Alexander et al. (2026) Ecohydrologic Processes Modify Urban Rainfall Intensification in Land‐Atmosphere Simulations

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-10
• Authors: Gary Aaron Alexander, Daniel Benjamin Wright, C. B. Voter, Steven P. Loheide
• DOI: 10.1029/2026gl121642

Research Groups

• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Civil Engineering
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory

Short Summary

This study integrates urban ecohydrology processes into ensemble land-atmosphere simulations to improve convective rainfall representation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The results highlight the importance of model representation of these processes for precipitation forecasts.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of fine-scale urban ecohydrology processes on convective rainfall patterns in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Urban scale (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• Temporal Scale: Daily to seasonal time scales

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Coupled land-atmosphere models ( ensemble simulations )
• Data sources: Satellite data, observation data, reanalysis data

Main Results

• Ecohydrologic processes produce cooler and wetter conditions ahead of rainfall due to higher evapotranspiration.
• Simulated rainfall aligns more closely with observed rainfall when ecohydrologic processes are considered.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the importance of urban ecohydrology representation in coupled land-atmosphere models for precipitation forecasts.

Funding

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant # 1925233: "Urban Ecohydrology and Climate Adaptation Strategies"
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Research Growth Initiative (RGI) Award # RGI2020-1234

Citation

@article{Alexander2026Ecohydrologic,
  author = {Alexander, Gary Aaron and Wright, Daniel Benjamin and Voter, C. B. and Loheide, Steven P.},
  title = {Ecohydrologic Processes Modify Urban Rainfall Intensification in Land‐Atmosphere Simulations},
  journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026gl121642},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026gl121642}
}