Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Sonja S. Folwell, Christopher M. Taylor, Rachel A. Stratton
Summary: The partitioning of rainfall and the influence of rainfall intensity on land surface hydrology were studied using different simulation models. The results showed that high resolution convection permitting models improved the simulation of rainfall intensity distributions, and changing the convective parameterisation significantly impacted land surface behaviour.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ye Shen, Long Yang
Summary: Diverse urban-induced rainfall anomalies across different cities highlight the need for additional insights into land-atmosphere interactions over complex urban environments. Based on empirical analyses and high-resolution numerical simulations, we show that urban-induced rainfall anomalies vary for storms with different synoptic conditions, regardless of rainfall enhancement over downtown. Two simple gage-based metrics are proposed to characterize the pre-storm thermal and turbulent conditions, and storms are classified into different groups. Our results demonstrate that elevated rainfall magnitudes and heavy rainfall frequency are equally expected in either downtown or suburb regions, depending on the dominance of urban-induced thermal perturbations and mechanical turbulence under different synoptic conditions. Four paradigms of urban rainfall modification are developed, providing a predictive understanding of rainfall anomalies in urban environments.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rachel A. Moore, Davide Martinetti, E. Keith Bigg, Brent C. Christner, Cindy E. Morris
Summary: The study found that the rainfall feedback patterns in different regions of the United States are influenced by multiple factors such as climate, season, and land use, showing nonlinear and spatially non-stationary relationships. Changes in agricultural land use in the western US had varying effects on rainfall feedback in summer and winter, while developed land in the eastern US had seasonal correlations with rainfall feedback.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yao Feng, Hong Wang, Wenbin Liu, Fubao Sun
Summary: Soil moisture has a significant impact on plant transpiration and photosynthesis, as well as on the land energy and water balance. This study examines global soil moisture-climate interactions during the peak growing season from 1982 to 2015. The results show positive interactions between soil moisture and precipitation, evapotranspiration, and negative interactions with temperature. The compounded effect of climate factors strengthens the soil moisture-climate interactions. Precipitation, evapotranspiration, and temperature are the main drivers of soil moisture variations in different regions. The study emphasizes the importance of considering climate factors and their interactions in understanding soil moisture dynamics and its response to climate extremes.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Joshua Talib, Christopher M. Taylor, Cornelia Klein, Bethan L. Harris, Seonaid R. Anderson, Valiyaveetil S. Semeena
Summary: Intraseasonal soil moisture variability can feed back onto the West Africa monsoon circulation through its influence on surface turbulent fluxes and planetary boundary-layer characteristics. Surprisingly, even though the surface response across the Sahel to strong convection is short-lived, a coherent regional-scale surface response to intraseasonal variability is observed, which then influences the West African monsoon circulation.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pengfei Shi, Hui Lu, L. Ruby Leung, Yujun He, Bin Wang, Kun Yang, Le Yu, Li Liu, Wenyu Huang, Shiming Xu, Juanjuan Liu, Xiaomeng Huang, Lijuan Li, Yanluan Lin
Summary: This study demonstrates significant improvements in simulating the interannual variations of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) rainfall by using a weakly coupled data assimilation system to constrain soil moisture and soil temperature in a coupled climate model. Significant multi-year rainfall prediction skill over East China and Tibetan Plateau is also shown in hindcast simulations initialized with well-balanced states from the coupled simulation with data assimilation. The strong land-atmosphere coupling in large areas over China is attributed to the improvements in predicting EASM rainfall.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Cenlin He, Olivia Clifton, Emmi Felker-Quinn, S. Ryan Fulgham, Julieta F. Juncosa Calahorrano, Danica Lombardozzi, Gemma Purser, Mj Riches, Rebecca Schwantes, Wenfu Tang, Benjamin Poulter, Allison L. Steiner
Summary: Understanding the interactions between air pollution and terrestrial ecosystems is crucial for predicting the impacts on climate and human health. Coordinated measurements, data standardization, and collaboration across disciplines and regions are key for advancing this understanding.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yali Luo, Jiahua Zhang, Miao Yu, Xudong Liang, Rudi Xia, Yanyu Gao, Xiaoyu Gao, Jinfang Yin
Summary: This study investigates the influences of urban land cover on extreme rainfall in Zhengzhou city, China. The results show that urbanization reduces rainfall accumulation and affects the lateral inflows of moisture and high-theta(e) air.
