Variation of hydrometeorological conditions along a topographic transect in northwestern Mexico during the North American Monsoon

Relatively little is currently known about the spatiotemporal variability of land surface conditions during the North American monsoon, in particular for regions of complex topography. As a result, the role played by land-atmosphere interactions in generating convective rainfall over steep terrain and sustaining monsoon conditions is still poorly understood. In this study, the variation of hydrometeorological conditions along a large-scale topographic transect in northwestern Mexico is described. The transect field experiment consisted of daily sampling at 30 sites selected to represent variations in elevation and ecosystem distribution. Simultaneous soil and atmospheric variables were measured during a 2-week period in early August 2004. Transect observations were supplemented by a network of continuous sampling sites used to analyze the regional hydrometeorological conditions prior to and during the field experiment. Results reveal the strong control exerted by topography on the spatial and temporal variability in soil moisture, with distinct landscape regions experiencing different hydrologic regimes. Reduced variations at the plot and transect scale during a drydown period indicate that homogenization of hydrologic conditions occurred over the landscape. Furthermore, atmospheric variables are clearly linked to surface conditions, indicating that heating and moistening of the boundary layer closely follow spatial and temporal changes in hydrologic properties. Land-atmosphere interactions at the basin scale (∼100 km²), obtained via a technique accounting for topographic variability, further reveal the role played by the land surface in sustaining high atmospheric moisture conditions, with implications toward rainfall generation during the North American monsoon.