Soil moisture is a critical component of the earth system and plays an integrative role among various subfields physical geography. This paper highlights not just how soil affects atmospheric, geomorphic, hydrologic, biologic processes but that it lies at intersection these areas scientific inquiry. impacts surface in such way creates obvious synergistic relationship The dispersive cohesive properties also make important variable regional microclimatic analyses, landscape denudation change...

This article compares statistical methods for modeling power outage durations during hurricanes and examines the predictive accuracy of these methods. Being able to make accurate predictions is valuable because information can be used by utility companies plan their restoration efforts more efficiently. also help inform customers public agencies expected times, enabling better collective response planning, coordination other critical infrastructures that depend on electricity. In long run,...

Hurricanes regularly cause widespread and prolonged power outages along the U.S. coastline. These have significant impacts on other infrastructure dependent electric population living in impacted area. Efficient effective emergency response planning within utilities, utilities power, private companies, local, state, federal government agencies benefit from accurate estimates of extent spatial distribution advance an approaching hurricane. A number models been developed for predicting a...

Abstract. Satellite-derived soil moisture provides more spatially and temporally extensive data than in situ observations. However, satellites can only measure water the top few centimeters of soil. Root zone is important, particularly vegetated regions. Therefore estimates root must be inferred from near-surface retrievals. The accuracy this inference contingent on relationship between at greater depths. This study uses cross correlation analysis to quantify association using United States...

Abstract Drought is a complex phenomenon that difficult to accurately describe because its definition both spatially variant and context dependent. Decision makers in local, state, federal agencies commonly use operational drought definitions are based on specific index thresholds trigger water conservation measures determine levels of assistance. Unfortunately, many state plans utilize derived subjectively therefore may not be appropriate for triggering responses. This paper presents an...

Abstract A uniform method for defining, monitoring and quantifying the severity of drought conditions does not exist. This article introduces some tools (e.g. indices) that are commonly used in United States to monitor meteorological drought, describes strengths weaknesses these tools, makes recommendations about which ones most appropriate measuring drought. The literature qualitative index evaluation both suggest Standardized Precipitation Index deciles/percentiles suitable

Abstract Soil moisture is a key drought indicator; however, current in situ soil infrastructure inadequate for large‐scale monitoring. One initiative of the ongoing National Moisture Network program development near real‐time monitoring product that integrates situ, model, and satellite remote sensing data. Data integration from diverse sources requires validation prior to integration. This study develops framework assessing fidelity data sets. Here we evaluate over 100 stations are part...

Abstract Soil moisture is an important variable in the climate system that integrates combined influence of atmosphere, land surface, and soil. frequently used for drought monitoring forecasting. However, situ soil observations are not systematically archived there relatively few national networks. The lack observed data makes it difficult to characterize long-term variability trends. North American Moisture Database (NASMD) a new high-quality observational database. It includes over 1,800...

Drought early warning systems are a vital component of drought monitoring and require information at submonthly time scales because the rapidly evolving nature drought. This study evaluates utility in situ soil moisture observations for Oklahoma. Soil was used to identify events, results were compared with U.S. Monitor respect identification onset. consistently rapid-onset (flash) events earlier than Monitor. Our show that percentiles provide 2–3 week lead over based on five flash occurred...

Abstract Four land surface models in uncoupled and coupled configurations are compared to observations of daily soil moisture from 19 networks the conterminous United States determine viability such comparisons explore characteristics model observational data. First, analyzed for error representation spatial temporal variability. Some have multiple stations within an area comparable grid boxes; those it is found that aggregation before calculation statistics has little effect on estimates...

In this article, we discuss an outage‐forecasting model that have developed. This uses very few input variables to estimate hurricane‐induced outages prior landfall with great predictive accuracy. We also show the results for a series of simpler models use only publicly available data and can still reasonable The intended users these are emergency response planners within power utilities related government agencies. developed our based on method random forest, using from distribution system...

Abstract Soil moisture observations from seven observational networks (spanning portions of states) with different biome and climate conditions were used in this study to evaluate multimodel simulated soil products. The four land surface models, including Noah, Mosaic, Sacramento accounting (SAC), the Variable Infiltration Capacity model (VIC), run within phase 2 North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2), a ⅛° spatial resolution hourly temporal resolution. Hundreds sites...

Electric power is a critical infrastructure service after hurricanes, and rapid restoration of electric important in order to minimize losses the impacted areas. However, hurricane depends on obtaining necessary resources, primarily repair crews materials, before makes landfall then appropriately deploying these resources as soon possible hurricane. This, turn, having sound estimates both overall severity storm relative risk outages different Past studies have developed statistical,...

Hurricanes frequently cause damage to electric power systems in the United States, leading widespread and prolonged loss of service. Restoring service quickly requires use repair crews materials that must be requested, at considerable cost, prior storm. U.S. utilities have struggled strike a good balance between over- underpreparation largely because lack methods for rigorously estimating impacts an approaching hurricane on their systems. Previous work developed risk outages customer power,...

Abstract Tropical cyclones can significantly damage the electrical power system, so an accurate spatiotemporal forecast of outages prior to landfall help utilities optimize restoration process. The purpose this article is enhance predictive accuracy Spatially Generalized Hurricane Outage Prediction Model (SGHOPM) developed by Guikema et al . (2014). In version SGHOPM, we introduce a new two‐step prediction procedure and increase number predictor variables. first model step predicts whether...

Abstract Soil moisture is an integral part of the climate system and can drive land–atmosphere interactions through partitioning latent sensible heat. feedback to precipitation has been documented in several regions world, most notably southern Great Plains. However, impact soil on precipitation, particularly at short (subdaily) time scales, not resolved. Here, situ observations satellite-based estimates are used examine if afternoon falls preferentially over wet or dry soils Oklahoma....