Surface fluxes estimation over agricultural areas. Comparisonof methods and the effects of land surface inhomogeneity

Summary  The Bowen Ratio-Energy Balance (BREB) and the aerodynamic method were used to estimate turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat flux over an irrigated agricultural area (IAA) and over two dry agricultural areas (DAA1 and DAA2). These turbulent fluxes were analysed and particular attention paid to two specific areas. First, a quantitative analysis of sensible and latent heat fluxes obtained by the BREB method was carried out, taking into account different soil type, vegetation and surface conditions. The results showed that in IAA latent heat flux was higher than sensible heat flux, except in summer months, while in DAA1 and DAA2, sensible heat flux was higher except in the months when the vegetation was at the stage of maximum development. Second, sensible and latent heat fluxes estimates from the BREB method were compared with those obtained from the aerodynamic method. In this comparison factors such as soil type, soil vegetation cover, homogeneity or inhomogeneity of terrain and mesoscale effects such as orography and wind patterns were taken into account. The results show that in conditions of light wind, the two methods only concur if the condition of horizontal homogeniety is fulfilled. The influence of inhomogeneity seems to decrease and agreement between methods improves, if the wind is stronger and the effects of meso and synoptic scales are predominant. Received May 18, 1999/Revised March 15, 2000     

Large-Eddy Simulations of Surface Heterogeneity Effects on the Convective Boundary Layer During the LITFASS-2003 Experiment

We investigate the impact of observed surface heterogeneities during the LITFASS-2003 experiment on the convective boundary layer (CBL). Large-eddy simulations (LES), driven by observed near-surface sensible and latent heat fluxes, were performed for the diurnal cycle and compare well with observations. As in former studies of idealized one- and two-dimensional heterogeneities, secondary circulations developed that are superimposed on the turbulent field and that partly take over the vertical transport of heat and moisture. The secondary circulation patterns vary between local and roll-like structures, depending on the background wind conditions. For higher background wind speeds, the flow feels an effective surface heat-flux pattern that derives from the original pattern by streamwise averaging. This effective pattern generates a roll-like secondary circulation with roll axes along the mean boundary-layer wind direction. Mainly the upstream surface conditions control the secondary circulation pattern, where the fetch increases with increasing background wind speed. Unlike the entrainment flux that appears to be slightly decreased compared to the homogeneously-heated CBL, the vertical flux of sensible heat appears not to be modified in the mixed layer, while the vertical flux of latent heat shows different responses to secondary circulations. The study illustrates that sufficient time averaging and ensemble averaging is required to separate the heterogeneity-induced signals from the raw LES turbulence data. This might be an important reason why experiments over heterogeneous terrain in the past did not give any clear evidence of heterogeneity-induced effects.     

Characteristics of Lake Breezes and Their Impacts on Energy and Carbon Fluxes in Mountainous Areas

In mountainous lake areas, lake–land and mountain–valley breezes interact with each other, leading to an "extended lake breeze". These extended lake breezes can regulate and control energy and carbon cycles at different scales. Based on meteorological and turbulent fluxes data from an eddy covariance observation site at Erhai Lake in the Dali Basin,southwest China, characteristics of daytime and nighttime extended lake breezes and their impacts on energy and carbon dioxide exchange in 2015 are investigated. Lake breezes dominate during the daytime while, due to different prevailing circulations at night, there are two types of nighttime breezes. The mountain breeze from the Cangshan Mountain range leads to N1 type nighttime breeze events. When a cyclonic circulation forms and maintains in the southern part of Erhai Lake at night, its northern branch contributes to the formation of N2 type nighttime breeze events. The prevailing wind directions for daytime, N1, and N2 breeze events are southeast, west, and southeast, respectively. Daytime breeze events are more intense than N1 events and weaker than N2 events. During daytime breeze events, the lake breeze decreases the sensible heat flux(Hs) and carbon dioxide flux(F_{CO_2}) and increases the latent heat flux(LE). During N1 breeze events, the mountain breeze decreases Hs and LE and increases F_{CO_2}. For N2 breeze events, the southeast wind from the lake surface increases Hs and LE and decreases suppress carbon dioxide exchange.     

