Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Water vapour is highly variable in the atmosphere with concentration reaching saturation in the tropics and with dry areas over elevated continental region. Good knowledge of the amount of integrated water vapour in the air is necessary to predict phase changes and in particular precipitation. Water vapour variability measurements are still insufficient with standard observing systems. Moreover accurate GPS antenna positioning is affected by the refractivity index variation in the troposphere. Consequently, vertical positioning component estimation is difficult. This variation is directly linked to distribution of variables such as pressure, temperature and humidity along the path between satellite and receiver. Here we study more specifically heavy rains et notably Cevenols events. This thesis work consists to check the GPS measurement validity to quantify water vapour in comparison with measurements from radiosoundings and meteorological model outputs. GPS observations and flux surface information have been analysed to see if water vapour quantification by GPS allowed characterising heavy rain events (cumulative rainfall amount greater than 150 mm). Then, we tested the GPS data assimilation impact on cumulative precipitation forecasts using the high resolution Meteo France AROME model (2.5 km). Finally the quality and the contribution of GPS measurement on sea is evaluated for water vapour measurement. This study has been realised in the framework of VAPIMED experiment.
La vapeur d'eau varie largement dans l'atmosphère avec des concentrations allant de la saturation dans les tropiques à des zones presque sèches au-dessus des zones continentales élevées. Une bonne connaissance du contenu en vapeur d'eau dans l'air est nécessaire pour la prévision des changements de phases, notamment les précipitations. La mesure de la variabilité de la vapeur d'eau est une lacune des systèmes d'observation. Par ailleurs, il est apparu que le positionnement précis des antennes GPS était affecté par la variation de l'indice de réfraction dans la troposphère, ce qui rend particulièrement difficile l'estimation de la composante verticale. Cette variation est directement liée à la distribution des variables pression, température et humidité sur les trajets satellite-récepteur. On s'intéresse ici à l'étude des précipitations intenses et notamment aux épisodes Cévenols. Ce travail de thèse consiste à vérifier la validité de la mesure GPS pour la quantification de la vapeur d'eau en la comparant avec des mesures issues de radiosondage et des sorties de modèle météorologique. On cherche à analyser si la quantification de vapeur d'eau par GPS permet de caractériser les forts événements précipitants (cumuls supérieurs à 150 mm) à l'aide d'observations conjointes sur les flux de surface. On étudie ensuite l'impact de l'assimilation de données GPS issues d'un réseau GPS dense sur la prévision des cumuls de pluies dans le modèle à hauterésolution (2.5 km) AROME de Météo France. Finalement on évalue la qualité et l'apport de la mesure de vapeur d'eau par GPS en mer dans le cadre d'une campagne de mesure VAPIMED).
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00444081

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
tel-00444081
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00444081
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00444081/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00444081/file/These_KBoniface.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Berlin: A. Asher & Co.
Résumé : International audience
In this work, we compare IASI-retrieved vertical water vapour profiles and related precipitable water over a complex region, namely the Rhine Valley area, during the pre-operational period of IASI exploitation (June?August 2007). Both IASI water vapour mixing ratio profiles and integrated water vapour content are retrieved from L1C radiances spectra using two techniques and compared with water vapour related observations acquired during the Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study (COPS) field campaign that took place in this area at that time (i.e. lidars, radiosoundings and a global positioning system - GPS - station network). This work addresses the issue of IASI vertical spatial resolution and its capability to detect two-layer water vapour structures such as those observed in a mountainous area and which play an important role in convective initiation or inhibition. We found that this capability mostly relies on the type of a-priori background vector (climatology or space-time colocated ECMWF analysis), which is used within the retrieval scheme. Systematic comparison of water vapour products derived from 71 IASI spectra confirms that IASI can retrieve water vapour amounts in 2 km width layers, in the lower troposphere, with an accuracy of approximately 10%.
ISSN: 0369-1845

hal-00923710
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00923710
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00923710/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00923710/file/masiello.pdf
DOI : 10.1127/0941-2948/2013/0430

