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Goal:
Improving our knowledge of land-surface processes and land-atmosphere interaction and our ability to predict such processes. Enhancing the IHOP Surface Flux Observation Network by measuring soil moisture/temperature profile, soil thermal/hydraulic properties and vegetation characteristics at nine NCAR surface stations. 
Motivations:
1. It is recognized that vegetation, soil moisture, and soil temperature influence:
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the partitioning of surface radiation forcing into sensible and latent heat fluxes;
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water vapor and temperature in the lower atmosphere; and
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deep convection initiation and development
However, the difficulty in observing and modeling soil moisture is not fully appreciated.
2. Major differences in modeled latent heat fluxes by three LSMs are caused by:
3. Soil moisture/temperature profile in vegetation root-zone, soil thermal/hydraulic property, and vegetation characteristics are identified as highly desirable key parameters by:
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IHOP Atmospheric Boundary Layer group (LeMone and Davis)
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USWRP QPF project (Chen et al.)
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CU NSF proposal (Grossman et al.)
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PSU NSF proposal (Stauffer and Davis)
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NCSU NSF proposal (Niyogi)
4. Nine NCAR surface-flux stations have been requested by LeMone et al. to support IHOP
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Complete surface energy balance, but soil moisture/temperature only at 5 cm depth
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None of these groups has proposed to measure soil moisture and temperature profiles, because of budget constrains or lack of expertise!
5. IHOP/NCAR Soil Moisture, Soil Temperature and Vegetation Observation Network
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Develop, by collaborating with the OSU Hydrologic Science Team (HST), the capability of soil moisture measurements and analysis. OSU team will transfer important expertise to the NCAR/RAL staff, as well as provide a valuable scientific collaboration. Thus the soil-moisture instruments stop short of being an NCAR facility, but would be available to the scientific community through collaboration.
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IHOP/NCAR Soil and Vegetation Observation Network
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