Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor Hydromet Testbed Experiment
The MRMS Hydrometeorological Testbed Experiment (HMT-Hydro) is an ongoing summer experiment that began in 2014. The in-house experiment provides an opportunity to test out new approaches in flash flood forecasting. For a period of approximately 4 weeks, several National Weather Service forecasters participate during the week by using the experimental products in a real-time setting. They issue experimental flash flood watches and warnings throughout the day, and the research team and the forecasters subjectively evaluate the products the following day. The HMT-Hydro experiment has been successful in garnering essential feedbacks from eventual end-users, thus enabling the researchers to refine and optimize the products. The experiment also provides a rich environment for collaborations and forecaster training.
Hydrologic Warn-On-Forecast
During the MRMS Hydrometeorological Testbed Experiment, researchers are investigating ways to increase flash flood lead times using ensemble rain forecasts from the Warn-on-Forecast system as inputs to FLASH. This will represent the world’s first coupled atmospheric-hydrologic modeling system that explicitly forecasts the precipitation and concomitant hydrologic response down to minutes at flash flood scale. Another major paradigm change is being explored. Through the use of ensemble precipitation forecasts, researchers are also advancing the FLASH system forecasts from being deterministic to fully probabilistic.
Observing flash floods in new ways: Automated Non-Contact Hydrologic Observations in Rivers (ANCHOR)
The ANCHOR project leverages remote-sensing solutions for unique hydrometeorological observations. The first component has developed an in-house prototype of a low-power, lightweight, low-cost, scanning LiDAR, which utilizes light rays and remote sensing to measure distance to objects. The LiDAR is used to retrieve a channel’s underwater topography by retrieving the distance from the instrument to the bottom of a stream from bank-to-bank. The second component is a NOAA-funded project that deployed 14 stream radars across the U.S. These sensors report river stage and velocity in real-time. This information can be combined with the topography data to enable direct estimation of a stream’s flow rate. The project represents a change in paradigm in that the sensors are not in contact with the stream, which improves safety and also enables real-time estimates of hydrologic variables without the need for costly measurements in the stream. The system can be readily deployed in a few hours; power is supplied by a small battery charged by a solar panel; the unit can be hung from a bridge or by cables; data are transmitted out by cellular network. All of these emerging technologies use remote sensing to advance the state of knowledge in hydrology.
Flash Flood Observation Database
In order to evaluate forecasting tools, NSSL needs observations of flash flooding. NSSL maintains a database of flash flood observations from the U.S. Geological Survey’s automated discharge measurements, trained spotter reports from the National Weather Service, reports collected from NSSL's Severe Hazards Analysis and Verification Experiment (SHAVE), and the circumstances surrounding fatality events. This database has been used ubiquitously for community research purposes
Southwest Colorado Radar Project
NSSL scientists operated NOAA NSSL's mobile X-band dual-polarized radar, NOXP, in Colorado to collect data and analyze storm characteristics in the Gunnison river basin. The National Weather Service radar servicing the Gunnison area is located in Grand Junction, Colorado, at 9,991 feet, with 12,000-foot mountain peaks causing radar beam blockage at lower elevations to the southeast around the Gunnison area. The high-resolution data sets will provide insight into the variations of storm characteristics for different terrain profiles. The success of these mobile radar deployments ultimately led to the state funding of a permanent radar installation in Alamosa.
International Projects
NSSL collaborates with other countries to improve flood and flash flood warnings. Since floods and flash floods kill more people in the U.S. each year than any other weather-related event, this relationship benefits U.S. efforts as well. Working together to develop better forecasting tools will save lives and property worldwide.
NSSL's work with Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau and Water Resources Agency, along with NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory has resulted in the development of high-resolution QPE and the QPF — HRQ2 — system for Taiwan. The collaboration has been ongoing since 2002, with the goal of improving Taiwan's capabilities to issue flash flood and flood warnings and to improve river and reservoir water management. The HRQ2 system has been running in real-time at the CWB and more than ten other government agencies. The system continues to undergo development and enhancement.
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