ADVANCES IN ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Ankur R. Desai, Sreenath Paleri, James Mineau, Hawwa Kadum, Luise Wanner, Matthias Mauder, Brian J. Butterworth, David J. Durden, Stefan Metzger
Summary: The highly interactive and variable nature of scales of space and time in land-atmosphere interactions adds significant complexity. This special collection presents articles from various journals that identify interactions across different processes, using field experiments, observations, and simulations to advance theories of scale interaction and improve predictive models.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Valiyaveetil Shamsudheen Semeena, Cornelia Klein, Christopher M. Taylor, Stuart Webster
Summary: Soil moisture (SM) affects weather by influencing surface flux partitioning, atmospheric profiles and circulations. Observational studies in West Africa suggest a dominant negative SM-precipitation feedback, where dry soils initiate and maintain convection. Concerns exist regarding the ability of models with parameterised convection to simulate this sensitivity.
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Heimo Truhetz, Aditya N. Mishra
Summary: A novel convection permitting modelling framework is used to investigate the effects of soil moisture on summertime precipitation in the Eastern European Alpine region and parts of the Pannonian Basin. The simulations reveal that the locations of precipitation events are highly sensitive to soil moisture modifications, while the intensities and internal structures of precipitation events are minimally affected. The study also finds that high precipitation intensities are more likely in combinations with positive temporal and distinctive spatial soil moisture-precipitation coupling. The research highlights the importance of soil moisture as a guiding factor for precipitation events, independent of climate change.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Peter G. G. Hill, Thorwald H. M. Stein, Carlo Cafaro
Summary: East Africa is highly susceptible to severe weather events, resulting in numerous deaths each year. Accurate forecasts of convective events in this region are urgently needed. Through a six-year study, this research aims to enhance understanding of convective events in East Africa and their impact on surface precipitation. By tracking convective systems and analyzing their life cycles and associated precipitation, it is found that most heavy precipitation events are caused by convective systems, while light rainfall events are not. The study also links the Madden-Julian oscillation to rainfall amount due to convective systems.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
J. I. N. G. Sun, K. U. N. Yang, Y. A. N. Yu, H. U. Lu, Y. A. N. L. U. A. N. Lin
Summary: The Tibetan Plateau has experienced increased warmth and precipitation over the past four decades, resulting in changes to the surface energy budget. This study investigates the atmospheric response to these changes using regional climate simulations. It is found that the weakened surface sensible heating reduces thermal effects, leading to decreased water vapor convergence and ultimately decreased precipitation. Furthermore, the frequency of light precipitation increases while heavy precipitation decreases. Overall, land-atmosphere interactions on the Tibetan Plateau have a negative feedback effect on the water cycle, partially offsetting the impacts of climate change.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Baoqing Zhang, Lei Tian, Chansheng He, Xiaogang He
Summary: Large-scale vegetation restoration has significant impacts on ecohydrological and hydrometeorological processes, leading to reduced streamflow and sediment yield due to enhanced canopy transpiration and soil conservation functions. However, the reduction in sediment yield is much higher than that of streamflow, mainly attributed to the redistribution of water and energy budgets caused by revegetation-induced local moisture recycling. It is important to consider the two-way feedbacks between revegetation and erosive precipitation in soil and water conservation planning.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Brendan Wallace, Justin R. Minder
Summary: Changes in land surface characteristics, such as reduced snow cover and altered soil moisture, can impact warm season moist diurnal convection, affecting precipitation patterns. These changes can influence surface fluxes, mesoscale orographic circulations, and convective instability, ultimately leading to modifications in precipitation intensity and frequency.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Douglas J. Parker, Alan M. Blyth, Steven J. Woolnough, Andrew J. Dougill, Caroline L. Bain, Estelle de Coning, Mariane Diop-Kane, Andre Kamga Foamouhoue, Benjamin Lamptey, Ousmane Ndiaye, Paolo Ruti, Elijah A. Adefisan, Leonard K. Amekudzi, Philip Antwi-Agyei, Cathryn E. Birch, Carlo Cafaro, Hamish Carr, Benard Chanzu, Samantha J. Clarke, Helen Coskeran, Sylvester K. Danuor, Felipe M. de Andrade, Kone Diakaria, Cheikh Dione, Cheikh Abdoulahat Diop, Jennifer K. Fletcher, Amadou T. Gaye, James L. Groves, Masilin Gudoshava, Andrew J. Hartley, Linda C. Hirons, Ishiyaku Ibrahim, Tamora D. James, Kamoru A. Lawal, John H. Marsham, J. N. Mutemi, Emmanuel Chilekwu Okogbue, Eniola Olaniyan, J. B. Omotosho, Joseph Portuphy, Alexander J. Roberts, Juliane Schwendike, Zewdu T. Segele, Thorwald H. M. Stein, Andrea L. Taylor, Christopher M. Taylor, Tanya A. Warnaars, Stuart Webster, Beth J. Woodhams, Lorraine Youds
