Dependence of geostrophic drag on intensity of convection,baroclinicity, and acceleration

This paper examines the practical importance of stability, baroclinicity, and acceleration in the bulk ABL similarity formulations, in light of the random errors inherent in field measurements. This is done by propagating the measurement uncertainties through a theoretical model for the bulk ABL similarity functionsA ₀ andB ₀, under a range of assumed (but always unstable) conditions. It is shown that random measurement errors and acceleration effects may overwhelm most effects of baroclinicity and stability, once conditions are at least slightly unstable. Because of this, it is hard to discern a clear functional dependence ofA ₀ andB ₀ on degree of instability. Thus, for a given value ofh _i/z₀, whereh _i is the inversion height andz ₀ is the surface roughness, the geostrophic drag coefficient, which depends onA ₀ andB ₀, and weakly onh _i/z₀, may also be taken to be nearly independent of degree of instability.     

Intra-field variability of scalar flux densities across a transition between a desert and an irrigated potato field

This paper reports on measurements of sensible and latent heat and CO₂ fluxes made over an irrigated potato field, growing next to a patch of desert. The study was conducted using two eddy correlation systems. One measurement system was located within the equilibrium boundary layer 800 m downwind from the edge of the potato field. The other measurement system was mobile and was placed at various downwind positions to probe the horizontal transition of vertical scalar fluxes. Latent (LE) and sensible (H) heat fluxes, measured at 4 m above the surface, exhibited marked variations with downwind distance over the field. Only after the fetch to height ratio exceeded 75 to 1 didLE andH become invariant with downwind distance. When latent and sensible heat fluxes were measured upwind of this threshold, significant advection of humidity-deficit occurred, causing a vertical flux divergence ofH andLE.The measured fluxes of momentum, heat, and moisture were compared with predictions from a second-order closure two-dimensional atmospheric boundary layer model. There is good agreement between measurements and model predictions. A soil-plant-atmosphere model was used to examine nonlinear feedbacks between humidity-deficits, stomatal conductance and evaporation. Data interpretation with this model revealed that the advection of hot dry air did not enhance surface evaporation rates near the upwind edge of the potato field, because of negative feedbacks among stomatal conductance, humidity-deficits, andLE. This finding is consistent with results from several recent studies.     

A bulk similarity approach in the atmospheric boundary layer using radiometric skin temperature to determine regional surface fluxes

Profiles of wind velocity and temperature in the outer region of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) were used together with surface temperature measurements, to determine regional shear stress and sensible heat flux by means of transfer parameterizations on the basis of bulk similarity. The profiles were measured by means of radiosondes and the surface temperatures by infrared radiation thermometry over hilly prairie terrain in northeastern Kansas during the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE). In the analysis, the needed similarity functions were determined and tested; the main scaling variables used for the ABL were h _i , the height of the convectively mixed layer, and V _a and _a, the wind speed and potential temperature averaged over the mixed layer. Good agreement (r = 0.80) was obtained between values of friction velocity u _* determined by this ABL bulk similarity approach and those obtained by Monin-Obukhov similarity in the surface sublayer. Similarly, values of surface flux of sensible heat H determined by this method compared well (r = 0.90) with the regional means measured at six ground stations. The corresponding regional evaporation values, determined with the energy budget equation, also compared favorably (r = 0.94).     

简单生物圈模式 (SiB2) 中湍流能量通量对近地层两类阻抗系数的敏感性研究

陆—气之间的能量交换是通过近地层湍流热量和水汽通量来实现的.以往的研究表明近地层阻抗对湍流能量通量有着不同程度的影响,但是关于陆面模式中阻抗系数的取值范围却始终没有统一的标准.为了深入了解简单生物圈模式 (SiB₂) 中近地层阻抗系数取值变化对湍流能量通量的影响,我们以那曲站为例,分别采用传统的逐个因子分析法和考虑参数间相互作用的部分因子分析法定量地研究了夏季该观测站近地层湍流能量通量分别对冠层阻抗系数C₁和地表阻抗系数C₂的敏感性响应.结果表明,感热通量对地表阻抗系数C₂更为敏感,而潜热通量则对冠层阻抗系数C₁较为敏感;感热通量随C₁增加而增大,随C₂增加而减小,而潜热通量则随C₁或C₂的增加而减小;不管是感热通量还是潜热通量,它们对阻抗系数的敏感度随阻抗系数的增大而减小,而对阻抗系数的相对敏感度则随阻抗系数的增大而增大.最后,结合那曲站夏季下垫面稀疏短草的分布特点分析了造成感热通量和潜热通量敏感变化各异的原因.     

