GCIP/LSA-NW-99: GCIP Large Scale Area-North West EAOP-99

Summary

The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Continental-scale International Project (GCIP) Large Scale Area-North West (LSA-NW) Enhanced Annual Observing Period 1999 (EAOP-99) takes place in the Missouri River basin as a data collection effort in an LSA of the entire Mississippi River basin. The Missouri River basin provides a number of watershed areas that are potentially useful for focused hydrologic studies. The LSA-NW EAOP-99 data set constitutes the first GCIP data set within the LSA-NW which is the final focused region during the GCIP five year Enhanced Observing Period (EOP).

Objectives:

The research objectives for the LSA-NW EAOP-99 are: (1) land surface and hydrological characteristics which will be evolving from a static and coarse resolution representation of the land surface and hydrologcal characteristics to a more detailed and dynamic landscape characterized by a strong annual cycle with significant spatial and temporal variability; (2) coupled hydrologic/atmospheric modeling will diagnose and skillfully represent the significant regional effects of land/atmosphere interactions on the hydrometeorology and hydroclimate of the Missouri River basin on spatial and temporal scales relevant for hydrologic applications and water resources; and (3) hydrometeorological prediction and water resources will enhance the reliability of precipitation, streamflow, and related hydrologic variables that impact the water supply and demand forecasts for water managers in temporal scales up to seasonal.