Idealized Large-Eddy Simulations of Sea and Lake Breezes: Sensitivity to Lake Diameter, Heat Flux and Stability

Idealized large-eddy simulations of lake and sea breezes are conducted to determine the sensitivity of these thermally-driven circulations to variations in the land-surface sensible heat flux and initial atmospheric stability. The lake-breeze and sea-breeze metrics of horizontal wind speed, horizontal extent, and depth are assessed. Modelled asymmetries about the coastline in the horizontal extent of the low-level onshore flow are found to vary as a function of the heat flux and stability. Small lake breezes develop similarly to sea breezes in the morning, but have a significantly weaker horizontal wind-speed component and a smaller horizontal extent than sea breezes in the afternoon.     

Soil occupation and atmospheric variations over Sobradinho Lake area. Part two: a regional modeling study

Summary The impact of the changes on soil cover and land use brought about by the construction of the Sobradinho Dam in the semi-arid region of the S?o Francisco River Hydrographic Basin is analyzed by means of a numerical model RAMS. Disregarding the influence of a large scale flow, a set of factors were responsible for the creation of a rather complex circulation system that includes mountain-valley winds, lake breeze (LB) and non-conventional circulation all induced by the surface non-homogeneous aspect. Results have demonstrated that the implementation of works of such magnitude brings about environmental changes in an area that stretches far beyond the surroundings of the reservoir. The soil cover alterations due to the ever increasing development of the area with the presence of irrigated crops in a sparsely vegetated region (caatinga) does affect land surface characteristics, occasioning for that matter the splitting of the available energy into latent and sensible heat fluxes. LB behavior varies in accordance with atmospheric conditions and also in view of the type of vegetation found in the lake surrounding areas. Hydro availability in root zones, even under adverse atmospheric conditions (high temperature and low air humidity) brings up the high rates of evaporation and plant transpiration that contribute towards the increase of humidity and the fall of temperature in lower atmospheric layers.     

Variation of turbulence in the marine boundary layer over the Arabian Sea during indian southwest monsoon (MONEX 79)

Analysis of high frequency (20 Hz) turbulence data collected from low level flights by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Electra aircraft over the central Arabian Sea on 20 and 24 June, 1979 as part of MONEX 79 indicates the influence of the Somali Jet on boundary-layer turbulence. Different stages of monsoon development were evident on the two observation days from mean boundary-layer profiles. However, turbulence statistics of wind speed components and temperature in the monsoon boundary layer for both days are generally greater than those observed in laboratory experiments or tropical and trade wind boundary layers in which a strong jet was not present. Analysis of high frequency wind, temperature and humidity data was made to obtain fluxes of momentum and heat. Magnitudes of the sensible and latent heat fluxes are three to five times larger than the values observed over the monsoon boundary layer over the Bay of Bengal. The turbulent kinetic energy budget over the Arabian Sea for 24 June indicates the importance of buoyancy, and to a lesser extent shear as the dominant term. Dissipation serves as the primary sink term.     

重庆城市热岛环流结构和湍流特征的数值模拟

利用中尺度模式WRF（V3.9）对2016年8月17～18日重庆一次城市热岛环流个例进行了数值模拟，探讨了山地城市热岛环流的三维结构和演变特征，分析了热岛环流期间湍流动能和各项湍流通量的特征。结果表明:15:00（北京时，下同）乡村风开始出现，随着热岛强度增强乡村风增大，18:00热岛环流结构最显著，次日02:00热岛环流结构被破坏，仅低层存在微弱的乡村风。其中，重庆市城市热岛环流最强时，水平尺度约城市尺度的1.5～2倍，垂直厚度约1.3 km，水平风速约2～4 m s?1，最大上升速度约0.5 m s?1。受地形、河流以及背景风的影响，环流呈现非对称的结构，且强度较弱。湍流特征分析结果表明，城市区域的湍流动能明显大于其它区域。此外，城市热岛环流通过湍流运动将郊区的水汽输向城市；高层湍流动量补充边界层中因热岛环流发展而造成的动量耗散。     

