From Rain into Water

Peter EwinsChief ExecutiveMet Office

Met Office & water management

• Involved in Water management since the ‘40s

• Began operational forecasts of soil moisture and run-off on a monthly basis in the early ‘60s

• Now deliver assessment of ground water status every hour from our operational forecast system

MOSES

• Met Office Surface Exchange Scheme• Soil moisture data derived from radar

observations• Advanced scientific representation of processes• 5km spatial resolution• Updated hourly• Provides information on soil moisture status• Being assessed by Environment Agency for use in

producing flow prediction

MOSES

Soil moisture deficit from MOSES

Darcian flow of soil moisture

Deep drainage

Surface runoff

Evaporation frombare soil, trees,grass, crops,wet canopies etc.

Rain,Snow Radiation

Rootsextractwater

Urban drainage modelling

Risk based approach to urban drainage modelling

Global River Flow Change (%)

Produced by Southampton University in collaboration with the Met Office’s Hadley Centre

Rainfall increase

Projected heavy rainfall increase

UK rain radar coverage

1km coverage

(50km range)

2km coverage

(50km range)

5km coverage(250km range)

Storm Accumulations

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 mm

1km resolution 5km resolution

Future