Measurements of solar radiation and estimation of optical depth in the high Andes of Peru

Summary During an expedition to the high Andes of Southern Peru in June–July 1977, measurements of direct solar radiation in four spectral bands (0.270–0.530–0.630–0.695–2.900 ) were conducted at six sites in elevations ranging from sea level to 5645 m. These measurements were evaluated in Langley plots to determine total optical depths () and irradiances at the top of the atmosphere. In addition, water vapor optical depths (_wv) were calculated from the mean radiosounding over Lima during the expedition, and Rayleigh (_ray) and ozone (_oz) optical depths were obtained from published tabulations. Subtracting _ray, _oz, and _wv from yielded estimates of aerosol optical depth _aer. The components _ray and _oz decrease from the shorter towards the longer wavelength bands and from the lower towards the higher elevation sites; _aer also decreases towards the higher elevations. Particularly pronounced is the decrease of _aer and from the lowlands of the Pacific coast to the highlands of the interior, reflecting the effect of a persistent lower-tropospheric inversion and the contrast from the marine boundary layer to the clear atmosphere of the high Andes.With 4 Figures     

Wind stress over water waves: Field experiments on lake of Geneva

Summary A fixed platform (Fig.3), installed 100 m from the shoreline in 3 m water depth, was instrumented with velocity, temperature and wave-height sensors. 132 data (10 minutes averages) were analysed to calculate the wind stress; from these, 99 data were used to investigate the vertical distribution of the wind stress; all data are presented with Table 1.It was postulated that the total stress, _t being constant with height, is made up additively of two components, the wave-supporting stress, _w , and the turbulent stress, _c ; see Eq. 1. The vertical distribution of these two components is shown schematically in Fig. 1.The total stress, _t , evaluated outside the zone of wave influence, is given in the classical way with Fig. 4. The wave-supporting stress, _w (z), was evaluated from the data according to a relation proposed by Kitaigorodskii et al. (1984); it is given with Fig. 5. A height-dependency is clearly evident. The turbulent stress _c (z), was evaluated with data of the velocity gradient; it is given with Fig. 6. A height-dependency is not evident.The field data from the lake of Geneva give evidence that the additive relation of Eq. 1 seems to be justified.With 6 Figures     

Second-order closure study of the covariance between chemically reactive species in the surface layer

A second-order modelling technique is used to investigate the influence of turbulence on chemical reactions. The covariance and variance equations for the NO-O₃-NO₂ system are developed as a function of the ratio of the timescale of turbulence ( _t ) and the timescale of chemistry (_Ch): the first Damköhler number ( _t /_Ch). Special attention is given to the calculation of the covariance between NO and O₃ normalized by the product of their means, the so-called intensity of segregation (I _S ). This parameter quantifies the state of mixing of two chemical species.The intensity of segregation is calculated as a function of the flux of NO and the first Damköhler number. The model results presented illustrate the importance of taking the effect of turbulence on chemical reactions into account for higher values of the NO flux, for values of the ratio O₃/NO larger than 12.5 and for values of the ratio _t /_CH larger than 0.1. For such cases, the effective reaction rates are slower than if the chemical species are assumed to be uniformly mixed.     

A comparison of bowen ratio and eddy correlation sensible and latent heat flux measurements above deciduous forest

Sensible and latent heat flux densities (H and E) were measured above a mature, 18 m deciduous forest during July and August, 1988, using the Bowen ratio-energy balance (BREB) and eddy correlation (EC) methods. EC estimates ofH and E underestimated day-time surface available energy by 11%. EC also partitioned available energy differently than BREB. for/L<0.0, EC favouredH and BREB favoured E. Practical and theoretical limitations of the BREB and EC methods above forests are discussed. The most plausible causes for the failure of EC to close the surface energy balance are a low frequency loss of flux and the failure of a single point measurement to account for the spatial dispersive flux. The most plausible causes of the EC-BREB energy partitioning anomaly are the invalidity of the BREB similarity assumption and the violation of flux-gradient diffusion assumptions in the near-field diffusion region.     

Disagreements between gradient-diffusion and Lagrangian stochastic dispersion models,even for sources near the ground

It is well known that if turbulent mass convection is modelled as diffusion, errors result unless trajectories from the source (ath) to the point of observation (z _p ) comprise many statistically-independent segments (Taylor, 1921). We show that this is not guaranteed merely by the Lagrangian timescale () at the source being small (e.g., source at ground), but that a better criterion istmax[(h), (z _p )], wheret is a typical travel time toz _p .     

