Award Abstract # 1447533
CAREER: Advancing the science and education of land surface-atmosphere interactions: Interweaving multiscale experimental and modeling approaches for Land Surface Models

NSF Org: EAR
Division Of Earth Sciences
Recipient: TRUSTEES OF THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
Initial Amendment Date: February 24, 2015
Latest Amendment Date: November 29, 2016
Award Number: 1447533
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Holly Barnard
EAR
 Division Of Earth Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: March 1, 2015
End Date: April 30, 2019 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $525,611.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $545,474.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2015 = $176,229.00
FY 2016 = $104,683.00

FY 2017 = $0.00
History of Investigator:
  • Kathleen Smits (Principal Investigator)
    ksmits@smu.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Colorado School of Mines
1500 ILLINOIS ST
GOLDEN
CO  US  80401-1887
(303)273-3000
Sponsor Congressional District: 07
Primary Place of Performance: Colorado School of Mines
Golden
CO  US  80401-1887
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): JW2NGMP4NMA3
Parent UEI: JW2NGMP4NMA3
NSF Program(s): EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES,
Hydrologic Sciences
Primary Program Source: 01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1045
Program Element Code(s): 157500, 157900
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

CAREER: Advancing the science and education of land surface-atmosphere interactions: Interweaving multiscale experimental and modeling approaches for
Land Surface Models and experiential learning

A critical challenge for Land Surface Models (LSMs) is to simulate processes at the surface and the subsurface and their feedbacks to the atmosphere. Even given the same climate forcings, LSMs predict different surface fluxes and soil moisture conditions. This is due to differences in the formulations of individual processes, parameterizations of those formulations, numerical solution methods and representation of spatial heterogeneity. All of these differences contribute to LSM prediction errors and uncertainty. Increasing confidence in climate predictions requires revisiting fundamental process understanding and using that understanding to improve representations of land-atmosphere feedbacks. This research seeks to address this challenge by answering questions on multiphase fluid transport mechanisms in surface soils and mass/energy exchange at the soil-atmosphere interface. New knowledge and modeling approaches will result in improved predictions for water supply and food security as well as environmental issues across the nation. Linked to the research plan is an educational framework for engaging minority middle school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Focusing on the integrating theme of water and climate, the investigator will help students make the link between STEM they learn in the classroom and environmental water resource problems in their own backyards, motivating and preparing students to pursue college studies and ultimately careers in STEM fields. The integrated activities will help to build a scientifically literate and informed citizenry, while also answering critical water and climate questions. This project will contribute substantially to the goals of the NSF in the production of interdisciplinary knowledge and the education of middle-school students, young scientists and engineers.

The overarching goal of this research is to advance our understanding and modeling of mass and energy exchange at the land-atmosphere interface over a wide range of scales, and ultimately improve LSMs that are utilized in global climate prediction. The proposed research will systematically explore how the shallow subsurface and the atmosphere, specifically the layer very close to the soil surface, interact, providing new insights into mass and thermal flux process interactions that will be integrated into LSMs. A focus on scaling based on process understanding at multiple scales will allow for process-rich parameterizations for multiple land-atmosphere interaction and subsurface processes that contribute to LSMs. This vision includes unique highly controlled mechanistic studies in the laboratory, leveraging of existing laboratory and field data, modeling of critical mass and energy dynamics, and the characterization of important interactions from the laboratory to the watershed scales that drive feedbacks to climate systems. Project results will yield unique, high-fidelity data that will greatly aid in improving our understanding and modeling of the processes affected by heterogeneity at various scales and the development of methods to mechanistically represent the proposed processes at the watershed scale. A suite of climate intermediate, and fine scale computational models will be used to guide observations and interpret data; process studies will provide new algorithms and process parameterizations and evaluate model performance. Computational models in conjunction with experimental data will enable the investigator to understand governing flow and transport mechanisms under different atmospheric forcing at different scales. This research is expected to improve the representation of mass and energy exchange processes across multiple scales at the soil-land-atmosphere interface.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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(Showing: 1 - 10 of 11)
A.Trautz, K.M. Smits and A. Cihan "Continuum scale investigation of evaporation from bare soil under different boundary and initial conditions: An evaluation of non-equilibrium phase change." Water Resources Research , v.51 , 2015 , p.doi: 10.1 doi: 10.1002/2014WR016504
Chamindu Deepagoda, T.K.K.,K.M. Smits, J.R.R.N. Jayarathne, B. M. Wallen, and T.J. Clough "Characterization of Grain-Size Distribution, Thermal Conductivity, and Gas Diffusivity in Variably Saturated Binary Sand Mixtures" Vadose Zone Journal , 2018 doi:10.2136/vzj2018.01.0026
Deepagoda, C. T.K.K., K.M. Smits, and C.M. Oldenburg "Effect of subsurface soil moisture variability and atmospheric conditions on methane gas migration in shallow subsurface" International Journal of Greenhouse Gas , v.55 , 2016 , p.105 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.10.016
Deepagoda, C.T.K., K.M. Smits, J. Ramirez, P. Moldrup "Characterization of Thermal, Hydraulic, and Pore Network Properties in Variably Saturated Sand Grades" Vadose Zone Journal , v.TBD , 2016 , p.doi: 10.2 10.2136/vzj2015.07.0097
Deepagoda, T.K.K., M. Mitton, and K.M. Smits "Effect of varying atmospheric conditions on methane boundary layer development in a coupled free flow and porous media domain" Greenhouse Gases Science and Technology , 2017 10.1002/ghg.1743
Fetzer, T., J. Vanderborght, K. Mosthaf, K.M. Smits, and R. Helmig "Heat and water transport in soils and across the soil-atmosphere interface - Part 2: Numerical analysis" Water Resources Research , v.53 , 2017 10.1002/2016WR019983
Gao, B., H. Davarzani, R. Helmig, & K.M. Smits "Experimental and numerical study of evaporation from wavy surfaces by coupling free flow and porous media flow" Water Resources Research , v.54 , 2018 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023423
Li, Z., J. Vanderborght, K.M.Smits "Experimental and modeling study of soil water transport in porous media and across the land-atmosphere interface" Trans. Porous Media , 2018 doi:10.1007/s11242-018-1144-9
Moradi, A., J. Sharp, K.M. Smits "Coupled thermally-enhanced bioremediation and renewable energy storage system" Water , v.10 , 2018 doi:10.3390/w10101288
Vanderborght, J., T. Fetzer, K. Mosthaf, K.M. Smits, and R. Helmig "Heat and water transport in soils and across the soil-atmosphere interface - Part 1: Theory and different model concepts." Water Resources Research , v.53 , 2017 10.1002/2016WR019983
Wallen, B., K.M. Smits, T. Sakaki, S. Howington, Chamindu Deepagoda T.K.K "Thermal properties of binary sand mixtures evaluated through full water content range." Soil Science Society of America Journal , 2016 doi: 10.2136/sssaj2015.11.0408
(Showing: 1 - 10 of 11)

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