rd edn., Academic Press, 676 pp., ISBN 9780123850225, 2011.
Yin, J., Albertson, J. D., Rigby, J. R., and Porporato, A.: Land and atmospheric controls on initiation and intensity of moist convection: CAPE dynamics and LCL crossings, Water Resour. Res., 51, 8476–8493, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017286, 2015.
Zhang, Y. and Klein, S. A.: Mechanisms Affecting the Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection over Land: Inferences from Observations of the Diurnal Cycle Collected at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site, J. Atmos. Sci., 67, 2943–2959, https://doi.org/10.1175/2010jas3366.1, 2010.
Zhuang, Y., Fu, R., Marengo, J. A., and Wang, H.: Seasonal variation of shallow-to-deep convection transition and its link to the environmental conditions over the Central Amazon, J. Geophys. Res., 122, 2649–2666, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD025993, 2017.
Zhuang, Y., Fu, R., and Wang, H.: How do environmental conditions influence vertical buoyancy structure and shallow-to-deep convection transition across different climate regimes?, J. Atmos. Sci., 75, 1909–1932, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-17-0284.1, 2018.
Short summary
This study investigates the influence of lower-tropospheric humidity on land–atmosphere coupling (LAC) during warm seasons in the US Southern Great Plains. Using radiosonde data and a buoyancy model, we find that elevated LT humidity is crucial for generating afternoon precipitation events under dry soil conditions not accounted for by conventional LAC indices. This underscores the importance of considering LT humidity in understanding LAC over dry soil during droughts in the SGP.
This study investigates the influence of lower-tropospheric humidity on land–atmosphere coupling...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint