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Francina Dominguez
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

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Article
Published: 12 July 2021
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Previous studies have estimated that 25% to 35% of Amazonian precipitation comes from evapotranspiration (ET) within the basin. However, due to simplifying assumptions of traditional models, these studies primarily focus on large spatial and temporal scales. In this work we use the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) regional climate model with the added capability of water vapor tracers to track the moisture from Amazonian ET at the native WRF resolution. The tracers reveal that the well-mixed assumption of simpler models does not hold, as local ET is more efficiently rained out of the atmospheric column than remote sources of moisture, particularly in the eastern part of the basin. Recycled precipitation shows a strong annual and semi-annual signal, associated with the passage of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. The tracers also reveal a strong diurnal cycle of Amazonian water vapor related to the diurnal cycle of ET, convective precipitation and advected moisture. ET increases from early morning into the afternoon, some of this moisture is rained out through convective storms in the early evening, while later in the night strong winds associated with the South American Low Level Jet advect moisture downwind. Visualizing the Amazonian water vapor highlights its diurnal beating pattern and suggests that the Amazon has "younger" water than other regions in the globe, with very efficient recycling of local moisture.

ACS Style

Francina DomingueziD; Jorge Eiras-Barca; Zhao Yang. Beating of the Amazon: The Diurnal Cycle of Amazonian Hydroclimate. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Francina DomingueziD, Jorge Eiras-Barca, Zhao Yang. Beating of the Amazon: The Diurnal Cycle of Amazonian Hydroclimate. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francina DomingueziD; Jorge Eiras-Barca; Zhao Yang. 2021. "Beating of the Amazon: The Diurnal Cycle of Amazonian Hydroclimate." , no. : 1.

Article
Published: 14 May 2021
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Previous studies have estimated that 25% to 35% of Amazonian precipitation comes from evapotranspiration (ET) within the basin. However, due to simplifying assumptions of traditional models, these studies primarily focus on large spatial and temporal scales. In this work we use the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) regional climate model with the added capability of water vapor tracers to track the moisture from Amazonian ET at the native WRF resolution. The tracers reveal that the well-mixed assumption of simpler models does not hold, as local ET is more efficiently rained out of the atmospheric column than remote sources of moisture, particularly in the eastern part of the basin. Recycled precipitation shows a strong annual and semi-annual signal, associated with the passage of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. The tracers also reveal a strong diurnal cycle of Amazonian water vapor related to the diurnal cycle of ET, convective precipitation and advected moisture. ET increases from early morning into the afternoon, some of this moisture is rained out through convective storms in the early evening, while later in the night strong winds associated with the South American Low Level Jet advect moisture downwind. Visualizing the Amazonian water vapor highlights its diurnal beating pattern and suggests that the Amazon has "younger" water than other regions in the globe, with very efficient recycling of local moisture.

ACS Style

Francina DomingueziD; Jorge Eiras-Barca; Zhao Yang; David Bock; Raquel NietoiD; Luis GimenoiD. Amazonian Moisture Recycling Revisited Using WRF with Water Vapor Tracers. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Francina DomingueziD, Jorge Eiras-Barca, Zhao Yang, David Bock, Raquel NietoiD, Luis GimenoiD. Amazonian Moisture Recycling Revisited Using WRF with Water Vapor Tracers. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francina DomingueziD; Jorge Eiras-Barca; Zhao Yang; David Bock; Raquel NietoiD; Luis GimenoiD. 2021. "Amazonian Moisture Recycling Revisited Using WRF with Water Vapor Tracers." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2021 in Journal of Hydrometeorology
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The La Plata basin (LPB), located in southeastern South America (SESA), is a region of significant socioeconomic importance, particularly for agriculture. This area of South America exhibits strong land–atmosphere coupling in the warm season. In this work, we evaluate the impact of large-scale soil moisture (SM) anomalies on regional-scale atmospheric conditions. Multivariate empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is used to extract the dominant modes of joint variability of monthly averaged root-zone SM and 1-month-lagged precipitation from atmospheric reanalyses. We find that the dominant EOF pattern is consistent with a positive correlation between antecedent SM and precipitation, while the second dominant EOF pattern is consistent with a negative correlation between these variables. To evaluate causality, the effects of large-scale SM anomalies on atmospheric variables are examined using the Community Earth System Model (CESM). CESM simulations suggest that anomalously dry SM is initially collocated with decreased precipitation. Subsequent changes in the atmospheric circulation associated with a thermal low draw moisture into the region, eventually promoting increased precipitation. This study investigates the pathways through which SM anomalies modulate precipitation in this region. For this reason, this study has potential atmospheric prediction applications that could benefit the population and the socioeconomic well-being of this important region.

ACS Style

Carolina A. Bieri; Francina Dominguez; David M. Lawrence. Impacts of Large-Scale Soil Moisture Anomalies on the Hydroclimate of Southeastern South America. Journal of Hydrometeorology 2021, 22, 657 -669.

AMA Style

Carolina A. Bieri, Francina Dominguez, David M. Lawrence. Impacts of Large-Scale Soil Moisture Anomalies on the Hydroclimate of Southeastern South America. Journal of Hydrometeorology. 2021; 22 (3):657-669.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carolina A. Bieri; Francina Dominguez; David M. Lawrence. 2021. "Impacts of Large-Scale Soil Moisture Anomalies on the Hydroclimate of Southeastern South America." Journal of Hydrometeorology 22, no. 3: 657-669.