Turbulent fluxes over inhomogeneous landscape

Mesoscale surface turbulent fluxes over a complex terrain surrounded by oceans have been investigated using a 3-D numerical mesoscale model, under conditions with and without synoptic flows. The study indicated that under synoptically calm condition, the allocation and intensity of mesoscale surface turbulent fluxes (MSTFs) were greatly impacted by the thermally forced mesoscale circulation (TFMC) over mesoscale heterogeneous landscape. The max-imum values of sensible (Hs) and latent (LE) heat fluxes were located over the convergent zones and considerably im-pacted by the soil wetness (M), but did not depend strongly on the atmospheric background thermal stability (β0). The simulated results suggested that the sensible heat flux was closely proportional to the square of wind speed in the surface layer. By the action of synoptic flow, the allocation of LE was shifted to downwind, its intensity increased.     

夏季青海湖局地环流及大气边界层特征的数值模拟

使用美国NCAR新版MM5V3.6非静力模式,采用两重嵌套方法,模拟了青海湖区域的局地环流及大气边界层特征,并且与无湖试验进行了比较。结果表明:白天由于青海湖的存在有很好的降温作用,夜晚则有保温效应,表现出明显的冷(暖)湖效应;青海湖对感热和潜热的影响有很强的日变化,白天湖面感热、潜热都小,夜间情况相反,这使得白天青海湖是冷干岛,夜间是暖湿岛;青海湖使得白天湖面边界层顶低,陆面边界层顶高,夜间相反。这样的边界层顶高度和温度、地面能量通量相配合,形成了一个很好的保护机制,对青海湖的水土保持和生态环境的维持有正效应;青海湖使得湖面上空大气下沉,陆面上空大气上升,从而产生了湖面上空大气冷干,陆面上空大气暖湿的边界层特征;青海湖边缘的陆面形成的较大的湿气柱围绕着湖面,起到了保护湖面的作用;青海湖低空白天有明显的湖面向四周的辐散气流,而夜间则为从北偏东方向来的陆风。     

The Influence of Thermally-Induced Mesoscale Circulations on Turbulence Statistics Over an Idealized Urban Area Under a Zero Background Wind

The influence of mesoscale circulations induced by urban-rural differential surface sensible heat flux and roughness on convective boundary-layer (CBL) flow statistics over an isolated urban area has been examined using large-eddy simulation (LES). Results are analyzed when the circulations influence the entire urban area under a zero background wind. For comparison, the CBL flow over an infinite urban area with identical urban surface characteristics under the same background meteorological conditions is generated as a control case (without circulations). The turbulent flow over the isolated urban area exhibits a mix of streaky structure and cellular pattern, while the cellular pattern dominates in the control case. The mixed-layer height varies significantly over the isolated urban area, and can be lower near the edge of the urban area than over the rural area. The vertical profiles of turbulence statistics over the isolated urban area vary horizontally and are dramatically different from the control case. The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) sources include wind shear, convergence, and buoyancy productions, compared to only buoyancy production in the control case. The normalized vertical velocity variance is reduced compared to the control case except in the central urban area where it is little affected. The low-level flow convergence is mainly responsible for the enhanced horizontal velocity variance in the central urban area, while wind shear is responsible for the additional local maximum of the horizontal velocity variance near the middle of the CBL outside the central area. Parameterizations in the prognostic equation for TKE used in mesoscale models are evaluated against the LES results over the isolated urban area. We also discuss conditions under which the urban-induced circulations occur and when they may affect the entire urban area. Given that urban-induced circulations can influence the entire urban area within hours for an urban area of a realistic size, it is inappropriate to directly apply empirical relations of turbulence statistics derived under horizontally-homogenous flow conditions to an urban area.     