Summary: Africa has the potential to benefit greatly from advancements in weather predictions, and the SWIFT project is playing a significant role in advancing scientific solutions and enhancing forecasting capabilities in the region. By focusing on research, training, and collaboration between academia and operational agencies, SWIFT is helping to build capacity in African meteorology and improve the quality and relevance of weather forecasts.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Sonja S. Folwell, Christopher M. Taylor, Rachel A. Stratton
Summary: The partitioning of rainfall and the influence of rainfall intensity on land surface hydrology were studied using different simulation models. The results showed that high resolution convection permitting models improved the simulation of rainfall intensity distributions, and changing the convective parameterisation significantly impacted land surface behaviour.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christopher M. Taylor, Cornelia Klein, Cheikh Dione, Douglas J. Parker, John Marsham, Cheikh Abdoulahat Diop, Jennifer Fletcher, Abdoul Aziz Saidou Chaibou, Dignon Bertin Nafissa, Valiyaveetil Shamsudheen Semeena, Steven J. Cole, Seonaid R. Anderson
Summary: In tropical convective climates, combining near-real time satellite observations of the land surface and convective clouds can aid in early warning of severe weather. Land surface temperature (LST) data can be used as a proxy for soil moisture deficit to characterize the state of the surface energy balance. LST data show high predictive skill early in the rainy season and can extend the skill in predicting intense convection beyond the afternoon. The developed technique using LST data and convective features allows for nowcasting of existing and likely new convective systems.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Harry Mutton, Robin Chadwick, Matthew Collins, F. Hugo Lambert, Ruth Geen, Alexander Todd, Christopher M. Taylor
Summary: This study examines the impact of the direct radiative effect of increased CO2 on West African monsoon precipitation. The results show that the weakening of the shallow meridional circulation over North Africa leads to an increase in WAM precipitation. Additionally, the warming patterns in the atmosphere and surface also influence local soil moisture feedbacks and circulation changes.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher M. Taylor, Cornelia Klein, Douglas J. Parker, France Gerard, Valiyaveetil Shamsudheen Semeena, Emma J. Barton, Bethan L. Harris
Summary: Deforestation not only leads to warming in tropical regions, but also increases the frequency of storms and rainfall. This study focuses on Southern West Africa (SWA) and demonstrates that deforestation patterns strongly modulate convective activity. Additionally, near the coast, where sea breeze convection dominates, the frequency of storms has doubled in deforested areas. The findings have important implications for other tropical deforestation hotspots worldwide.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
J. K. Fletcher, C. E. Birch, R. J. Keane, C. M. Taylor, S. S. Folwell
Summary: The study found that irrigation increases rainfall during the pre-monsoon period in India, with the majority of the increase occurring in mountainous areas near the irrigation sites. This has significant implications for the rainfall and hazards in both the irrigated areas and the surrounding mountain regions during the pre-monsoon and early monsoon period.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Arathy Menon, Andrew G. Turner, Ambrogio Volonte, Christopher M. Taylor, Stuart Webster, Gill Martin
Summary: Accurate prediction of the Indian monsoon is hindered by limited understanding of the underlying processes, which lead to biases in systematic models. Through convection-permitting simulations, it is found that the movement of the monsoon is influenced by the interaction of low-level monsoon flow with mid-tropospheric dry-air intrusion and land-atmosphere interactions. The use of a 4 km resolution model helps to better simulate the dynamic and thermodynamic features associated with the progression of the monsoon.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas Lees, Gabriel Tseng, Clement Atzberger, Steven Reece, Simon Dadson
Summary: The study finds that the use of LSTM networks can accurately forecast vegetation health, which is crucial for drought monitoring and forecasting.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Joshua Talib, Christopher M. Taylor, Cornelia Klein, Bethan L. Harris, Seonaid R. Anderson, Valiyaveetil S. Semeena
