# Presentation: 574157

## Integration of Satellite Observations with the NOAH Land Model for Snow Data Assimilation

-  Xubin Zeng, Mike Barlage
- Mike Brunke, Jesse Miller
- University of Arizona, Tucson

## Objectives

- To provide better land data (particularly the snow
- albedo data)
- To improve the relevant parameterizations in the
- Noah land model
- To improve the weather forecasting
- KEY: Data development has to be integrated with
-            model improvement

## Progress I: Snow data delivery

- (a) Data generation:                                  Delivered
- (b) Utility code to read data and map data into
-       different resolutions:                                       Delivered
- (c) Data documentation:             GRL Manuscript Submitted
- (d) Impact study:                              Preliminary Work Done

## MODIS Albedo data

- (a) 1 km data in 10 deg tiles;   global 0.05 deg
-            (vs. 1 deg in RK)
- (b) seven narrow bands, VIS (0.4-0.7 microns),
-       NIR (0.7-5 microns), SW (0.4-5 microns)
-            (vs. SW from 0.4-1.1 microns in RK)
- (c) Day 49 of 2000 - Day 177 of 2004
-            (vs. 75 images in 1979 and 5 images in 1978)
- (d) Quality flags
- (e) MODIS data from both Terra and Aqua
- (f) Both albedo and BRDF

## Use of Quality Control Flags

## Existing NOAH vs New MODIS

- Red: NN filled
- Blue: LAT filled
- Green: > 0.84

## NDSI and Albedo

## Comparison with RK

- 0.05deg MODIS

- RK Figure 5

## 0.05° Dataset Inclusion in NLDAS

- 0.05° Dataset Inclusion in NLDAS

## Progress II: Over Sea Ice

- (a) Intercomparison of bulk algorithms for the
-          computation of sea ice surface turbulence
-          fluxes, as used in NCEP, ECMWF, NCAR,
-          and ARCSyM
- (b) Interact with Hua-Lu Pan and Sarah Lu
-          at NCEP
- (c)  Manuscript submitted to JGR

## Algorithm Intercomparison

## Roughness Length Formulation

- zom={7e-4-6.5e-4
- exp[-(u*-0.05)]}
- if u* ≥ 0.05 m/s,
- zom=5e-5
- if u* < 0.05 m/s
- =3Ts+10
- if -2°<Ts≤0°C,
- =4 if Ts≤-2°C
- =1.4+0.2Ts
- if -2°<Ts≤0°C,
- =1 if Ts≤-2°C

- Aerodynamic winter
- (mid-May to mid-Sept.)

## Progress III: Winter FVC/LAI data 

- (a) In the Noah land model
-   Leaf-area index (LAI):  a global constant
-  Fractional vegetation cover (FVC): location and month
- (b) Data deficiency:
-   AVHRR FVC data: zero in winter even for evergreen trees
-   MODIS LAI data:   zero in winter even for evergreen trees
- (c) The Noah model has overall performed well in most tests
- (d) Question: How to provide variable FVC and LAI to Noah to further improve its performance (at least without degrading its performance)

## Slide 14

## NLDAS Greenness Fraction 

- NLDAS Greenness Fraction

## Slide 16

## Slide 17

## Progress IV: The Noah Testbed

- The Noah model testbed, set up by Ken Mitchell’s
-      team, is an important component of the JCSDA
-      land program
- (b) First outside user
- Mike Barlage visited Ken’s group in summer 2004
- Mike Barlage and Jesse Miller from UA have
-      interacted with Ken’s group members on the
-      improvement of all aspects of the testbed

## Plan for the next 6-12 months

- (a) Assist Ken Mitchell’s group to further evaluate the detailed
-       impact of the new snow albedo data on the Noah land
-       modeling and weather forecasting
- (b) Continue to improve the fractional vegetation cover (FVC)
-      and leaf-area index (LAI) data for winter months and
-      their interaction with snow in the Noah model
- (c) Continue to improve the snow submodel in the Noah model
-      for the better assimilation of snow data

## Slide 20

## Title:     Integration of Satellite Observations with the Noah                                                                                 

-               Land Model for the Snow Data Assimilation
- PI:              Xubin Zeng, University of Arizona
- Objectives: Snow-related data development and Noah
-                    model improvement
- Progress so far:
-     Generate and deliver snow albedo data; deliver the utility
-             code; and finish the preliminary impact study;
-     Develop formulations for snow/ice roughness lengths;
-     Evaluate wintertime vegetation-snow interaction; and
-     Help improve the Noah model testbed
- Future plan:
-     Additional impact study of snow albedo data;
-     Further study of  wintertime vegetation data; and
-     Improve snow processes in the Noah land model