Evaluating Source Area Contributions from Aircraft Flux Measurements Over Heterogeneous Land Using Large-Eddy Simulation

The estimation of spatial patterns in surface fluxes from aircraft observations poses several challenges in the presence of heterogeneous land cover. In particular, the effects of turbulence on scalar transport and the different behaviour of passive (e.g. water vapour) versus active (e.g. temperature) scalars may lead to large uncertainties in the source area/flux-footprint estimation for sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat-flux fields. This study uses large-eddy simulation (LES) of the land–atmosphere interactions to investigate the atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) processes that are likely to create differences in airborne-estimated H and LE footprints. We focus on 32~m altitude aircraft flux observations collected over a study site in central Oklahoma during the Southern Great Plains experiment in 1997 (SGP97). Comparison between the aircraft data and traditional model estimates provide evidence of a difference in source area for turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes. The LES produces reasonable representations of the observed fluxes, and hence provides credible evidence and explanation of the observed differences in the H and LE footprints. Those differences can be quantified by analyzing the change in the sign of the spatial correlation of the H and LE fields provided by the LES model as a function of height. Dry patterns in relatively moist surroundings are able to generate strong, but localized, sensible heating. However, whereas H at the aircraft altitude is still in phase with the surface, LE presents a more complicated connection to the surface as the dry updrafts force a convergence of the surrounding moist air. Both the observational and LES model evidence support the concept that under strongly advective conditions, H and LE measured at the top of the surface layer (≈50 m) can be associated with very different upwind source areas, effectively contradicting surface-layer self-similarity theory for scalars. The results indicate that, under certain environmental conditions, footprint models will need to predict differing source area/footprint contributions between active (H) and passive (LE) scalar fluxes by considering land-surface heterogeneity and ABL dynamics.     

Effects of the soil heat flux estimates on surface energy balance closure over a semi-arid grassland

Soil heat flux is important for surface energy balance (SEB), and inaccurate estimation of soil heat flux often leads to surface energy imbalance. In this paper, by using observations of surface radiation fluxes and soil temperature gradients at a semi-arid grassland in Xilingguole, Inner Mongolia, China from June to September 2008, the characters of the SEB for the semi-arid grassland were analyzed. Firstly, monthly averaged diurnal variations of SEB components were revealed. A 30-min forward phase displacement of soil heat flux (G) observed by a fluxplate at the depth of 5-cm below the soil surface was conducted and its effect on the SEB was studied. Secondly, the surface soil heat flux (G _s) was computed by using harmonic analysis and the effect of the soil heat storage between the surface and the fluxplate on the SEB was examined. The results show that with the 30-min forward phase displacement of observed G, the slope of the ordinary linear regression (OLR) of turbulent fluxes (H+LE) against available energy (R _n-G) increased from 0.835 to 0.842, i.e., the closure ratio of SEB increased by 0.7%, yet energy imclosure of 15.8% still existed in the SEB. When G _s, instead of G was used in the SEB equation, the slope of corresponding OLR of (H+LE) against (R _n-G _s) reached 0.979, thereby the imclosure ratio of SEB was reduced to only 2.1%.     