高温和台风影响下的苏州城市粗糙子层湍流通量特征

利用苏州地区2011 年12月20 日-2012年8 月13 日的湍流观测资料对不同季节、高温、台风强天气过程下的湍流特征进行分析.结果表明:城市地区不同季节动量通量、感热通量、潜热通量日变化明显,各通量的夏季平均值、最大值均高于冬春季,夏季感热通量日最大值为160.2 W·m-2,感热在城市地表能量平衡中的作用大于潜...     

昆明城市热岛效应的数值模拟研究

本文利用WRF（V3.9.1）模式中耦合Noah/SLUCM方案作为Control试验,研究了土地利用类型（Md04试验）、陆面过程（NoUCM试验）和湖泊（Nolake试验）对城市热岛强度及昆明城市气象要素水平、垂直的时空分布影响。主要结论如下:（1）四个试验城市热岛强度的平均日变化趋势相似,白天城市热岛强度较弱、夜间较强,在20时（北京时,下同）左右达到最大值。城市冠层（湖泊）对城市热岛有较明显的减（增）温,Control-NoUCM（Nolake）试验中,平均日最大差值为?0.79°C（+1.07°C）。（2）从能量平衡方程分析Control-Md04试验,感热（潜热）通量的差值为+46.18（?79.71）W m?2,潜热通量释放大于感热通量的绝对值。Control-NoUCM试验中,感热（潜热）通量的差值为?40.88（+29.60）W m?2;因NoUCM试验未考虑几何建筑物储热与遮挡,太阳辐射大部分被地表所吸收,导致感热通量偏大。（3）四种试验中,15（07）时边界层高度达到最大（小）值。NoUCM（Nolake）试验中城市边界层高度分别降低103 m（32 m）左右,而Md04试验中城市边界层高度增加102 m左右。（4）湖泊（滇池）对城市热岛环流影响的试验表明,湖泊上空垂直运动较弱,但水平方向湖陆风较大,这有利于向城市输送水汽,增加干空气湿度,使城市中空气的水汽含量增加,同时增大潜热能量释放,降低感热通量,减小了垂直温度梯度。     

Application of transilient turbulent theory to study interactions between the atmospheric boundary layer and forest canopies

The new Forest-Land-Atmosphere ModEl called FLAME is presented. The first-order, nonlocal turbulence closure called transilient turbulence theory (Stull, 1993) is applied to study the interactions between a forested land-surface and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The transilient scheme is used for unequal vertical grid spacing and includes the effects of drag, wake turbulence, and interference to vertical mixing by plant elements. Radiation transfer within the vegetation and the equations for the energy balance at the leaf surface have been taken from Norman (1979). Among others, the model predicts profiles of air temperature, humidity and wind velocity within the ABL, sensible and latent heat fluxes from the soil and the vegetation, the stomata and aerodynamic resistances, as well as profiles of temperature and water content in the soil. Preliminary studies carried out for a cloud free day and idealized initial conditions are presented. The canopy height is 30 m within a vertical domain of 3 km. The model is able to capture some of the effects usually observed within and above forested areas, including the relative wind speed maximum in the trunk space and the counter gradient-fluxes in the lower part of the plant stand. Of special interest is the determination of the location and magnitude of the turbulent mixing between model layers, which permits one to identify the effects of large eddies transporting momentum and scalar quantities into the canopy. A comparison between model simulations and field measurements will be presented in a future paper.     