Statistical properties of 49 years of rainfall rate events

Summary The paper presents a detailed investigation of magnitudes and properties pertaining to the large population of rainfall events recorded during 49 years at the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona. The study includes a statistical analysis of event durationT and rainfall quantityQ together with the statistical rainfall rate parameters: , ²(R) and maximum Rm within an event. The decorrelation time is also analysed. It is found thatQ, T, and can be well modelled by a lognormal distribution, but , ² and Rm are only so for a limited range of precipitation ratesR. The regression analysis between pairs of logarithms of the magnitudes investigated is generally good and a regression coefficient is often better than 0.9. Comparison with published work is also carried out. An attempt is made to discriminate between heavy and non-heavy rainfall rates, and the 50 mm/h threshold is used for the study. The twelve-monthly running average indicates that the rainfall amount has a small increasing trend over the fifty year period. However, this trend is reversed when considering heavy rains. Finally, the return period in years to exceeding a thresholdR within an event is also investigated and the distribution of the population of annual extremes is found to be Gumbel II.With 6 Figures     

Effects of heat and water vapor transport on eddy covariance measurement of CO2 fluxes

Flux densities of carbon dioxide were measured over an arid, vegetation-free surface by eddy covariance techniques and by a heat budget-profile method, in which CO₂ concentration gradients were specified in terms of mixing ratios. This method showed negligible fluxes of CO₂, consistent with the bareness of the experimental site, whereas the eddy covariance measurements indicated large downward fluxes of CO₂. These apparently conflicting observations are in quantitative agreement with the results of a recent theory which predicts that whenever there are vertical fluxes of sensible or latent heat, a mean vertical velocity is developed. This velocity causes a mean vertical convective mass flux (= _cw for CO₂, in standard notation). The eddy covariance technique neglects this mean convective flux and measures only the turbulent flux _c w. Thus, when the net flux of CO₂ is zero, the eddy covariance method indicates an apparent flux which is equal and opposite to the mean convective flux, i.e., _c w = – _c w. Corrections for the mean convective flux are particularly significant for CO₂ because _cw and _c w are often of similar magnitude. The correct measurement of the net CO₂ flux by eddy covariance techniques requires that the fluxes of sensible and latent heat be measured as well.     

Reactions of alkoxy radicals under atmospheric conditions: The relative importance of decomposition versus reaction with O2

The reactions of alkoxy radicals determine to a large extent the products formed during the atmospheric degradations of emitted organic compounds. Experimental data concerning the decompositions, 1,5-H shift isomerizations and reactions with O₂ of several classes of alkoxy radicals are inconsistent with literature estimations of their absolute or relative rate constants. An alternative, although empirical, method for assessing the relative importance under atmospheric conditions of the reactions of alkoxy radicals with O₂ versus decomposition was derived. This estimation method utilizes the differences in the heats of reaction, (H)=(H_{decomposition}–H_{O 2 reaction}), between these two reactions pathways. For (H)[22–0.5(H_{O 2 reaction})], alkoxy radical decomposition dominates over the reaction with O₂ at room temperature and atmospheric pressure of air, while for (H)[25-0.5(H_{O 2 reaction})], the O₂ reaction dominates over decomposition (where the units of H are in kcal mol^–1). The utility and shortcomings of this approach are discussed. It is concluded that further studies concerning the reactions of alkoxy radicals are needed.     

In-water and remote measurements of ocean color

Spectral measurements of downwelling irradiance, E _d(), above the surface, and of upwelling irradiance just below the surface, E _u(), allow computation of spectral values of the diffuse reflectance R() = E _u()/E _d(); this yields full information about the true color and brightness of the ocean. Typical results are presented and interpreted for waters very different in turbidity and phytoplankton content. Conversely, the possibility of infering the water content from R() data at selected wavelengths is examined in terms of the respective number of equations and unknowns. The necessary use of assumptions and of empirical laws is emphasized.The magnitude of the useful signal emerging from the water, and the magnitude of the additional signals due to specular reflexion at the interface and to atmospheric scattering, are compared on the basis of spectroradiometric measurements performed within and above the sea, from different altitudes. These unwanted signals are dominant, causing a drastic change in the spectral composition of the light received by a remote sensor. The evaluation of the atmospheric effect must be very precise in order to recover the marine signal with a sufficient accuracy for a meaningful application of any kind of algorithm.This work was supported in part by the Centre National d'Exploitation des Océans (under contract CNEXO 77/1695) and in part by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (RCP 247 & ERA 278).     