Urban-scale variations of turbulence parameters and fluxes

Sensible heat (H) and latent heat (LE) fluxes and turbulence statistics in St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding region are presented. The urban-scale analyses were derived from a series of aircraft transects at 150 m above ground across the metropolitan area during the afternoon convective period. The results revealed that H varied by a factor of two to four in the region; the largest values were associated with the urban heat island. LE varied across the urban area by about a factor of four, but low values of LE overlaid the urban heat island. Consequently, the Bowen ratio (H/LE) exhibited large spatial variability, with a maximum value greater than 1.5 over the city and values less than 0.2 in nonurban areas. The areas along the Mississippi River and adjacent low lying marshland northeast of the downtown area displayed significantly smaller H and Bowen ratio. The derived surface heat storage term (G) for this area as well as for the urban area exceeded either H or LE.The spatial patterns for the standard deviations of the three velocity components ( _u,v,w ), temperature ( _T ), and absolute humidity ( _q ), are also presented. The patterns of _u,v,w were similar to the pattern of H. the highest values associated with the urban heat island. The correlation coefficient between the vertical velocity and temperature fluctuations was highest over the city, and a noteworthy minimum was observed in the upwind area over the river and marshland in association with low H. The convective similarity relationships for _u,v,w appeared to be approximately valid spatially, as variations were typically less than 10% from theory over the urban area and nonurban region, except for a 40% anomaly in the lowland around the river northeast of the city.Measurements of H from 30-m towers within various land-use areas were contrasted with the aircraft data. Land-use differences in H at the surface were at least as large as those observed at 150 m across the city. This was primarily because of the measurement requirement that the minimum resolvable fetch increases with measurement height.     

Radiometrically determined skin temperature and scalar roughness to estimate surface heat flux part II: Performance of parameterized scalar roughness for the determination of sensible heat

Several formulations and proposals to determine the value of the radiometric scalar roughness for sensible heatz _0h,r are tested with respect to their performance in the estimation of the sensible heat flux by means of the profile equations derived from Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The equations are applied to the data set of spatially averaged surface skin temperature and profiles of wind speed and temperature observed in a pasture field during a growing season. The use of a physical model developed for a dense canopy to estimate scalar roughness for sensible heatz _0h,r produced sensible heat fluxH with a correlation coefficientr=0.884, the ratio of means being H _s /H=1.19 in a comparison with reference values ofH _s . In comparison, a proposal for a fixed value ofz _0h yieldedr=0.887, H _s /H=0.879. In both cases, the validity ofz _0h =z _0h,r was assumed. All expressions derived to estimatez _0h,r from a multiple linear regression with such predictors as leaf area index, solar radiation and the ratio of solar radiation to extraterrestrial radiation, were found to produce a better result, withr better than 0.90 and H _s /H around 1.0. However, when the constantsc andf of a linear regression equationHs=cH+f are used to evaluate the equations, a marked difference in performance of each formulation appeared. In general, equations with smaller numbers of predictors tend to produce a biased result, i.e., an overestimation ofH at largeH _s . These values ofH are used in conjunction with the energy balance equation to derive values of the latent heat fluxLE, which are shown to be in good agreement with the reference valuesLE _s , withr greater than 0.97.     

The Surface Energy Budget and Its Impact on the Freeze-thaw Processes of Active Layer in Permafrost Regions of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The surface energy budget is closely related to freeze-thaw processes and is also a key issue for land surface process research in permafrost regions.In this study,in situ data collected from 2005 to 2015 at the Tanggula site were used to analyze surface energy regimes,the interaction between surface energy budget and freeze-thaw processes.The results confirmed that surface energy flux in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau exhibited obvious seasonal variations.Annual average net radiation(R_n)for 2010 was 86.5 W m^-2,with the largest being in July and smallest in November.Surface soil heat flux(G₀)was positive during warm seasons but negative in cold seasons with annual average value of 2.7 W m^-2.Variations in R_n and G₀ were closely related to freeze-thaw processes.Sensible heat flux(H)was the main energy budget component during cold seasons,whereas latent heat flux(LE)dominated surface energy distribution in warm seasons.Freeze-thaw processes,snow cover,precipitation,and surface conditions were important influence factors for surface energy flux.Albedo was strongly dependent on soil moisture content and ground surface state,increasing significantly when land surface was covered with deep snow,and exhibited negative correlation with surface soil moisture content.Energy variation was significantly related to active layer thaw depth.Soil heat balance coefficient K was>1 during the investigation time period,indicating the permafrost in the Tanggula area tended to degrade.     

