The effects of changing solar angles,cloud regimes,and air temperatures on the temperatures of contrasting surfaces

A steady-state energy budget and a solar radiation-cloud attenuation model have been linked. This has permitted a systematic examination of the changing relative surface temperatures and differences between surface and air temperatures as functions of varying solar altitudes, selected cloud types, cloud covers, and air temperatures. This analysis was performed for two contrasting surfaces: barren and grassy. The results are presented in a series of three-dimensional graphs. The grassy landscape reacted more conservatively to changing solar altitudes (for all cloud types and amounts) compared with the barren surface. The results are assumed to encompass most of the possible extremes encountered in real landscapes exposed to similar changes in solar angle, air temperatures, and cloud regimes.Dr. O'Rourke is currently a Post-Doctoral Scholar at UCLA.