Article
Published: 04 February 2021
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Since the 1970s, agricultural production in central Argentina has shifted away from perennial crops and grasses towards annual crops, largely soy. In this work we use observations and modeling to understand how this shift in land cover has affected the sub-surface, surface and atmospheric fluxes of moisture and energy in a flat agricultural area. We analyze the flux tower data from a paired site at Marcos Juarez in central Argentina during the period of the RELAMPAGO field campaign (2018-2019). When compared to perennial alfalfa, the observations over soy show lower evapotranspiration and specific humidity, higher sensible heat, higher outgoing shortwave radiation and soil temperature. Furthermore, water table depth is shallower below the soy than the alfalfa sites. To better understand the long-term temporal behavior from 1970s to present, the Noah-MP land surface model was calibrated at both soy and alfalfa sites based on RELAMPAGO data. Long-term simulation of the calibrated model suggests that ~95% of precipitation is evaporated in the alfalfa site with negligible recharge and runoff. In the case of soy, ET is about 68% of precipitation, leaving nearly 28% for recharge and 4% for runoff. Observed increases in streamflow and decreases in water table depth over time are likely linked to shifts in land cover. The changes in water table depth are enhanced in El Nino years. Furthermore, the partitioning of net radiation shifts from latent heat to sensible heat resulting in a 250% increase in Bowen ratio (from 0.2 to 0.7).

ACS Style

Sujan Pal; Francina Dominguez; Pablo Bollatti; Yi Yang; Javier Alvarez; Carlos Marcelo Garcia. Investigating the Effects of Land Use Change on Subsurface, Surface and Atmospheric Branches of the Hydrologic Cycle in central Argentina. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Sujan Pal, Francina Dominguez, Pablo Bollatti, Yi Yang, Javier Alvarez, Carlos Marcelo Garcia. Investigating the Effects of Land Use Change on Subsurface, Surface and Atmospheric Branches of the Hydrologic Cycle in central Argentina. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sujan Pal; Francina Dominguez; Pablo Bollatti; Yi Yang; Javier Alvarez; Carlos Marcelo Garcia. 2021. "Investigating the Effects of Land Use Change on Subsurface, Surface and Atmospheric Branches of the Hydrologic Cycle in central Argentina." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2021 in Journal of Hydrometeorology
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Some of the most intense convective storms on Earth initiate near the Sierras de Córdoba mountain range in Argentina. The goal of the RELAMPAGO field campaign was to observe these intense convective storms and their associated impacts. The intense observation period (IOP) occurred during November–December 2018. The two goals of the hydrometeorological component of RELAMPAGO IOP were 1) to perform hydrological streamflow and meteorological observations in previously ungauged basins and 2) to build a hydrometeorological modeling system for hindcast and forecast applications. During the IOP, our team was able to construct the stage–discharge curves in three basins, as hydrological instrumentation and personnel were successfully deployed based on RELAMPAGO weather forecasts. We found that the flood response time in these river locations is typically between 5 and 6 h from the peak of the rain event. The satellite-observed rainfall product IMERG-Final showed a better representation of rain gauge–estimated precipitation, while IMERG-Early and IMERG-Late had significant positive bias. The modeling component focuses on the 48-h simulation of an extreme hydrometeorological event that occurred on 27 November 2018. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmospheric model and its hydrologic component WRF-Hydro as an uncoupled hydrologic model, we developed a system for hindcast, deterministic forecast, and a 60-member ensemble forecast initialized with regional-scale atmospheric data assimilation. Critically, our results highlight that streamflow simulations using the ensemble forecasting with data assimilation provide realistic flash flood forecast in terms of timing and magnitude of the peak. Our findings from this work are being used by the water managers in the region.

ACS Style

Sujan Pal; Francina Dominguez; María Eugenia Dillon; Javier Alvarez; Carlos Marcelo Garcia; Stephen W. Nesbitt; David Gochis. Hydrometeorological Observations and Modeling of an Extreme Rainfall Event Using WRF and WRF-Hydro during the RELAMPAGO Field Campaign in Argentina. Journal of Hydrometeorology 2021, 22, 331 -351.

AMA Style

Sujan Pal, Francina Dominguez, María Eugenia Dillon, Javier Alvarez, Carlos Marcelo Garcia, Stephen W. Nesbitt, David Gochis. Hydrometeorological Observations and Modeling of an Extreme Rainfall Event Using WRF and WRF-Hydro during the RELAMPAGO Field Campaign in Argentina. Journal of Hydrometeorology. 2021; 22 (2):331-351.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sujan Pal; Francina Dominguez; María Eugenia Dillon; Javier Alvarez; Carlos Marcelo Garcia; Stephen W. Nesbitt; David Gochis. 2021. "Hydrometeorological Observations and Modeling of an Extreme Rainfall Event Using WRF and WRF-Hydro during the RELAMPAGO Field Campaign in Argentina." Journal of Hydrometeorology 22, no. 2: 331-351.

