Coupled atmosphere-river flow simulation in California during the 1994-1995 winter

摘要

Calculation of river flow is important for managing reservoirs and flood forecasting. In the western United States, a complex terrain which is characterized by steep slopes and narrow valleys often cause a substantial rise of river levels in a short period during heavy precipitation events. Since flood control is one of the major tasks of reservoir operation, inaccurate predictions of precipitation and river flow may cause flooding or waste of water resources. Accurate calculations of river flow need accurate liquid water input to the river system at scales of individual watersheds. Precipitation and snowmelt are the most important natural source of water for a river. Reservoir operations significantly affect river flow in the western United States. Factors such as instantaneous soil water content, vegetation cover, terrain slope and ground water table structure are also crucial for river flow calculation. There are two types of precipitation: rain and snowfall. River flow quickly responds to rainfall while snowfall does not directly affect river flow until it melts afterwards. Therefore, these two types of precipitation must be separately provided to the river flow model for correct calculation of river flows. A large portion of snowfall is accumulated at high terrain during winter months in the western United States. Accumulation of snow causes the river flow to respond to instantaneous precipitation with a certain amount of time lag. During warm springs, large amounts of snowmelt can even cause local flooding. Hence, accurate estimation of snowmelt is another important step for calculating river flows. River flows are affected many different atmospheric and land surface processes. Therefore, a well-designed numerical modeling system which includes atmospheric-surface-hydrologic processes and is coupled to large-scale atmospheric data is an important tool for predicting and diagnosing local river flows and water resources.