Investigating the role of soil moisture gradients on extreme precipitation over Southeastern South America

R. RUSCICA; A. A. SÖRENSSON; C. G. MENÉNDEZ

Ginebra

Otro; Blue Book; 2011

Soil moisture plays an important and complex role in the climate predictibility, since it forces the atmosphere in different spatial and time scales. Its interaction with the precipitation (couplings, positive/negative feedbacks) has been and remains a subject of study connected to the hydrological cycle, using observational and satellite data and climate models (e.g. Sörensson and Menéndez, 2010). The influence of the soil moisture horizontal contrasts on precipitation in different spatial scales has been suggested in some articles (e.g. Emori, 1998; Frye and Mote, 2009; Wolters et al., 2010). In a new approach, we investigate the possible connection between the soil moisture horizontal gradient and extreme precipitation, using a regional climate model over Southeastern South America (SESA, Fig.1), during the development of the South American Monsoon System 1992-93.