Journal article
Published: 21 September 2020 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
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An atmospheric river (AR) impacting Tasmania, Australia, and the Southern Ocean during the austral summer on 28–29 January 2018 during the Southern Ocean Clouds, Radiation, Aerosol Transport Experimental Study campaign is analyzed using a modeling and observational approach. Gulfstream‐V dropsonde measurements and Global Precipitation Measurement radar analyses were used in conjunction with Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations with water vapor tracers to investigate the relative contributions of tropical and midlatitude moisture sources to the AR. Moisture associated with a monsoonal tropical depression became entrained into a midlatitude frontal system that extended to 60°S, reaching the associated low‐pressure system 850 km off the coast of Antarctica—effectively connecting the tropics and the polar region. Tropical moisture contributed to about 50% of the precipitable water within the AR as the flow moved over the Southern Ocean near Tasmania. The tropical contribution to precipitation decreased with latitude, from >70% over Australia, to ~50% off the Australian coast, to less than 5% poleward of 55°S. The integrated vapor transport (IVT) through the core of the AR reached above 500 kg m−1 s−1 during 1200 UTC 28 January to 0600 UTC 29 January, 1.29 times the average amount of water carried by the world's largest terrestrial river, the Amazon. The high IVT strength might be attributed to the higher water vapor content associated with the warmer temperatures across Australia and the Southern Ocean in austral summer.

ACS Style

Robert M. Rauber; Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Stephen W. Nesbitt; Greg M. McFarquhar; Troy J. Zaremba; Joseph A. Finlon. Structure of an Atmospheric River Over Australia and the Southern Ocean. Part I: Tropical and Midlatitude Water Vapor Fluxes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 2020, 125, 1 .

AMA Style

Robert M. Rauber, Huancui Hu, Francina Dominguez, Stephen W. Nesbitt, Greg M. McFarquhar, Troy J. Zaremba, Joseph A. Finlon. Structure of an Atmospheric River Over Australia and the Southern Ocean. Part I: Tropical and Midlatitude Water Vapor Fluxes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 2020; 125 (18):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Robert M. Rauber; Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Stephen W. Nesbitt; Greg M. McFarquhar; Troy J. Zaremba; Joseph A. Finlon. 2020. "Structure of an Atmospheric River Over Australia and the Southern Ocean. Part I: Tropical and Midlatitude Water Vapor Fluxes." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 125, no. 18: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2020 in Journal of Hydrometeorology
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Low-water crossings are structures designed to be overtopped during high river flows. These structures are usually constructed in remote locations, making timely emergency response difficult in case of flooding. In this work, five historical flooding events were hindcasted at a remote low-water crossing in central Texas. An ensemble of model-simulated precipitation forcing cascades uncertainty through hydrologic and hydraulic models. Each precipitation ensemble member corresponds to an independent model run, resulting in an ensemble 24-h streamflow forecast initialized at 0000 UTC. In addition to the hydrologic conditions, the forecast is expanded to predict river hydraulics, through flow velocity and depth. Analysis of the five hindcast events indicates that cascading probabilistic precipitation through hydrologic and hydraulic models adds robustness to river forecasts compared to deterministic methods. The approach provides a means to communicate the uncertainty of predictions through the ensemble spread. Analysis of deterministic hazard thresholds suggest that a hydraulic stability threshold, calculated as the multiplication of flow velocity and depth, is a useful alternative approach to NWS high-water categories for communicating hydrologic/hydraulic risk, as well as associated model uncertainty in the simplest manner possible.

ACS Style

Sean A. Matus; Francina Dominguez; Daniel R. Gambill; Heidi R. Howard. Embracing Uncertainty: Using Probabilistic Weather Forecasts to Make Ensemble Hydraulic Predictions at Remote Low-Water Crossings. Journal of Hydrometeorology 2020, 21, 953 -969.

AMA Style

Sean A. Matus, Francina Dominguez, Daniel R. Gambill, Heidi R. Howard. Embracing Uncertainty: Using Probabilistic Weather Forecasts to Make Ensemble Hydraulic Predictions at Remote Low-Water Crossings. Journal of Hydrometeorology. 2020; 21 (5):953-969.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sean A. Matus; Francina Dominguez; Daniel R. Gambill; Heidi R. Howard. 2020. "Embracing Uncertainty: Using Probabilistic Weather Forecasts to Make Ensemble Hydraulic Predictions at Remote Low-Water Crossings." Journal of Hydrometeorology 21, no. 5: 953-969.

Journal article
Published: 13 November 2019 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
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An irrigation scheme is implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to investigate irrigation impacts over the Continental U.S. (CONUS). Four major irrigated regions and two downwind regions were chosen to understand irrigation impacts over different climate regimes with a focus on irrigation‐induced changes on the water and energy cycles. The Dynamic Recycling Model (DRM) is employed to quantify precipitation induced by irrigation and the precipitation recycling ratios over each irrigated region. With the irrigation scheme, WRF improves the simulated precipitation, surface skin temperature, and energy fluxes compared to reference datasets. For the energy cycle, irrigation increases latent heat flux over the irrigated regions along with reduced sensible heat flux. The evaporative cooling effect induced by irrigation leads to a cooler surface and less outgoing longwave radiation at the surface. Irrigation also intensifies the hydrological cycle over the irrigated regions, reflected by the increased precipitation, evapotranspiration, recycling ratio, and moisture export. Downwind regions exhibit increased precipitation and evaporation, decreased moisture flux divergence, and less consistent variations in recycling ratio. The precipitation increases over the irrigated regions can be partly explained by the more unstable low‐level conditions, while reduced net moisture export is coincident with the precipitation increases over the downwind regions.