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union
Résumé : International audience
The Mediterranean hydrometeorological observatory Cévennes-Vivarais (OHM-CV) coordinates hydrometeorological observations (radars, rain gauges, water level stations) on a regional scale in southeastern France. In the framework of OHM-CV, temporary GPS measurements have been carried out for 2 months in autumn 2002, when the heaviest rainfall are expected. These measurements increase the spatial density of the existing permanent GPS network, by adding three more receivers between the Mediterranean coast and the Cévennes-Vivarais range to monitor maritime source of water vapour flow feeding the precipitating systems over the Cévennes-Vivarais region. In addition, a local network of 18 receivers covered an area of 30 by 30 km within the field of view of the meteorological radar. These regional and local networks of permanent and temporary stations are used to monitor the precipitable water vapour (PWV) with high temporal resolution (15 min). Also, the dense local network provided data which have been inverted using tomographic techniques to obtain the 3-D field of tropospheric water vapour content. This study presents methodological tests for retrieving GPS tropospheric observations from dense networks, with the aim of assessing the uncertainties of GPS retrievals. Using optimal tropospheric GPS retrieval methods, high resolution measurements of PWV on a local scale (a few kilometres) are discussed for rain events. Finally, the results of 3-D fields of water vapour densities from GPS tomography are analysed with respect to precipitation fields derived from a meteorological radar, showing a good correlation between precipitation and water vapour depletion areas.
ISSN: 1867-1381

hal-01022833
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01022833
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01022833/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01022833/file/amt-7-553-2014.pdf
DOI : 10.5194/amt-7-553-2014

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
The Convective and Orographically-driven Precipitation Study (COPS) carried out in summer 2007 over northeastern France and southwestern Germany provided a fairly comprehensive description of the low-troposphere water-vapour field, thanks in particular to the deployment of two airborne differential absorption lidar systems. These lidar observations were assimilated using the 3D-Var assimilation system of the Application of Research to Operations at MEsoscale (AROME) numerical weather prediction mesoscale model. The assimilation was carried out for the period 4 July-3 August by running a three-hour forward intermittent assimilation cycle. First, the impact of the lidar observations was assessed by comparing the analyses with a set of more than 200 independent soundings. The lidar observations were found to have a positive impact on the analyses by reducing the dry bias in the first 500 m above ground level and by diminishing the root-mean-square error by roughly 15% in the first km. Then the impact of the lidar observations was assessed by comparing the precipitation forecasts (obtained with and without the lidar observations for the period 15 July-2 August) with the gridded precipitation observations provided by the Vienna Enhanced Resolution Analysis. In general, the impact was found to be positive but not significant for the 24 h precipitation and positive and significant for the 6 h precipitation, with an improvement lasting up to 24 h. Some selected case studies show that the improvement was obtained through a better depiction of convection initiation or through a more accurate positioning of the precipitation systems
ISSN: 0035-9009

hal-00659497
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00659497
DOI : 10.1002/qj.1864

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : Functional aspects of biodiversity were investigated in a lowland tropical rainforest in French Guyana (5°2'N, annual precipitation 2200 mm). We assessed leaf '15N as a presumptive indicator of symbiotic N2 fixation, and leaf and wood cellulose '13C as an indicator of leaf intrinsic water-use efficiency (CO2 assimilation rate/leaf conductance for water vapour) in dominant trees of 21 species selected for their representativeness in the forest cover, their ecological strategy (pioneers or late successional stage species, shade tolerance) or their potential ability for N2 fixation. Similar measurements were made in trees of native species growing in a nearby plantation after severe perturbation (clear cutting, mechanical soil disturbance). Bulk soil '15N was spatially quite uniform in the forest (range 3-5‰), whereas average leaf '15N ranged from m0.3‰ to 3.5‰ in the different species. Three species only, Diplotropis purpurea, Recordoxylon speciosum (Fabaceae), and Sclerolobium melinonii (Caesalpiniaceae), had root bacterial nodules, which was also associated with leaf N concentrations higher than 20 mg gm1. Although nodulated trees displayed significantly lower leaf '15N values than non-nodulated trees, leaf '15N did not prove a straightforward indicator of symbiotic fixation, since there was a clear overlap of '15N values for nodulated and non-nodulated species at the lower end of the '15N range. Perturbation did not markedly affect the difference '15Nsoil m '15Nleaf, and thus the isotopic data provide no evidence of an alteration in the different N acquisition patterns. Extremely large interspecific differences in sunlit leaf '13C were observed in the forest (average values from m31.4 to m26.7‰), corresponding to intrinsic water-use efficiencies (ratio CO2 assimilation rate/leaf conductance for water vapour) varying over a threefold range. Wood cellulose '13C was positively related to total leaf '13C, the former values being 2-3‰ higher than the latter ones. Leaf '13C was not related to leaf '15N at either intraspecific or interspecific levels. '13C of sunlit leaves was highest in shade hemitolerant emergent species and was lower in heliophilic, but also in shade-tolerant species. For a given species, leaf '13C did not differ between the pristine forest and the disturbed plantation conditions. Our results are not in accord with the concept of existence of functional types of species characterized by common suites of traits underlying niche differentiation; rather, they support the hypothesis that each trait leads to a separate grouping of species.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01032378
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032378
DOI : 10.1007/s004420050593