Local boundary-layer development over burnt and unburnt tropical savanna: an observational study

Fire scars have the ability to radically alter the surface energy budget within a tropical savanna by reducing surface albedo, increasing available energy for partitioning into sensible and latent heat fluxes and increasing substrate heat flux. These changes have the potential to alter boundary-layer conditions and ultimately feedback to local and regional climate. We measured radiative and energy fluxes over burnt and unburnt tropical savanna near Howard Springs, Darwin, Australia. At the burnt site a low to moderate intensity fire, ranging between 1,000 and 3,500 kW m⁻¹, initially affected the land surface by removing all understorey vegetation, charring and blackening the ground surface, scorching the overstorey canopy and reducing the albedo. A reduction in latent heat fluxes to almost zero was seen immediately after the fire when the canopy was scorched. This was then followed by an increase in the sensible heat flux and a large increase in the ground heat flux over the burnt surface. Tethered balloon measurements showed that, despite the presence of pre-monsoonal rain events occurring during the measurement period, the lower boundary layer over the burnt site was up to 2^°C warmer than that over the unburnt site. This increase in boundary-layer heating when applied to fire scars at the landscape scale can have the ability to form or alter local mesoscale circulations and ultimately create a feedback to regional heating and precipitation patterns that may affect larger-scale processes such as the Australian monsoon.     

西南季风爆发前后大理近地层风场及湍流通量的变化特征

利用2008年4~5月大理国家气候观象台近地面层观测系统的梯度、涡动相关通量观测资料,结合背景场环流分析,分析了西南季风爆发前后大理近地面层的风速、风向变化特征、风速廓线和垂直切变变化特征以及动量、感热和潜热通量变化特征。结果显示:西南季风爆发前,大理近地层风向以东南风为主,平均风速较大;风速日变化的双峰型特征较显著,风速的垂直切变大,动量通量数值较大且日变化特征较明显。西南季风爆发后,大理近地层西北风频率显著增加,平均风速减小;风速日变化以单锋型为主,风速垂直切变较前期显著减小,动量通量数值减小而日变化特征较不显著。西南季风开始前后大理地气热量交换都以潜热为主,西南季风开始前一旬期间,潜热通量的逐日变化特点是随时间逐渐减少,感热通量逐渐增大,二者差值逐渐减小;西南季风开始后潜热通量的逐日变化为逐渐增大而感热通量逐渐减少,二者差值逐渐增大。就月平均值的日变化而言,潜热通量峰值变化不大,雨季略低于干季的4月;感热通量4~6月的月平均逐月降低。其原因既与雨季天气的变化有关,也与下垫面状况的改变相联系。     

高山草甸下垫面夏季近地层能量输送及微气象特征

利用青藏高原东坡理塘站2007年6～8月的观测资料, 分析了高原东坡草甸下垫面夏季近地层气象要素和湍流通量日变化特征, 并用涡动相关法估算地面的曳力系数。结果表明: 水平风速、 动量通量、 摩擦速度等均在下午最大, 早晨最小。二氧化碳浓度表现为早晚高、 中午低的日变化特征, 比湿的最大值出现在早晨。地表辐射、 热量平衡各分量最高值出现在中午, 最低值出现在早晨。地表反照率表现出早晚高中午低的 “U” 型分布, 日平均值为0.164。夏季地面热源强度在白天午后表现为强的热源, 在夜里表现为弱的冷、 热源交替出现。夏季近地层地气热量交换中, 感热输送作用小, 潜热输送占主要地位。     

Modelling the Interaction Between a River Surface and the Atmosphere at the Bottom of a Valley

The role of a river of small dimensions in driving the surface exchange of sensible and latent heat fluxes at the bottom of a valley is investigated using large-eddy simulation (LES). Simulations were performed using different valley topographies, river widths and large-scale wind speed and direction. In all cases, the river acted as a sink of both sensible and latent heat during daytime. Despite the general agreement concerning the flux direction above the river surface, specific differences exist between the simulations. The topography enhances the wind divergence caused by the river, and the larger negative surface fluxes above the river occur when there are no slopes, a consequence of larger wind speeds above the river. For large-scale winds aligned with the valley axis, the surface fluxes depend on the large-scale wind speed, but this dependence is reduced if the large-scale wind is perpendicular to the valley axis. There is a minimum of temperature and a maximum of specific humidity above the river surface. The scalar budgets show that sensible heat flux converges above the river, being balanced by the warm air subsidence at the centre of the valley. Latent heat fluxes, on the other hand, converge above the river surface, and they are balanced by the horizontal advection of humidity towards the river margins.     