ACS Style

Zhao Yang; Yun Qian; Ying Liu; Larry K. Berg; Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Ben Yang; Zhe Feng; William I. Gustafson; Maoyi Huang; Qi Tang. Irrigation Impact on Water and Energy Cycle During Dry Years Over the United States Using Convection‐Permitting WRF and a Dynamical Recycling Model. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 2019, 124, 11220 -11241.

AMA Style

Zhao Yang, Yun Qian, Ying Liu, Larry K. Berg, Huancui Hu, Francina Dominguez, Ben Yang, Zhe Feng, William I. Gustafson, Maoyi Huang, Qi Tang. Irrigation Impact on Water and Energy Cycle During Dry Years Over the United States Using Convection‐Permitting WRF and a Dynamical Recycling Model. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 2019; 124 (21):11220-11241.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhao Yang; Yun Qian; Ying Liu; Larry K. Berg; Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Ben Yang; Zhe Feng; William I. Gustafson; Maoyi Huang; Qi Tang. 2019. "Irrigation Impact on Water and Energy Cycle During Dry Years Over the United States Using Convection‐Permitting WRF and a Dynamical Recycling Model." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 124, no. 21: 11220-11241.

Journal article
Published: 24 June 2019 in Journal of Climate
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This work aims to isolate and quantify the local and remote biogeophysical influences of slowly varying vegetation variability on the climate of La Plata basin (LPB) in the austral spring season (September–November) using observational records. Past studies have shown strong land–atmosphere coupling in LPB during this season. The analysis uses a 34-yr record (1981–2014) of the modified enhanced vegetation index (EVI2) from the NASA Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) Vegetation Index and Phenology dataset and the third-generation normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies. The dominant patterns of vegetation index variability in space and time are assessed using empirical orthogonal function/principal component analysis over the LPB. The dominant mode in the austral spring is a vegetation dipole, with greening (browning) or positive (negative) vegetation index anomalies in the northeastern (southwestern) part of the basin. Using the stepwise generalized equilibrium feedback assessment (SGEFA), the effect of the vegetation variability on the atmosphere is then isolated. The dominant mode of LPB vegetation variability in austral spring is related to warmer temperatures in the southwest LPB and enhanced precipitation over the central and southern parts of the basin. A mechanism is proposed for the increase in latent heat flux and cooler temperatures in the northeastern LPB due to greening, and the increase in sensible heat flux, warmer temperatures, and decrease in surface pressure in southwestern LPB due to browning. The geostrophic response to this induced pressure gradient leads to anomalous northerly enhancement of moisture-laden winds, deeper penetration of moisture into LPB, and increased precipitation over the central and southern parts of the basin.

ACS Style

Divyansh Chug; Francina Dominguez. Isolating the Observed Influence of Vegetation Variability on the Climate of La Plata River Basin. Journal of Climate 2019, 32, 4473 -4490.

AMA Style

Divyansh Chug, Francina Dominguez. Isolating the Observed Influence of Vegetation Variability on the Climate of La Plata River Basin. Journal of Climate. 2019; 32 (14):4473-4490.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Divyansh Chug; Francina Dominguez. 2019. "Isolating the Observed Influence of Vegetation Variability on the Climate of La Plata River Basin." Journal of Climate 32, no. 14: 4473-4490.

Journal article
Published: 17 May 2019 in Water
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In this paper, extreme precipitation spatial analog is examined as an alternative method to adapt extreme precipitation projections for use in urban hydrological studies. The idea for this method is that real climate records from some cities can serve as “analogs” that behave like potential future precipitation for other locations at small spatio-temporal scales. Extreme precipitation frequency quantiles of a 3.16 km 2 catchment in the Chicago area, computed using simulations from North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) Regional Climate Models (RCMs) with L-moment method, were compared to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 (NA14) quantiles at other cities. Variances in raw NARCCAP historical quantiles from different combinations of RCMs, General Circulation Models (GCMs), and remapping methods are much larger than those in NA14. The performance for NARCCAP quantiles tend to depend more on the RCMs than the GCMs, especially at durations less than 24-h. The uncertainties in bias-corrected future quantiles of NARCCAP are still large compared to those of NA14, and increase with rainfall duration. Results show that future 3-h and 30-day rainfall in Chicago will be similar to historical rainfall from Memphis, TN and Springfield, IL, respectively. This indicates that the spatial analog is potentially useful, but highlights the fact that the analogs may depend on the duration of the rainfall of interest.

ACS Style

Ariel Kexuan Wang; Francina Dominguez; Arthur Robert Schmidt. Extreme Precipitation Spatial Analog: In Search of an Alternative Approach for Future Extreme Precipitation in Urban Hydrological Studies. Water 2019, 11, 1032 .

AMA Style

Ariel Kexuan Wang, Francina Dominguez, Arthur Robert Schmidt. Extreme Precipitation Spatial Analog: In Search of an Alternative Approach for Future Extreme Precipitation in Urban Hydrological Studies. Water. 2019; 11 (5):1032.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ariel Kexuan Wang; Francina Dominguez; Arthur Robert Schmidt. 2019. "Extreme Precipitation Spatial Analog: In Search of an Alternative Approach for Future Extreme Precipitation in Urban Hydrological Studies." Water 11, no. 5: 1032.