Summary: Intraseasonal soil moisture variability can feed back onto the West Africa monsoon circulation through its influence on surface turbulent fluxes and planetary boundary-layer characteristics. Surprisingly, even though the surface response across the Sahel to strong convection is short-lived, a coherent regional-scale surface response to intraseasonal variability is observed, which then influences the West African monsoon circulation.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
J. K. Fletcher, C. A. Diop, E. Adefisan, M. A. Ahiataku, S. O. Ansah, C. E. Birch, H. L. Burns, S. J. Clarke, J. Gacheru, T. D. James, C. K. Ngetich Tuikong, D. Koros, V. S. Indasi, B. L. Lamptey, K. A. Lawal, D. J. Parker, A. J. Roberts, T. H. M. Stein, E. Visman, J. Warner, B. J. Woodhams, L. H. Youds, V. O. Ajayi, E. N. Bosire, C. Cafaro, C. A. T. Camara, B. Chanzu, C. Dione, W. Gitau, D. Groves, J. Groves, P. G. Hill, I. Ishiyaku, C. M. Klein, J. H. Marsham, B. K. Mutai, P. N. Ndiaye, M. Osei, T. I. Popoola, J. Talib, C. M. Taylor, D. Walker
Summary: Testbeds have played a crucial role in advancing weather forecasting worldwide. The African Science for Weather Information and Forecasting Techniques (SWIFT) program recently conducted the first high-impact weather testbed in tropical Africa, involving researchers and forecasters from multiple African countries, the United Kingdom, and international organizations. The testbed focused on trialing new forecasting and nowcasting products, engaging users and researchers, and generating feedback for future research and development. The outcomes of the testbed, including improved forecasts and recommended operating procedures, have strengthened partnerships and garnered support from funding agencies and organizational directors.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
X. Meng, M. Deng, J. Talib, C. M. Taylor, P. Wu, S. Lyu, H. Chen, Z. Li, L. Zhao
Summary: Previous studies have found that some soil moisture products show good agreement with in situ measurements on the Tibetan Plateau. However, the response of soil moisture to precipitation variability in different products has not been assessed. This study examines the soil moisture response to precipitation variability across different time scales in satellite observations and reanalyses. The results show that different products have varying uncertainties and spatial variations in their soil moisture response to precipitation.
JOURNAL OF HYDROMETEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Emma J. J. Barton, C. M. Taylor, A. K. Mitra, A. Jayakumar
Summary: The representation of land-atmosphere coupling in forecast models has a significant impact on weather prediction. A previous case study in Northern India identified atmospheric biases in a high-resolution forecast related to soil moisture, affecting the monsoon trough representation. This study aims to investigate if the biases exist in operational forecasts by the India NCMRWF, revealing warm biases in the boundary layer over North West India during the daytime, which weaken overnight.
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Valiyaveetil Shamsudheen Semeena, Cornelia Klein, Christopher M. Taylor, Stuart Webster
Summary: Soil moisture (SM) affects weather by influencing surface flux partitioning, atmospheric profiles and circulations. Observational studies in West Africa suggest a dominant negative SM-precipitation feedback, where dry soils initiate and maintain convection. Concerns exist regarding the ability of models with parameterised convection to simulate this sensitivity.
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Joshua Talib, Christopher M. Taylor, Bethan L. Harris, Caroline M. Wainwright
Summary: In semi-arid environments, rainfall-induced soil moisture fluctuations have a significant impact on surface turbulent fluxes, influencing regional circulations. This study investigates whether rainfall variability induced by the MJO triggers land-atmosphere feedbacks across East Africa. The results show that surface fluxes during the East African wet seasons are sensitive to MJO-induced precipitation variations, affecting surface temperatures, sensible heat fluxes, and evapotranspiration. This work highlights the importance of considering intraseasonal land-atmosphere interactions in climate modeling.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Moctar Dembele, Mathieu Vrac, Natalie Ceperley, Sander J. Zwart, Josh Larsen, Simon J. Dadson, Gregoire Mariethoz, Bettina Schaefli
Summary: This study conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of climate change on water resources in the West Africa Volta River basin. Multiple models are used to assess the changes in rainfall and hydrological variables under different climate scenarios. The results indicate that climate change will lead to dynamic changes in rainfall seasonality and altered water availability.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)