Award Abstract # 1720417
Collaborative Research: The Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX) for Understanding the Influence of Irrigation on the Planetary Boundary Layer and Weather Events

NSF Org: AGS
Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Recipient: WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
Initial Amendment Date: August 29, 2017
Latest Amendment Date: August 16, 2018
Award Number: 1720417
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Nicholas Anderson
nanderso@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4715
AGS
 Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: September 1, 2017
End Date: October 31, 2018 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $298,986.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $240,552.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2017 = $55,951.00
FY 2018 = $0.00
History of Investigator:
  • Rezaul Mahmood (Principal Investigator)
    rmahmood2@unl.edu
  • Eric Rappin (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Western Kentucky University Research Foundation
1906 COLLEGE HEIGHTS BLVD # 11016
BOWLING GREEN
KY  US  42101-1000
(270)745-4652
Sponsor Congressional District: 02
Primary Place of Performance: Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green
KY  US  42101-1000
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): MBAQJTF7VBX3
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Physical & Dynamic Meteorology
Primary Program Source: 01001920DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 9150
Program Element Code(s): 152500
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

This research project seeks to investigate the impacts of irrigation on the evolution of the planetary boundary layer atmosphere in a region of the Northern Great Plains, specifically in southeastern Nebraska. This study will determine the impacts of the rapid commencement of irrigation in the spring and resultant changes in the land-atmosphere (L-A) coupling at the mesoscale. Graduate students at Western Kentucky University and the University of Alabama at Huntsville will gain experience in studying/working with weather/climate models and gain field experience. These students will be guided by NCAR and NASA-GSFC experts also. Meanwhile, this project will also contribute science education to K-12 students in local middle schools. For land-atmospheric interaction and surface hydrology communities, the proposed work could potentially bring interesting findings to advance our understanding regarding the connection between local irrigation and precipitation.

The Southern Great Plain (SGP) is a "hot spot" where soil moisture plays an important role affecting the local atmospheric boundary layer processes and local cloud formation as well as precipitation. Land use change and irrigation due to agricultural activities could be important factors affecting local land-atmospheric interactions. This research will investigate the intra-seasonal changes in application in irrigation and their impacts on the boundary layer atmosphere and various processes and mechanisms involved in these changes. This study will collect field data in collaboration with the Lower Atmospheric Observation Facilities (LAOF) of the University Consortium for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and conduct model simulations to further understand the impacts of irrigation on the atmosphere. To further understand land-atmosphere interactions and coupling, this study will use the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model centered on southeastern Nebraska, a region containing strong soil moisture gradients due to widespread application of irrigation.

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