Intercepted flux and the horizontal component of solar radiation

Summary For the first time a method is presented to actually measure the radiative flux intercepted by cylindrical and conical objects in radiation fields of any unknown angular distribution.The horizontal component of solar radiationH is a newly introduced parameter expressed in Wm^–2 and defined as specific radiative flux intercepted by the lateral surface of a vertical cylinder. The horizontal componentH can be measured and must be considered complementary to the vertical component of solar radiationG which is conventionally measured as Global radiation.Radiative fluxes intercepted by cylindrical and conical objects are expressed as simple analytic functions ofG andH in any irregular radiation field. Before the introduction of the H-concept, when onlyG was measured, intercepted fluxes had to be approximated on the basis of assumed angular distributions of the radiation field.The climatological characteristics ofH andG are different: under clear skies in the open field the H-climatology is more temperate than the G-climatology all over the world and in all seasons. In the radiative environment of elongate vertical bodies H is generally a more significant parameter thanG. With 4 Figures     

Estimating net radiation at surface using artificial neural networks: a new approach

This study describes the results of artificial neural network (ANN) models to estimate net radiation (R _n), at surface. Three ANN models were developed based on meteorological data such as wind velocity and direction, surface and air temperature, relative humidity, and soil moisture and temperature. A comparison has been made between the R _n estimates provided by the neural models and two linear models (LM) that need solar incoming shortwave radiation measurements as input parameter. Both ANN and LM results were tested against in situ measured R _n. For the LM ones, the estimations showed a root mean square error (RMSE) between 34.10 and 39.48?W?m^?2 and correlation coefficient (R ²) between 0.96 and 0.97 considering both the developing and the testing phases of calculations. The estimates obtained by the ANN models showed RMSEs between 6.54 and 48.75?W?m^?2 and R ² between 0.92 and 0.98 considering both the training and the testing phases. The ANN estimates are shown to be similar or even better, in some cases, than those given by the LMs. According to the authors?? knowledge, the use of ANNs to estimate R _n has not been discussed earlier, and based on the results obtained, it represents a formidable potential tool for R _n prediction using commonly measured meteorological parameters.     

The sea surface temperature deviation and the heat flow at the sea-air interface

The deviation of the sea surface temperature from the water temperature below is calculated as a function of the heat flow through the air-sea interface, using wind tunnel determinations of the effective thermal diffusivity in a boundary layer. The influence ofQ, shortwave radiation, andH, latent and sensible heat transfer plus effective back radiation, and U, wind speed, can be described by:T ₀ –T _w =C ₁ ·H/U +C ₂ ·Q/U. The calculated coefficients vary slightly with reference depth, Tables II and III. They are in good agreement with independent observations.On leave at Department of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon in 1969–70.     

Daily sensible heat flux estimation from a single measurement of surface temperature and maximum air temperature

Surface energy budget investigations of a range of agricultural surfaces in France and the African Sahel demonstrate consistent linear relationships between daily totals of sensible heat flux (H _d) and the difference between a once-a-day radiative measurement of surface temperature and the maximum air temperature at a height of 2 m. Surface temperature was measured with nadir-viewing radiothermometers near 1400 h (LST). The average residual standard error in the estimate ofH _d was 0.6 mm of equivalent evaporation.An equation for the daily sensible heat flux (H _d) having a form analogous to Dalton's evaporation formula was derived from surface energy budget considerations. This equation discriminates well between relatively homogeneous, low-cover surfaces where surface exchange characteristics can be assumed to be simple fractions of the height of the roughness elements. By contrast, data from two other crops with discontinuous plant cover suggest a much reduced sensitivity to canopy architecture. This result is not unreasonable if scalar transport were controlled by the thermal conductivity of a layer of still air close to ground level which is sheltered by the plant canopy. There is scope for further experimental and theoretical work on this matter.     

