Heterogeneity in warm-season land-atmosphere coupling over the U.S. Southern Great Plains.

Heterogeneity in warm-season (May-August) land-atmosphere (LA) coupling is quantified with the long-time, multiple-station measurements from the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program and the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite remote sensing at the Southern Great Plains (SGP). We examine the coupling strength at 7 additional locations with the same surface type (i.e., pasture/grassland) as the ARM SGP central facility (CF). To simultaneously consider multiple factors and consistently quantify their relative contributions, we apply a multiple linear regression method to correlate the surface evaporative fraction (EF) with near-surface soil moisture (SM) and leaf area index (LAI). The observations show moderate to weak terrestrial segment LA coupling with large heterogeneity across the ARM SGP domain in warm-season. Large spatial variabilities in the contributions from SM and LAI to the EF changes are also found. The coupling heterogeneities appear to be associated with differences in land use, anthropogenic activities, rooting depth, and soil type at different stations. Therefore, the complex LA interactions at the SGP cannot be well represented by those at the CF/E13 based on the metrics applied here. Overall, the LAI exerts more influence on the EF than does the SM due to its overwhelming impacts on the latent heat flux. This study complements previous studies based on measurements only from the CF and has important implications for modeling LA coupling in weather and climate models. The multiple linear regression provides a more comprehensive measure of the integrated impacts on LA coupling from several different factors.

Revision of the status of some genus-level water mite taxa in the families Pionidae Thor, 1900, Aturidae Thor, 1900, and Nudomideopsidae Smith, 1990 (Acari: Hydrachnidiae).

A number of changes to the status of genus group names in water mites are proposed to foster a more consistent and phylogenetically defensible approach to the ranking of taxa at this level of the classification. The water mite taxa Acercopsis Viets, 1926 (Pionidae: Tiphyinae), Madawaska Habeeb, 1954 (Pionidae: Foreliinae), Brachypodopsis Piersig, 1903, Cubanaxonopsis Orghidan & Gruia, 1981, Hexaxonopsis Viets, 1926, Paraxonopsis Motas & Tanasachi, 1947, Vicinaxonopsis Cook, 1974, Parabrachypoda Viets, 1929, and Ocybrachypoda Cook, 1974 (Aturidae: Axonopsinae), Ameribrachypoda Smith, 1991 (Aturidae: Aturinae), and Allomideopsis Smith, 1990 (Nudomideopsidae) are elevated in rank from subgenera to full genera to reflect current knowledge of their species diversity, morphological distinctness, relationships and apparent age. In light of the above changes in the subfamily Axonopsinae, the subgenera Kalobrachypoda Viets, 1929 and Navinaxonopsis Cook, 1967 are transferred from the genus Axonopsis to the genus Brachypodopsis, the subgenus Plesiobrachypoda Viets, 1942 is transferred from the genus Axonopsis to the genus Hexaxonopsis, and the species formerly placed in the subgenus Hemibrachypoda Viets, 1937 are transferred from the genus Brachypoda to the genus Parabrachypoda Viets, 1929, and Hemibrachypoda is placed in synonymy with Parabrachypoda. The family group taxa to which all of these genera belong are reviewed to provide context for the proposed changes.