Research letter
Published: 16 May 2019 in Geophysical Research Letters
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Droughts can have devastating societal impacts. Yet, we do not fully understand the mechanisms that control their development, possibly affecting our ability to predict them. Here we run a moisture‐tracking analytical model using reanalysis data between 1980 and 2016 to explore the role of reduced moisture transport in drought propagation. We find that agricultural droughts in multiple subregions across North America may be amplified by decreased moisture transport from upwind land areas, which we link to reduced evapotranspiration and dry soil moisture upwind. We also find that decreases in precipitation recycling are correlated with decreases in moisture arriving from upwind areas. We estimate that decreases in moisture contributions from land areas accounted for 62% of the precipitation deficit during the 2012 Midwest drought. Our results suggest that the land surface may contain useful information for drought prediction and highlight the importance of sustainable land use and of regional cooperation for drought risk management.

ACS Style

Julio E. Herrera‐Estrada; J. Alejandro Martinez; Francina Dominguez; Kirsten L. Findell; Eric F. Wood; Justin Sheffield. Reduced Moisture Transport Linked to Drought Propagation Across North America. Geophysical Research Letters 2019, 46, 5243 -5253.

AMA Style

Julio E. Herrera‐Estrada, J. Alejandro Martinez, Francina Dominguez, Kirsten L. Findell, Eric F. Wood, Justin Sheffield. Reduced Moisture Transport Linked to Drought Propagation Across North America. Geophysical Research Letters. 2019; 46 (10):5243-5253.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Julio E. Herrera‐Estrada; J. Alejandro Martinez; Francina Dominguez; Kirsten L. Findell; Eric F. Wood; Justin Sheffield. 2019. "Reduced Moisture Transport Linked to Drought Propagation Across North America." Geophysical Research Letters 46, no. 10: 5243-5253.

Journal article
Published: 17 July 2018 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
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The semi‐arid Salt and Verde River basins in Arizona are susceptible to Atmospheric River (AR)‐related flooding. To understand the precipitation‐related impacts of climate change on extreme ARs affecting Arizona, a Pseudo‐Global Warming (PGW) method was used. High‐resolution ‘control’ and ‘future’ simulations of five intense historical AR events that affected the Salt and Verde River basins in Central Arizona were carried out using the WRF regional climate model. The PGW approach for future simulations involved adding a temperature ‘delta’ at different vertical levels to the historical initial and lateral boundary conditions of the input data, while keeping constant relative humidity. The ‘deltas’ were calculated using projected changes towards end of the twenty‐first century from an ensemble of nine GCMs for the RCP8.5 scenario. Future simulations showed an overall increase in vertically integrated transport of vapor and upward moisture flux at cloud base over the region for all events. The changes in precipitation at both domain and basin level were highly spatially heterogeneous. Precipitation increased in all future simulations, but in general, this increase remained less than the increase in column‐integrated water vapor. It was found that in most cases, cloud ice content decreased while cloud water content increased, indicating the increased role of warm‐rain processes in producing precipitation in the future simulations. Freezing levels rose by more than 600 m, and this along with increased temperature and greater role of warm‐rain processes led to a decrease of more than 80% in the amount of frozen precipitation during the events.

ACS Style

Itinderjot Singh; Francina Dominguez; Eleonora Demaria; James Walter. Extreme Landfalling Atmospheric River Events in Arizona: Possible Future Changes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 2018, 123, 7076 -7097.

AMA Style

Itinderjot Singh, Francina Dominguez, Eleonora Demaria, James Walter. Extreme Landfalling Atmospheric River Events in Arizona: Possible Future Changes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 2018; 123 (14):7076-7097.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Itinderjot Singh; Francina Dominguez; Eleonora Demaria; James Walter. 2018. "Extreme Landfalling Atmospheric River Events in Arizona: Possible Future Changes." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 123, no. 14: 7076-7097.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2018 in Journal of Hydrometeorology
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We develop and implement a novel numerical water tracer model within the Noah LSM with multiparameterization options (WT-Noah-MP) that is specifically designed to track individual hydrometeorological events. This approach provides a more complete representation of the physical processes beyond the standard land surface model output. Unlike isotope-enabled LSMs, WT-Noah-MP does not simulate the concentration of oxygen or hydrogen isotopes, or require isotope information to drive it. WT-Noah-MP provides stores, fluxes, and transit time estimates of tagged water in the surface–subsurface system. The new tracer tool can account for the horizontal and vertical heterogeneity of tracer transport in the subsurface by allowing partial mixing in each soil layer. We compared model-estimated transit times at the H. J. Andrews Experimental Watershed in Oregon with those derived from isotope observations. Our results show that including partial mixing in the soil results in a more realistic transit time distribution than the basic well-mixed assumption. We then used WT-Noah-MP to investigate the regional response to an extreme precipitation event in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The model differentiated the flood response due to direct precipitation from indirect thermal effects and showed that a large portion of this event water was retained in the soil after 6 months. The water tracer addition in Noah-MP can help us quantify the long-term memory in the hydrologic system that can impact seasonal hydroclimate variability through evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge.

ACS Style

Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Praveen Kumar; Jeffrey Mcdonnell; David Gochis. A Numerical Water Tracer Model for Understanding Event-Scale Hydrometeorological Phenomena. Journal of Hydrometeorology 2018, 19, 947 -967.