Plant spacing effects on net irradiance extinction in cotton

Summary Decreasing the fraction of water that evaporates from the soil (E) is one means of increasing the water available to crops and thereby increasing the transpiration and the water use efficiency of a cropping system. In addition to soil surface wetness, net irradiance at the soil surface (R _ns ) is the predominant environmental element affectingE. TheR _ns is infrequently measured and is often estimated using an equation of the formR _ns /R _n = exp (–k · LAI), whereR _n is the abovecanopy net irradiance,k is an extinction coefficient, andLAI is the leaf area index. The effect of row spacing and plant population onk was examined for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown on a Houston Black clay (fine, montmorillonitic, thermic Udic Pellustert). Treatments consisted of 10 and 15 plants m^–2 in 0.68- and 0.34-m north-south oriented rows and in a uniformly-spaced pattern. HourlyR _n andR _ns were measured with a domed and tubular net radiometer, respectively. TheR _n was approximately a constant fraction of global irradiance across treatments and throughout the season. Minimum values of theR _ns /R _n ratio ranged from 0.14 to 0.24. Values ofk, calculated as the slope of the regression of ln (R _ns /R _n ) with theLAI, ranged from 0.44 to 0.66. Plant population affectedk more than row spacing. Thek value calculated from pooled data was 0.52.

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Zusammenfassung Ein Weg zur Steigerung der Wasserverfügbarkeit für Feldfrüchte ist es, den Wasseranteil, der vom Boden verdunstet (E) zu verringern und damit die Transpiration und die Effektivität der Wassernutzung der angebauten Pflanzen zu erhöhen. Zusätzlich zur Oberflächennässe des Bodens ist es die Nettoeinstrahlung an der Bodenoberfläche (R _ns ), dieE dominiert.R _ns wird selten gemessen und häufig durch eine Gleichung der FormR _ns /R _n = exp (–k · LAI) abgeschätzt, wobeiR _n die Nettoeinstrahlung über dem Bestand ist,k ein Extinktionskoeffizient undLAI der Blattflächenindex. Der Effekt des Reihenabstandes und der Pflanzendichte aufk wurde für Baumwolle (Gossypium hirsutum L.), gezogen auf einer Schwarzerde untersucht. Auf den Untersuchungspunkten standen 10 bzw. 15 Pflanzen/m² in 0.68 bzw. 0.34 m breiten, nord-süd-orientierten Reihen mit regelmäßigen Pflanzabständen. StündlicheR _n - undR _ns -Werte wurden mit einem Kuppel- bzw. Tuben-Nettostrahlungsmesser gemessen.R _n war über die Untersuchungspunkte und die Anbauzeit annähernd ein konstanter Anteil der Globalstrahlung. Die Minimalwerte des VerhältnissesR _n /R _ns bewegten sich von 0.14 bis 0.24. Die Werte vonk, die als Anstieg der Regression von ln (R _ns /R _n ) mitLAI berechnet wurden, bewegten sich von 0.44 bis 0.66. Die Pflanzendichte beinflußtek deutlicher als der Reihenabstand. Derk-Wert für alle Daten war 0.52.

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With 2 Figures     

Drag and heat transfer relations for the planetary boundary layer

A theory is offered for the drag and heat transfer relations in the statistically steady, horizontally homogeneous, diabatic, barotropic planetary boundary layer. The boundary layer is divided into three regionsR ₁,R ₂, andR ₃, in which the heights are of the order of magnitude ofz ₀,L, andh, respectively, wherez ₀ is the roughness length for either momentum or temperature,L is the Obukhov length, andh is the height of the planetary boundary layer. A matching procedure is used in the overlap zones of regionsR ₁ andR ₂ and of regionsR ₂ andR ₃, assuming thatz ₀ L h. The analysis yields the three similarity functionsA(),B(), andC() of the stability parameter, = u _*/fL, where is von Kármán's constant,u _* is the friction velocity at the ground andf is the Coriolis parameter. The results are in agreement with those previously found by Zilitinkevich (1975) for the unstable case, and differ from his results only by the addition of a universal constant for the stable case. Some recent data from atmospheric measurements lend support to the theory and permit the approximate evaluation of universal constants.     

