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GLERL 2007 Milestone Reports
< GLERL 2007 Milestone main page
GOAL: Ecosystem
Scientist: Dr. Tom Croley II (GLERL)
NOAA Performance Objective: Access, model and forecast ecosystem resources for management decisions.
Ecosystem Research Program Performance Measure: Develop Forecasts to Predict Ecological (and Socioeconomic) Impacts
OAR Performance Measure: Annual number of coastal, marine, and Great Lakes issue-based forecast capabilities developed and used for management
NOAA Program: Ecosystem Research
Milestone: Incorporate radar-based quantitative precipitation estimates (QPE) into GLERL's hourly distributed large basin runoff model (DLBRM) for water quantity forecasts.
Purpose:To enable near-real-time simulations of water quality with the hourly DLBRM for establishing initial hydrologic conditions prior to a forecast. By use of quantitative precipitation estimation, we can bypass the time required for quality checks for station data observations and estimate forecast initial conditions in a timely manner.
Efforts and Results (to date): We archived QPE from the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) for November 2004 through present. We developed software to process the data from a large number of files supplied by NSSL into a format that can be used by the DLBRM. The data from NSSL are provided as a gridded field of estimated precipitation at 1/100th degree latitude and longitude resolution. We interpolate that data into the resolution used by the DLBRM (1 square kilometer) and produce a single file for the desired period of record. The DLBRM uses this precipitation data by overlaying it onto spatial estimates constructed by interpolating station data, thereby using station data to fill in missing QPE. The DLBRM also uses air temperature data from other sources to simulate runoff and moisture storage for use as initial conditions in forecasts.
This software development is an ongoing effort because the NSSL is continually revising the output products as they improve their methodology. There have been two very major versions of the output products from NSSL, with numerous minor revisions in each. We expect that to continue in the future as the NSSL continues their research on this project.
Customer(s): This product can be used now by academic, federal, and state researchers and can be used soon by GLERL and NSSL to evaluate QPE; it can be used later by forecasters and decision makers in many Great Lakes watersheds to predict flows into the lakes of both water and transported materials.
Cause Factors (if milestone not met):
Milestone was met.
Revised Completion Date (if milestone not met):
Milestone was met.
Last updated: 2007-07-03 mbl