AMA Style

Huancui Hu, Francina Dominguez, Praveen Kumar, Jeffrey Mcdonnell, David Gochis. A Numerical Water Tracer Model for Understanding Event-Scale Hydrometeorological Phenomena. Journal of Hydrometeorology. 2018; 19 (6):947-967.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Praveen Kumar; Jeffrey Mcdonnell; David Gochis. 2018. "A Numerical Water Tracer Model for Understanding Event-Scale Hydrometeorological Phenomena." Journal of Hydrometeorology 19, no. 6: 947-967.

Journal article
Published: 16 March 2018 in Earth System Dynamics
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Atmospheric rivers (ARs) account for more than 75 % of heavy precipitation events and nearly all of the extreme flooding events along the Olympic Mountains and western Cascade Mountains of western Washington state. In a warmer climate, ARs in this region are projected to become more frequent and intense, primarily due to increases in atmospheric water vapor. However, it is unclear how the changes in water vapor transport will affect regional flooding and associated economic impacts. In this work we present an integrated modeling system to quantify the atmospheric–hydrologic–hydraulic and economic impacts of the December 2007 AR event that impacted the Chehalis River basin in western Washington. We use the modeling system to project impacts under a hypothetical scenario in which the same December 2007 event occurs in a warmer climate. This method allows us to incorporate different types of uncertainty, including (a) alternative future radiative forcings, (b) different responses of the climate system to future radiative forcings and (c) different responses of the surface hydrologic system. In the warming scenario, AR integrated vapor transport increases; however, these changes do not translate into generalized increases in precipitation throughout the basin. The changes in precipitation translate into spatially heterogeneous changes in sub-basin runoff and increased streamflow along the entire Chehalis main stem. Economic losses due to stock damages increase moderately, but losses in terms of business interruption are significant. Our integrated modeling tool provides communities in the Chehalis region with a range of possible future physical and economic impacts associated with AR flooding.

ACS Style

Francina Dominguez; Sandy Dall'Erba; Shuyi Huang; Andre Avelino; Ali Mehran; Huancui Hu; Arthur Schmidt; Lawrence Schick; Dennis Lettenmaier. Tracking an atmospheric river in a warmer climate: from water vapor to economic impacts. Earth System Dynamics 2018, 9, 249 -266.

AMA Style

Francina Dominguez, Sandy Dall'Erba, Shuyi Huang, Andre Avelino, Ali Mehran, Huancui Hu, Arthur Schmidt, Lawrence Schick, Dennis Lettenmaier. Tracking an atmospheric river in a warmer climate: from water vapor to economic impacts. Earth System Dynamics. 2018; 9 (1):249-266.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francina Dominguez; Sandy Dall'Erba; Shuyi Huang; Andre Avelino; Ali Mehran; Huancui Hu; Arthur Schmidt; Lawrence Schick; Dennis Lettenmaier. 2018. "Tracking an atmospheric river in a warmer climate: from water vapor to economic impacts." Earth System Dynamics 9, no. 1: 249-266.

Journal article
Published: 22 December 2017 in Earth System Dynamics
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A new 3-D tracer tool is coupled to the WRF model to analyze the origin of the moisture in two extreme atmospheric river (AR) events: the so-called Great Coastal Gale of 2007 in the Pacific Ocean and the Great Storm of 1987 in the North Atlantic. Results show that between 80 and 90 % of moisture advected by the ARs, and a high percentage of the total precipitation produced by the systems have a tropical origin. The tropical contribution to precipitation is in general above 50 % and largely exceeds this value in the most affected areas. Local convergence transport is responsible for the remaining moisture and precipitation. The ratio of tropical moisture to total moisture is maximized as the cold front arrives on land. Vertical cross sections of the moisture content suggest that the maximum in tropical humidity does not necessarily coincide with the low-level jet (LLJ) of the extratropical cyclone. Instead, the amount of tropical humidity is maximized in the lowest atmospheric level in southern latitudes and can be located above, below or ahead of the LLJ in northern latitudes in both analyzed cases.

ACS Style

Jorge Eiras-Barca; Francina Dominguez; Huancui Hu; Daniel Garaboa-Paz; Gonzalo Miguez-Macho. Evaluation of the moisture sources in two extreme landfalling atmospheric river events using an Eulerian WRF tracers tool. Earth System Dynamics 2017, 8, 1247 -1261.

AMA Style

Jorge Eiras-Barca, Francina Dominguez, Huancui Hu, Daniel Garaboa-Paz, Gonzalo Miguez-Macho. Evaluation of the moisture sources in two extreme landfalling atmospheric river events using an Eulerian WRF tracers tool. Earth System Dynamics. 2017; 8 (4):1247-1261.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jorge Eiras-Barca; Francina Dominguez; Huancui Hu; Daniel Garaboa-Paz; Gonzalo Miguez-Macho. 2017. "Evaluation of the moisture sources in two extreme landfalling atmospheric river events using an Eulerian WRF tracers tool." Earth System Dynamics 8, no. 4: 1247-1261.

