Development of a high resolution land surface dataset for the South Asian monsoon region

Abstract

In this study, we report the development of a high resolution land surface dataset for the South Asian monsoon region for studies on land surface processes, and land and atmosphere coupling. The high resolu- tion land data assimilation system was used to develop the land surface dataset utilizing TRMM rainfall and ECMWF atmospheric variables as forcing parameters. The dataset was developed at a spatial resolution of 0.5° and temporal resolution of 1 h and spans a period of 6 years, i.e. 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2010. The major highlights in the development of the present dataset are higher spatial and temporal resolution of land surface parameters, use of sub-daily forcing parameters including rainfall, use of MODIS land-use data in lieu of USGS land-use data and weekly varying vegetation fraction instead of monthly vegetation climatology. A comparison of soil moisture and soil temperature with limited surface observations of the IMD suggests reasonable reliability of the land surface data. The model sensible heat flux data are compared with in situ measurements at Ranchi and MEERA reanalysis data. The sensitivity analysis shows that the land surface data are sensitive to rainfall and green vegetation cover data used as the forcing parameters. The dataset has been used to discuss the variations of land surface processes associated with active and break spells and a severe heat wave observed in 2009. The present dataset will be useful for many applications, including initializing numerical models for weather prediction. This high resolution land surface dataset is available for research on request.