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The aim of this study is to assess the availability and quality of data from the International GNSS Service (IGS) Global Positioning System (GPS) network in Africa, especially for retrieving zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD), from which precipitable water vapour (PWV) can be derived, in view of application to the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) project. Three major error sources for the GPS data analysis evaluating PWV in Africa are the accuracy of the satellite orbits, the correction for the radio delay induced by the ionosphere and the vertical site displacements due to ocean loading. The first part of this study examines these error sources and the validity of GPS data for meteorological applications in Africa in dedicated analyses spanning the year 2001. These analyses were performed using the IGS precise orbits. Weak degradation of baseline precision with increasing baseline lengths suggests that the average orbital error is not limiting the GPS analysis in Africa. The impact of the ionosphere has been evaluated during a maximum of solar activity in 2001. The loss of L2 data has actually been observed. It amounts to 2% on average for 2001, with maxima of 8% during magnetic storm events. A slight decrease in formal accuracy of ZTD seems to be related to the loss of L2 data at the end of the day. This indicates that scintillation effects are present in the GPS observations but however are not a major limitation. The impact of ocean loading is found to be significant on ZTD estimates (up to ±2 mm in equivalent PWV). The use of a proper ocean loading model eliminates this effect. The second aspect of this study concerns the IGS analysis quality for the African stations. The accuracy has been assessed through position dispersion between individual solutions and the most recent version of the IGS combined solution IGb00, and residuals from the transformation of the IGS combined solution into the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2005. The positioning performance of the IGS analysis is consistent with an accuracy in ZTD of ±6 mm (±1 mm in PWV), as requested for meteorological applications such as planned in AMMA.
ISSN: 1364-6826

insu-00347961
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00347961
DOI : 10.1016/j.jastp.2007.04.008

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The challenge is to implement research that can estimate the consequences ofclimate changes in terms of impact on terrestrial environments and resources.Emphasis should be placed on regions dependent on natural resources and forwhich demographic pressure is strong. Simulations obtained from climate modelprojections (using different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs))predict that the Mediterranean basin and its southern periphery are particularlyvulnerable to water resources and environmental impact (IPCC, AR5, 2013).An annual rainfall decrease by 30% is found for the projection period 2070-2099(IPCC, AR5, 2013) associated with a decrease in water resources by 30 to 50%(Milano, 2012). In addition, several studies using regional atmospheric modelsindicate an increase in the precipitation inter-annual variability with extremeevents and a spatial heterogeneous signature, superimposed on a decrease in thetotal precipitation amount (Giorgi and Lionello, 2008; Raible et al. 2010).Currently, regional climate projections are highly sensitive to the climate modelused. In particular, spatial resolution as well as local climate conditions seemto impact significantly on the simulations (Jacob et al. 2014).The Mediterranean region, at the interface between arid and temperate climateswith several mountainous areas, is a complex climate system affected by theinteractions between mid-latitude and sub-tropical processes. In this context,Morocco, located at the transition between a temperate climate to the North anda tropical climate to the south constitutes a key area for an impact and sensitivitystudy to global climate changes. The climate is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean,the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara, together with a very steep orography inthe Atlas region. The precipitation distribution is therefore characterised by greatspatial variability, and exhibits a marked seasonality, a strong inter-annualvariability (Ouda et al. 2005) and in general a pronounced gradient from northto south and west to east. At a broader scale, Morocco is located on the subtropicalsubsidence path and between the Acores High and the Saharan Low (Agoussine,2003). Several studies have also identified strong links with inter-annualprecipitation variability and NAO index (Knippertz, 2003) as well as remoteclimate modes (Esper et al. 2007).Continental climate variability at a local/regional scale, if it is to be integratedin climate predictions, needs to be supported by long-term observation.Meteorological stations in Morocco provide climatic data mainly for the last40 years with only a few stations located in the mountainous region (Tramblayet al. 2012; 2013; Driouech et al. 2010). This climate database is also supportedby the IAEA network providing stations for which isotope tracers have beenapplied to daily/monthly rain and water vapour samples over 2 to 3 years between2000 and 2004. Besides the poor coverage of instrumented areas, lacustrinesystems can provide a climatic data set that offers access to short and long-termtime series of climate parameters when knowledge of modern lake water balanceis combined with lacustrine sedimentary-climate records. Lake sediment recordsideally provide high resolution climate/environmental information of the last10,000 years (Magny et al. 2013). This time interval (corresponding to theHolocene) is a key period to investigate short and long-term climate variabilityand to improve prediction in a warming climate.In this study we present an integrated approach focusing on a mountainous lake(Aguelmam Azigza). The modern lake system study is based on site monitoring(2012-2016) and available regional hydro-climatic data. These data show thatlake level changes during the instrumented period were mainly driven byprecipitation following the high inter-annual variability. These data are thencompared with accurately dated short sediment cores retrieved in the same lake.Micro-scale geochemical and sedimentological analyses of these sequencesenable us to identify various sedimentary facies that can be linked with periodsof high (low) lake levels over the past decades.
The Mediterranean Region under Climate ChangeLa méditerranée face au changement climatique