Article
Published: 01 December 2017 in Water Resources Research
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Atmospheric rivers (ARs), narrow atmospheric water vapor corridors, can contribute substantially to winter precipitation in the semiarid Southwest U.S., where natural ecosystems and humans compete for over-allocated water resources. We investigate the hydrologic impacts of 122 ARs that occurred in the Salt and Verde river basins in northeastern Arizona during the cold seasons from 1979 to 2009. We focus on the relationship between precipitation, snow water equivalent (SWE), soil moisture, and extreme flooding. During the cold season (October through March) ARs contribute an average of 25%/29% of total seasonal precipitation for the Salt/Verde river basins, respectively. However, they contribute disproportionately to total heavy precipitation and account for 64%/72% of extreme total daily precipitation (exceeding the 98th percentile). Excess precipitation during AR occurrences contributes to snow accumulation; on the other hand, warmer than normal temperatures during AR landfallings are linked to rain-on-snow processes, an increase in the basins' area contributing to runoff generation, and higher melting lines. Although not all AR events are linked to extreme flooding in the basins, they do account for larger runoff coefficients. On average, ARs generate 43% of the annual maximum flows for the period studied, with 25% of the events exceeding the 10 year return period. Our analysis shows that the devastating 1993 flooding event in the region was caused by AR events. These results illustrate the importance of AR activity on the hydrology of inland semiarid regions: ARs are critical for water resources, but they can also lead to extreme flooding that affects infrastructure and human activities.

ACS Style

Eleonora M. C. DeMaria; Francina Dominguez; Huancui Hu; Gerd Von Glinski; Marcos Robles; Jonathan Skindlov; James Walter. Observed Hydrologic Impacts of Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers in the Salt and Verde River Basins of Arizona, United States. Water Resources Research 2017, 53, 10025 -10042.

AMA Style

Eleonora M. C. DeMaria, Francina Dominguez, Huancui Hu, Gerd Von Glinski, Marcos Robles, Jonathan Skindlov, James Walter. Observed Hydrologic Impacts of Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers in the Salt and Verde River Basins of Arizona, United States. Water Resources Research. 2017; 53 (12):10025-10042.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eleonora M. C. DeMaria; Francina Dominguez; Huancui Hu; Gerd Von Glinski; Marcos Robles; Jonathan Skindlov; James Walter. 2017. "Observed Hydrologic Impacts of Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers in the Salt and Verde River Basins of Arizona, United States." Water Resources Research 53, no. 12: 10025-10042.

Research letter
Published: 16 October 2017 in Geophysical Research Letters
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Although groundwater is a major water resource in the western U.S., little research has been done on the impacts of climate change on groundwater storage and recharge in the West. Here we assess the impact of projected changes in climate on groundwater recharge in the near (2021–2050) and far (2071–2100) future across the western U.S. Variable Infiltration Capacity model was run with RCP 6.0 forcing from 11 global climate models and “subsurface runoff” output was considered as recharge. Recharge is expected to decrease in the West (−5.8 ± 14.3%) and Southwest (−4.0 ± 6.7%) regions in the near future and in the South region (−9.5 ± 24.3%) in the far future. The Northern Rockies region is expected to get more recharge in the near (+5.3 ± 9.2%) and far (+11.8 ± 12.3%) future. Overall, southern portions of the western U.S. are expected to get less recharge in the future and northern portions will get more. Climate change interacts with land surface properties to affect the amount of recharge that occurs in the future. Effects on recharge due to change in vegetation response from projected changes in climate and CO2 concentration, though important, are not considered in this study.

ACS Style

R. Niraula; T. Meixner; F. Dominguez; N. Bhattarai; M. Rodell; H. Ajami; D. Gochis; C. Castro. How Might Recharge Change Under Projected Climate Change in the Western U.S.? Geophysical Research Letters 2017, 44, 10,407 -10,418.

AMA Style

R. Niraula, T. Meixner, F. Dominguez, N. Bhattarai, M. Rodell, H. Ajami, D. Gochis, C. Castro. How Might Recharge Change Under Projected Climate Change in the Western U.S.? Geophysical Research Letters. 2017; 44 (20):10,407-10,418.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Niraula; T. Meixner; F. Dominguez; N. Bhattarai; M. Rodell; H. Ajami; D. Gochis; C. Castro. 2017. "How Might Recharge Change Under Projected Climate Change in the Western U.S.?" Geophysical Research Letters 44, no. 20: 10,407-10,418.

Preprint content
Published: 27 June 2017
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A new 3D Tracer tool is coupled to the WRF model to analyze the origin of the moisture in two extreme Atmospheric River (AR) events: the so-called Great Coast Gale of 2007 in the Pacific Basin, and the Great Storm of 1987 in the North Atlantic. Results show that between 80 % and 90 % of the moisture advected by the ARs, as well as between 70 % and 80 % of the associated precipitation have a tropical or subtropical origin. Local convergence transport is responsible for the remaining moisture and precipitation. The ratio of tropical moisture to total moisture is maximized as the cold front arrives to land. Vertical cross sections of the moisture suggest that the maximum in humidity does not necessarily coincide with the Low-Level Jet (LLJ) of the extratropical cyclone. Instead, the amount of tropical humidity is maximized in the lowest atmospheric level in southern latitudes, and can be located above, below or ahead the LLJ in northern latitudes in both analyzed cases.

