RECOVERY ACT-NOTIFICATION

Background on project:This project is a collaborative effort among Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA AmesResearch Center (ARC) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The overall objectiveof this effort is to create prototype hardware/software infrastructure to improve watermanagement in the San Joaquin River watershed in California (scalable to other regions)that integrates NASA information products and models. MSFC component of this effort is intwo distinct elements: a) generating precipitation product using data from NEXRAD radarand b) soil moisture and evapotranspiration estimation using a sophisticated distributedhydrologic model. Precipitation estimation is a major component of this project. The NEXRAD basedprecipitation estimate will need to be produced at 2 km spatial resolution. Theprecipitation estimate will need to be produced at hourly temporal frequency and willcover the entire San Joaquin River watershed. The necessary data processing will beaccomplished in an automated fashion in either real-time or in post-processing overdomain and will include generation of imagery for visualization. The output from theprecipitation estimation process will be compatible with the other elements of theprojects, namely ARC and JPL modeling systems (Terrestrial Observation and PredictionSystem (TOPS) and Snow water Equivalent (SWE) products respectively). The second element of MSFC component of this project involves estimation ofevapotranspiration and soil moisture using a physically-based, multi-soil layerhydrologic model. All relevant hydrologic and energy processes will be modeled todetermine temperature and moisture in each soil layer. The soil water dynamics algorithmsin the hydrologic model include Darcy flow to model vertical and lateral sub-surfacefluxes and an overland flow algorithm. Together, these modules will estimate thethree-dimensional soil water fluxes. The temporal change in soil moisture content in eachof the soil layers will be determined by considering the contributions of infiltration,runoff, evaporation, transpiration, and sub-surface vertical and lateral flow. In-streamrouting algorithm, part of the hydrologic model, will estimate the flow once the waterreaches the stream. The soil moisture and evapotranspiration products generated using thehydrologic model will be compatible with the ARC and JPL modeling systems (TOPS and SWEproducts respectively). How it was selected: In early 2009, NASA Headquarters called for Centers to submit "ideas" for work to be doneusing possible stimulus funding. Functionally, there were two stages to this part of the process. The first stage involvedexploration with project managers at HQ as to topical areas of interest. In the secondstage written submissions were provided to HQ. MSFC sent in more than 20 ideas in Earth Sciences. The total number of ideas received atHQ was more than a hundred and covered all aspects of the Earth Science Directorate'swork. Independently, a selection committee was formed. It consisted of senior Earth Sciencemanagers and two representatives from Centers doing Earth Science funded work. Thecommittee's task was several fold. They recommended how funds should be allocated, interms of topic areas. They also recommended criteria for how projects should be selected.This committee worked for more than a month, meeting by telecon on a weekly basis. With the committee guidance and the proposed work in hand, the HQs managers at theDirectorate level selected ideas from those submitted. In the specific case of MSFC asingle idea was initially selected. Final selection and funding was contingent on MSFC,JPL and ARC being able to integrate several ideas into a larger task, which required aformal proposal for HQs review. The proposal was submitted by the three Centers and afterreview by program managers at HQ, accepted. This one proposal, and the incorporatedideas, was the only package funded by the Applied Science Program out of the stimulusfunds. The MSFC work the final proposal offers is a pair of tasks related to measurement ofprecipitation and modeling of soil moisture in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Theother two Centers are also focusing on the San Joaquin, to build a broad hydrologicalmodel for water management. This project titled, Water Supply and Management in California, Scalable to Regional andNational Applications: An integrated framework for water resource management andirrigation optimization will be awarded to The University of Alabama Huntsville andUniversities Space Research Association (USRA). Both were named in the selected proposalas partners to MSFC.