Objetivo
TO STUDY THE SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF SUCH LAND PROCESSES AS INFILTRATION, SOIL MOISTURE STORAGE AND EVAPOTRANSPIRATION.
THE PROJECT INVOLVES FOUR MAIN COMPONENTS :
(A) THE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF SOIL MOISTURE IN LAND SURFACE PROCESSES AT VARIOUS SCALES, FROM THE POINT SCALE OF SOIL PHYSICS TO THE GLOBAL SCALE OF GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS;
(B) THE COMPARISON OF THE FEASIBILITY AND REALIABILITY OF VARIOUS MACRO-SCALE MODELS OF LAND SURFACE PROCESSES INVOLVING VARYING DEGREES OF PARAMETERIZATION OF SMALLER SCALE PROCESSES;
(C) AN EXAMINATION OF THE DIRECT USE OF REMOTELY SENSED SOIL MOISTURE PARAMETERS IN CLIMATE MODELS;
(D) ASSESSMENT OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESULTS FOR DESERTIFICATION AND RELATED PROBLEMS IN EUROPE.
THE FOLLOWING TASK WILL BE PERFORMED :
EXAMINATION AND COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT CATCHMENT OR MACRO-SCALE SOIL MOISTURE MODELS USING THE MET. OFFICE ONE-DIMENSIONAL SOIL-ATMOSPHERE MODEL AND SELECTION OF THE MOST PROMISING MODEL IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL CLIMATE MODELS. THE SOIL-MOISTURE MODELS WILL BE SUPPLIED TO THE METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE IN CODED FORMS BY THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROJECT. (BRACKNELL).