insu-01394690
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01394690
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01394690/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01394690/file/Vidaletal.2016-COP22-Chap1.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
The benefit of assimilating high spatial and temporal resolution Global Positioning System (GPS) zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) observations within a high-resolution numerical weather prediction (NWP) system is evaluated during IOP 9 of the Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study (COPS) campaign. In the framework of the international COPS field experiment, which took place from June to August 2007, a dense GPS network was deployed in the Vosges mountain region in eastern France and in the Black Forest region in southwestern Germany. GPS ZTD observations collected during the COPS field campaign, in addition to the European operational GPS data, are assimilated into the AROME/3D-Var system. We investigate the impact of assimilating these GPS ZTD observations on the forecast of convective systems that travelled over eastern France during the three days of COPS IOP 9 (18-20 July 2007). The results show a clear positive impact on short-range quantitative precipitation forecasts when GPS ZTD observations are assimilated. The impact is most important on 19 July 2007 (IOP 9b). The present study benefits from additional validation measurements collected during the COPS campaign. In particular we find that the assimilation of ZTD data induces changes in the low-to-middle tropospheric water vapour vertical structure that are consistent with water vapour measurements from radiosonde and airborne lidar. As most of the improvement is gained by assimilating GPS ZTD observations from the European operational GPS network, this study opens up encouraging horizons for the assimilation of GPS ZTD in new high-resolution operational NWP systems
ISSN: 0035-9009

hal-00424350
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00424350
DOI : 10.1002/qj.508

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
In the mid-afternoon of 15 July 2007, during the Convective and Orographically induced Precipitation Study (COPS), in a very warm and dry environment, an isolated, short-lived, deep convective system developed over the southern Black Forest. Most of the high-resolution, convection-permitting models involved in COPS were unable to capture this event whereas the Meso-NH forecast was quite skilful. To assess the Meso-NH performance further, the model results were carefully checked against the various and numerous COPS observations. In full agreement with clear-air radar observations, model results underlined the triggering role of a low-level convergence line that developed in the lee of the Feldberg. The main departure from the observations was found to be in the low-level moisture fields, which appeared significantly moister in the model than in the observations and also slightly moister than in the other models. Sensitivity studies showed that this departure from the observations was strongly controlled by the initial surface moisture conditions. When the surface moisture was reduced by 20% or replaced by the value derived from a different analysis, the evolution of the planetary boundary layer was more accurately represented while the storm evolution was still correctly captured. These results demonstrate that the quality of the initial forecast cannot be ascribed to the moist bias of the model. It could therefore be hypothesized that the key parameters for a satisfactory forecast of this event lie more in the ability of the model to reproduce the dynamical forcing accurately than in the characteristics of the air-mass instability.
ISSN: 0035-9009

hal-00554400
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00554400
DOI : 10.1002/qj.710