Thermal and dynamic characteristics of alpine lake breezes,Lake Tekapo,New Zealand

Thermodynamic characteristics and temporal variation of alpine lake breezes in the eastern Southern Alps are examined. Research was conducted in a large glacially excavated basin dominated by an 87 square kilometre melt-water lake as part of a study of windblown dust dispersion. The surrounding mountain ranges were found to shelter the lake basin from most synoptic winds, thereby allowing local and regional thermally generated circulations to develop to ridge height, approximately 1300m above the surrounding landscape. During favourable synoptic conditions the local lake breeze becomes embedded within the regional valley wind forming an extended lake breeze. Tethersonde flights during these conditions made using a kite based sounding system identified both stable internal (SIBL) and thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL) conditions over the down wind shoreline. Two equations for estimating the height of both boundary-layer types were tested against observations and found to provide good first order predictive estimates of boundary-layer height.     

太湖地区湖陆风对雷暴过程影响的数值模拟

利用耦合了NOAH陆面模式的WRF中尺度数值模式,对2010年8月18日发生在太湖地区的一次强雷暴过程进行数值模拟,并将模拟结果与实况进行对比。结果表明:模式能较合理地模拟出雷暴演变过程及近地面要素变化。此次雷暴天气过程发生在湖风发展强盛时期,雷暴沿东岸湖风与背景风形成的辐合线发展。通过两个敏感性试验,研究了太湖地区湖陆风对雷暴过程的影响。湖风锋对雷暴过程起触发和增强作用,湖风锋的阻挡和抬升作用导致此次雷暴的产生。在湖风锋前缘形成的初始对流进一步发展加强为雷暴,发展成熟的雷暴低层出流又与湖风作用形成新的雷暴,湖风的辐合为对流云的发展提供水汽和能量。在雷暴的形成发展过程中,感热通量输送可改变大气边界层结构,使低层不稳定能量较易释放,潜热释放加强上升和下沉气流,使边界层湿度增大,对流进一步发展增强。     

Further Development of the Vegetated Urban Canopy Model Including a Grass-Covered Surface Parametrization and Photosynthesis Effects

The vegetated urban canopy model (VUCM), which includes parametrizations of urban physical processes for artificial surfaces and vegetated areas in an integrated system, has been further developed by including physical processes associated with grass-covered surfaces in urban pervious surfaces and the photosynthesis effects of urban vegetation. Using measurements made from three urban/suburban sites during the BUBBLE field campaign in 2002, the model’s performance in modelling surface fluxes (momentum flux, net radiation, sensible and latent heat fluxes and storage heat flux) and canopy air conditions (canopy air temperature and specific humidity) was critically evaluated for the non-precipitation and the precipitation days. The observed surface fluxes at the urban/suburban sites were significantly altered by precipitation as well as urban vegetation. Especially, the storage heat at urban surfaces and underlying substrates varied drastically depending on weather conditions while having an important role in the formation of a nocturnal urban surface layer. Unlike the nighttime canopy air temperature that was largely affected by the storage-heat release, the daytime canopy air conditions were highly influenced by the vertical turbulent exchange with the overlying atmosphere. The VUCM well reproduced these observed features in surface fluxes and canopy air conditions at all sites while performing well for both the non-precipitation and the precipitation days. The newly implemented parametrizations clearly improved the model’s performance in the simulation of sensible and latent heat fluxes at the sites, more noticeably at the suburban site where the vegetated area fraction is the largest among the sites. Sensitivity analyses for model input parameters in VUCM elucidated the relative importance of the morphological, aerodynamic, hydrological and radiative/thermal properties in modelling urban surface fluxes and canopy air conditions for daytime and nighttime periods. These results suggest that the VUCM has great potential for urban atmospheric numerical modelling for a range of cities and weather conditions in addition to having a better physical basis in the representation of urban vegetated areas and associated physical processes.