Anomalies in flux-gradient relationships over forest

Simultaneous profile and eddy correlation flux data gathered over Thetford Forest, U.K., have been analysed to find values of the vertical turbulent diffusivitiesK _M,K _H andK _E (for momentum, heat and water vapour transfer, respectively) at a reference heightz _R, nine roughness lengths above the zero-plane displacementd. The results show: (i), that values ofK _M over the forest are not significantly different from these predicted by semiempirical diabatic influence functions appropriate to much smoother surfaces such as short grass; and (ii), thatK _H andK _E exceed their values predicted from the semiempirical functions by an average factor of 2 or more in unstable, near neutral and slightly stable conditions. These conclusions are strongly dependent on the assumed behaviour ofd, here taken as 0.76 tree heights, independent of both property and stability. Consideration is given to an alternative analysis procedure, in which values of the zero-plane displacementsd _H andd _E for heat and water vapour respectively, are obtained from the data by assumingK _H andK _E to be given by semiempirical diabatic influence functions; this procedure is shown to be unacceptable on both practical and physical grounds. To account for the anomalies inK _H andK _E, a mechanism is proposed in which the horizontally inhomogeneous temperature structure of the canopy causes free convection to be maintained by discrete; localized heat sources and/or sinks, effectively enhancing turbulent transport processes even in nearneutral conditions.     

The stability functions in the bulk similarity formulation for the unstable boundary layer

An update is presented for the functionC in the heat transfer equation and for the functionB _w in the momentum transfer equation of the bulk similarity approach for the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Motives for this update are recent developments in the formulation of Monin-Obukhov functions for the surface layer, and the availability of the new data set of FIFE-89, the 1989 phase of the First ISLSCP Field Experiment, which took place over the same hilly prairie terrain in north-eastern Kansas as the 1987 phase, i.e., FIFE-87. Functional forms developed in earlier studies are considered. In addition, a new form is derived based on a simple dual structure of the ABL. The functions are calibrated with the data set obtained during FIFE-87; the results are then verified with the independent data set acquired during FIFE-89.Formerly at Cornell University.     

Evapotranspiration from a boreal forest drainage basin using an energy balance/eddy correlation technique

Meteorological techniques were used to monitor evapotranspiration (ET) at two sites in a boreal forest drainage basin located in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. An energy balance method was used in which net radiation (R _N ) and ground heat flux (G) were measured directly. Sensible heat flux (H) was measured by the eddy correlation technique using a propeller anemometer and a fine-wire thermocouple. The energy components were calculated hourly on-line, and data were collected reliably over a five-month period.The R _N and H instruments were mounted above the forest canopy and simultaneous measurements of H at heights of 12 and 6 m were in good agreement. Measurements at an open bare rock site indicated that G could be a substantial fraction of the daily RN at some locations, but over longer time periods, it was a small fraction and, therefore, was ignored.The two measurement locations represented upland (open bedrock/jack pine forest) and lowland (aspen/willow forest) sites in the drainage basin. The mean daily value of R _N - H at the upland site was 0.57 times the value at the lowland location owing to differences in R _N , H, and G. The mean ratio of daily H/R _N was 0.6 for the upland site and 0.4 for the lowland site. A basin-wide ET was calculated by weighting the values for the two sites in proportion to their areas. The measured ET agreed well with precipitation minus runoff for the basin. Differences between these two quantities in summer and fall were attributed to water release and storage by the ground, respectively.Issued as AECL-9153.     

Flux determination over a smooth surface under strongly unstable conditions

Careful micrometeorological measurements on an empty parking lot allowed determination of the surface fluxes of sensible heatH and of momentum by applying profile equations derived from Monin-Obukhov similarity theory with two sets of the stability correction function for momentum _m and sensible heat _h . These fluxes were compared with reference values ofH independently determined by means of an eddy correlation technique. In general, better agreement was found betweenH values derived from profiles with the stability functions of Brutsaert (1992) and referenceH values, than when the Businger-Dyer functions were used to deriveH. The disagreement in the latter comparison was especially serious under strongly unstable conditions, with the value ofy=–z/L (wherez is the height andL is the Obukhov length) larger than 10. A closer look at the procedure for calculatingH from the profiles revealed that the large differences between theH values derived with these two different versions of the stability correction functions were caused by the small differences of the _h values, and not by the larger differences of the _m values. This result stems from the strong sensitivity of the resultingH values on the choice of _h .