ACS Style

Jorge Eiras-Barca; Francina Dominguez; Huancui Hu; A. Daniel Garaboa-Paz; Gonzalo Miguez-Macho. Evaluation of the Moisture Sources in two Extreme Landfalling Atmospheric River Events using an Eulerian WRF-Tracers tool. 2017, 2017, 1 -21.

AMA Style

Jorge Eiras-Barca, Francina Dominguez, Huancui Hu, A. Daniel Garaboa-Paz, Gonzalo Miguez-Macho. Evaluation of the Moisture Sources in two Extreme Landfalling Atmospheric River Events using an Eulerian WRF-Tracers tool. . 2017; 2017 ():1-21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jorge Eiras-Barca; Francina Dominguez; Huancui Hu; A. Daniel Garaboa-Paz; Gonzalo Miguez-Macho. 2017. "Evaluation of the Moisture Sources in two Extreme Landfalling Atmospheric River Events using an Eulerian WRF-Tracers tool." 2017, no. : 1-21.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2017 in Journal of Climate
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Atmospheric rivers (ARs) have significant hydrometeorological impacts on the U.S. West Coast. This study presents the connection between the characteristics of large-scale Rossby wave breaking (RWB) over the eastern North Pacific and the regional-scale hydrological impacts associated with landfalling ARs on the U.S. West Coast (36°–49°N). ARs associated with RWB account for two-thirds of the landfalling AR events and >70% of total AR-precipitation in the winter season. The two regimes of RWB—anticyclonic wave breaking (AWB) and cyclonic wave breaking (CWB)—are associated with different directions of the vertically integrated water vapor transport (IVT). AWB-ARs impinge in a more westerly direction on the coast whereas CWB-ARs impinge in a more southwesterly direction. Most of the landfalling ARs along the northwestern coast of the United States (states of Washington and Oregon) are AWB-ARs. Because of their westerly impinging angles when compared to CWB-ARs, AWB-ARs arrive more orthogonally to the western Cascades and more efficiently transform water vapor into precipitation through orographic lift than CWB-ARs. Consequently, AWB-ARs are associated with the most extreme streamflows in the region. Along the southwest coast of the United States (California), the southwesterly impinging angles of CWB-ARs are more orthogonal to the local topography. Furthermore, the southwest coast CWB-ARs have more intense IVT. Consequently, CWB-ARs are associated with the most intense precipitation. As a result, most of the extreme streamflows in southwest coastal basins are associated with CWB-ARs. In summary, depending on the associated RWB type, ARs impinge on the local topography at a different angle and have a different spatial signature of precipitation and streamflow.

ACS Style

Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Zhuo Wang; David A. Lavers; Gan Zhang; F. Martin Ralph. Linking Atmospheric River Hydrological Impacts on the U.S. West Coast to Rossby Wave Breaking. Journal of Climate 2017, 30, 3381 -3399.

AMA Style

Huancui Hu, Francina Dominguez, Zhuo Wang, David A. Lavers, Gan Zhang, F. Martin Ralph. Linking Atmospheric River Hydrological Impacts on the U.S. West Coast to Rossby Wave Breaking. Journal of Climate. 2017; 30 (9):3381-3399.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huancui Hu; Francina Dominguez; Zhuo Wang; David A. Lavers; Gan Zhang; F. Martin Ralph. 2017. "Linking Atmospheric River Hydrological Impacts on the U.S. West Coast to Rossby Wave Breaking." Journal of Climate 30, no. 9: 3381-3399.

Journal article
Published: 12 April 2017 in Journal of Hydrometeorology
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Irrigation, while being an important anthropogenic factor affecting the local to regional water cycle, is not typically represented in regional climate models. An irrigation scheme is incorporated into the Noah land surface scheme of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model that has a calibrated convective parameterization and a tracer package is used to tag and track water vapor. To assess the impact of irrigation over the California Central Valley (CCV) on the regional climate of the U.S. Southwest, simulations are run (for three dry and three wet years) both with and without the irrigation scheme. Incorporation of the irrigation scheme resulted in simulated surface air temperature and humidity that were closer to observations, decreased depth of the planetary boundary layer over the CCV, and increased convective available potential energy. The result was an overall increase in precipitation over the Sierra Nevada range and the Colorado River basin during the summer. Water vapor rising from the irrigated region mainly moved northeastward and contributed to precipitation in Nevada and Idaho. Specifically, the results indicate increased precipitation on the windward side of the Sierra Nevada and over the Colorado River basin. The former is possibly linked to a sea-breeze-type circulation near the CCV, while the latter is likely associated with a wave pattern related to latent heat release over the moisture transport belt.

ACS Style

Zhao Yang; Francina Dominguez; Xubin Zeng; Huancui Hu; Hoshin Gupta; Ben Yang. Impact of Irrigation over the California Central Valley on Regional Climate. Journal of Hydrometeorology 2017, 18, 1341 -1357.

AMA Style

Zhao Yang, Francina Dominguez, Xubin Zeng, Huancui Hu, Hoshin Gupta, Ben Yang. Impact of Irrigation over the California Central Valley on Regional Climate. Journal of Hydrometeorology. 2017; 18 (5):1341-1357.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhao Yang; Francina Dominguez; Xubin Zeng; Huancui Hu; Hoshin Gupta; Ben Yang. 2017. "Impact of Irrigation over the California Central Valley on Regional Climate." Journal of Hydrometeorology 18, no. 5: 1341-1357.