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Improving Flash Flood Prediction through a Synthesis of NASA Products, NWP Models, and Flash Flood Decision Support Systems

Investigators: PI Brian Cosgrove (NASA/GSFC/SAIC), Co-I Charles Alonge. (NASA/GSFC/SAIC).

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to assess the potential for NASA satellite products and the NASA LIS modeling infrastructure to improve the performance of NOAA flash flood predictions, thereby improving public safety.

In particular, given that the land surface greatly impacts precipitation events, better initialization of land surface states such as soil moisture, snow pack, and soil temperature from NASA products will lead to better NWP precipitation forecasts. By taking advantage of this link between precipitation events and land surface conditions, and initializing high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations with offline land surface conditions derived from a high-resolution NASA Land Information System (LIS), more accurate precipitation forecasts with longer lead times will be produced than are conventionally available. By supplying the resulting ensemble precipitation forecasts to the USGS MMS flash flood DSS, the utility of these forecasts for flash flood applications can be assessed, and greater understanding of the effect of hydrologic, land surface, and meteorological input uncertainty on flash flood forecasts will be gained; something which is now only poorly understood.


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Date Last Modified: 08/11/09
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration