Hydrologic Modeling

MSFC scientists have established expertise in surface flux and streamflow models and have coupled these to create a fully distributed 3-D hydrologic model. The team has also developed a Kalman filter-based soil moisture assimilation algorithm and tested using aircraft microwave data.

Research

Focus Areas:

  • 3-D soil moisture and temperature modeling with user-specified vertical and horizontal grid configuration
  • Surface routing and streamflow modeling for flood events
  • Improving real-time forecasting of flood magnitude and extent using Stage III rainfall data and HPC 12-hour rainfall forecasts
  • Soil moisture data assimilation with 1-D Kalman filter
  • Assimilate microwave brightness temperatures or soil moisture estimates given estimates of input uncertainties
  • Validation of soil moisture retrieval algorithms from aircraft and satellite sensors (ESTAR, PALS, PSR, AMSR-E)

     Modeling Tools

SHEELS Land Surface Hydrology Model
Kalman Filter Assimilation Algorithms
Microwave Radiative Transfer Model

 Benchmark Testbeds

  Little Washita Watershed, OK
  (SGP 97)
  Amite River Basin, LA
  (2001 - 2003 flood events)
  Soil Moisture Experiments 2002, IA
  Blue River Basin, OK

 

Technical Contact: Dr. Bill Crosson (bill.crosson@msfc.nasa.gov)
Responsible Official: Dr. James L. Smoot (James.L.Smoot@nasa.gov)
Page Curator: Diane Samuelson (diane.samuelson@nasa.gov)