A Canopy Weather Forecast System To Support

An objective Canopy Weather Forecast System (CWFS) will be developed and tested. The system willbe based on a site-specific one-dimensional (1-D) soil-canopy-atmospheric boundary layer numericalmodel which is coupled to a three-dimensional (3-D) mesoscale atmospheric numerical model. Theoutput from the CWFS will be designed for input into a variety of models that provide directinformation for crop management decision-making.In this project a prototype of the system will be built and tested for the cranberry canopy. This will bea rigorous test of the system because a cranberry bog produces its own unique microclimate which ischaracterized by rapidly changing temperature and moisture conditions. Due to extreme conditionscranberry growers need accurate weather information to enable them to manage the water supply moreeffectively, and protect against frost damage, heat and water stresses, insects and plant diseases.The Phase I work will include (1) the assembly of the CWFS from existing components andcustomization for the cranberry canopy; (2) estimation of the accuracy of CWFS forecasts bygenerating and verifying 60 days of real-time forecasts; (3) linking the CWFS forecast data to irrigationscheduling and insect and plant disease development models and evaluating the information generatedby these algorithms when driven by CWFS forecasts; and (4) development of effective methods ofcommunicating the information to cranberry growers.