Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

The Regional Water Cycle and Heavy Spring Rainfall in Iowa: Observational and Modeling Analyses from the IFloodS Campaign

Young-Hee Ryu Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

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James A. Smith Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

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Mary Lynn Baeck Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

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Luciana K. Cunha Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

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Elie Bou-Zeid Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

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Witold Krajewski IIHR–Hydroscience and Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

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Print Publication:
01 Nov 2016
Collections:
IFloodS 2013: A Field Campaign to Support the NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-15-0174.1
Page(s):
2763–2784
Restricted access

Abstract

The regional water cycle is examined with a special focus on water vapor transport in Iowa during the Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign period, April–June 2013. The period had exceptionally large rainfall accumulations, and rainfall was distributed over an unusually large number of storm days. Radar-derived rainfall fields covering the 200 000 km2 study region; precipitable water from a network of global positioning system (GPS) measurements; and vertically integrated water vapor flux derived from GPS precipitable water, radar velocity–azimuth display (VAD) wind profiles, and radiosonde humidity profiles are utilized. They show that heavy rainfall is relatively weakly correlated with precipitable water and precipitable water change, with somewhat stronger direct relationships to water vapor flux. Thermodynamic properties tied to the vertical distribution of water vapor play an important role in determining heavy rainfall distribution, especially for periods of strong southerly water vapor flux. The diurnal variation of the water cycle during the IFloodS field campaign is pronounced, especially for rainfall and water vapor flux. To examine the potential effects of relative humidity in the lower atmosphere on heavy rainfall, numerical simulations are performed. It is found that low-level moisture can greatly affect heavy rainfall amount under favorable large-scale environmental conditions.

Corresponding author address: Young-Hee Ryu, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, E314, EQuad, Princeton, NJ 08544. E-mail: younghee@princeton.edu

This article is included in the IFloodS 2013: A Field Campaign to Support the NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Special Collection.

Abstract

The regional water cycle is examined with a special focus on water vapor transport in Iowa during the Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign period, April–June 2013. The period had exceptionally large rainfall accumulations, and rainfall was distributed over an unusually large number of storm days. Radar-derived rainfall fields covering the 200 000 km2 study region; precipitable water from a network of global positioning system (GPS) measurements; and vertically integrated water vapor flux derived from GPS precipitable water, radar velocity–azimuth display (VAD) wind profiles, and radiosonde humidity profiles are utilized. They show that heavy rainfall is relatively weakly correlated with precipitable water and precipitable water change, with somewhat stronger direct relationships to water vapor flux. Thermodynamic properties tied to the vertical distribution of water vapor play an important role in determining heavy rainfall distribution, especially for periods of strong southerly water vapor flux. The diurnal variation of the water cycle during the IFloodS field campaign is pronounced, especially for rainfall and water vapor flux. To examine the potential effects of relative humidity in the lower atmosphere on heavy rainfall, numerical simulations are performed. It is found that low-level moisture can greatly affect heavy rainfall amount under favorable large-scale environmental conditions.

Corresponding author address: Young-Hee Ryu, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, E314, EQuad, Princeton, NJ 08544. E-mail: younghee@princeton.edu

This article is included in the IFloodS 2013: A Field Campaign to Support the NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Special Collection.

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