Enhancing Hydro-NEXRAD: Community Resource for Use of Radar-Rainfall Data

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Ready access to reliable spatial and temporal data on rainfall amounts is essential to studies of the terrestrial water cycle and, more generally for studies of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial environments. The Hydro-NEXRAD system has included multiple users in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) LTER study site, with a special focus on analyses of ?hot spot ? hot moment? biogeochemical cycling associated with wetting and drying episodes. System upgrades and expansions of the data sets will increase the user base to include scientists involved in terrestrial biogeochemical cycle research in diverse settings across the US. People who research or teach in fields related to biogeochemical cycling come from many disciplines, and few are familiar with the cutting-edge technology now used to measure rainfall and its strengths and limitations. This project would provide them a usable tool tested in actual research projects that are relevant to their research and educational interests.Researchers in many disciplines who need rainfall data would acquire an innovative software product that would enhance rapid access to more precise and reliable information to support scientific discovery. A tested and refined product would be passed on to a cyber-infrastructure team for continuing user support after the project concludes. The transformation in obtaining reliable precipitation data would transform the water balance studies that are foundational for a wide range of research. Especially important is the capability for rainfall analysis over a broad range of time and space scales and organized by drainage basins.Intellectual merit. Hydro-NEXRAD is innovative over-the-Internet technology for organizing and accessing data from the national network of weather radars thus enabling increased use of the data in hydrologic research and education. This technology allows rapid producing of customized drainage basin-centric rainfall maps by merging data from multiple radars and rain gauges. This proposal is to test system performance against what researchers need to support work on flood hydrology, water quality modeling, eco-hydrological analyses of water and biogeochemical cycles, water transport in river networks, evaluation and calibration of distributed hydrologic models, etc. Important issues are accuracy limits, validation methodologies, estimation uncertainties, and how these vary with climate, topography, etc. Additional issues arise in working in real time and exploiting the ?super-resolution? upgrade of the NEXRAD system in 2008. Other user needs surface in using the products to support course work. The goal is to close this gap between ?rainfall products? and ?user needs? by working with both data providers (principally NOAA and UCAR?s Unidata) and with users.Broader impacts. The product would serve research and teaching in hydrologic science and provide a prototype for future radar-rainfall data systems for general research use and for water resources management in the public and private sectors. The Hydro-NEXRAD system has developed a strong user base, as documented in part through supporting letters from users, but efforts should be made to expand the user base to include a broad spectrum of applications in hydrology, agriculture, engineering design, ecology, forestry and urban planning The PIs will promote their product through conventional publications documenting system capabilities and performance tests, but these publications should be directed at applications groups that are underrepresented in the current set of users. The PIs will also utilize ?outreach? capabilities to potential user groups, especially through community-based organizations like CUAHSI. The Hydro-NEXRAD system has also developed an active group of users for educational activities. The educational impact of the system will be expanded by promoting tools that have been developed by users through the CUAHSI outreach activities. Additional support will make rainfall mapping more accessible to non-experts and for operational purposes by a wide range of governmental and private users.