A local forecast of land surface wetness conditions derived from seasonal climate predictions

Abstract

An ensemble local hydrologic forecast derived from the seasonal forecasts of the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction (IRI) is presented. Three-month seasonal forecasts were used to resample historical meteorological conditions and generate ensemble forcing datasets for a TOPMODEL-based hydrology model. Eleven retrospective forecasts were run at Florida and New York sites. Forecast skill was assessed for mean area modeled water table depth (WTD) and compared with WTD simulated with observed data. Hydrology model forecast skill was evident at the Florida site. Persistence of initial hydrologic conditions and local skill of the IRI seasonal forecast contributed to this local hydrologic forecast skill. At the New York site, there was no persistence of initial hydrologic conditions and local skill of the IRI seasonal forecast was poor; these factors precluded local hydrologic forecast skill at this site.