Summary

The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-scale International Project (GCIP) Enhanced Observing Period (EOP) takes place in the Mississippi River basin during 1995-2000. The Mississippi River basin provides a number of watershed areas that are potentionally useful for hydrologic focussed studies. During this period, there will be a number of Enhanced Seasonal Observing Periods (ESOPs) in various smaller scale areas.

Objectives:

The GCIP scientific objectives are: 1) Document the time-space variability of the hydrological and energy budgets at a continental-scale; 2) Develop and validate macro-scale land surface hydrologic models, related high resolution atmospheric models, and coupled hydrologic-atmospheric models; 3) Develop and validate information retrieval schemes incorporating existing and future satellite observations combined with enhanced ground-based observations; and 4) Provide a capability to translate the effects of a future climate change into impacts on water resources on a regional basis.