On the determination of the height of the Ekman boundary layer

The heighth of the Ekman turbulent boundary layer determined by the momentum flux profile is estimated with the aid of considerations of similarity and an analysis of the dynamic equations. Asymptotic formulae have been obtained showing that, with increasing instability,h increases as ¦¦^1/2 (where is the non-dimensional stratification parameter); with increasing stability, on the other hand,h decreases as ^–1/2. For comparison, a simple estimate of the boundary-layer heighth _u determined by the velocity profile is given. As is shown, in unstable stratification,h _u behaves asymptotically as ¦¦^–1, i.e., in a manner entirely different from that ofh .     

Microwave vegetation optical depth and inverse modelling of soil emissivity using Nimbus/SMMR satellite observations

Summary A radiative transfer model has been used to determine the large scale effective 6.6 GHz and 37 GHz optical depths of the vegetation cover. Knowledge of the vegetation optical depth is important for satellite-based large scale soil moisture monitoring using microwave radiometry. The study is based on actual observed large scale surface soil moisture data and observed dual polarization 6.6 and 37 GHz Nimbus/SMMR brightness temperatures over a 3-year period. The derived optical depths have been compared with microwave polarization differences and polarization ratios in both frequencies and with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values from NOAA/AVHRR. A synergistic approach to derive surface soil emissivity from satellite observed brightness temperatures by inverse modelling is described. This approach improves the relationship between satellite derived surface emissivity and large scale top soil moisture fromR ²=0.45 (no correction for vegetation) toR ²=0.72 (after correction for vegetation). This study also confirms the relationship between the microwave-based MPDI and NDVI earlier described and explained in the literature.List of Symbols f frequency [Hz] - f _i(p) fractional absorption at polarizationp - h surface roughness - h h cos² - H horizontal polarization - n _i complex index of refraction - p polarization (H orV) - R _s microwave surface reflectivity - T _B(p) brightness temperature at polarizationp - T ^* normalized brightness temperature - T polarization difference (T _v-T _H) - T _s temperature of soil surface - T _c temperature of canopy - T _max daily maximum air temperature - T _min daily minimum air temperature - V vertical polarization - soil moisture distribution factor; also used for the constant to partition the influence of bound and free water components to the dielectric constant of the mixture - empirical complex constant related to soil texture - microwave transmissivity of vegetation (=e ^–) - ^* effective transmissivity of vegetation (assuming =0) - microwave emissivity - _s emissivity of smooth soil surface - _rs emissivity of rough soil surface - _vs emissivity of vegetated surface - soil moisture content (% vol.) - K dielectric constant [F·m^–1] - K _fw dielectric constant of free water [F·m^–1] - K _ss dielectric constant of soil solids [F·m^–1] - K _m dielectric constant of mixture [F·m^–1] - K _o permittivity of free space [8.854·10^–12 F·m^–1] - high frequency limit ofK _wf [F·m^–1] - wavelength [m] - incidence angle [degrees from nadir] - polarization ratio (T _H/T _V) - b soil bulk density [gr·cm^–3] - s soil particle density [gr·cm^–3] - R surface reflectivity in red portion of spectrum - NIR surface reflectivity in near infrared portion of spectrum - _eff effective conductivity of soil extract [mS·cm^–1] - vegetation optical depth - _6.6 vegetation optical depth at 6.6 GHz - ₃₇ vegetation optical depth at 37 GHz - ^* effective vegetation optical depth (assuming =0) - single scattering albedo of vegetation With 12 Figures     

The spectral velocity tensor for homogeneous boundary-layer turbulence

We have postulated a simple model for the spectral tensor _ij (k) of an anisotropic, but homogeneous turbulent velocity field. It is a simple generalization of the spectral tensor _inf ^{ij piso}(k) for isotropic turbulence and we show how in the limit of isotropy, _ij (k) becomes equal to _inf ^{ij piso}(k). Whereas _inf ^{ij piso}(k) is determined entirely by one scalar function of k = ¦k¦, namely the energy spectrum, we need three independent scalar functions of k to specify _ij (k). We show how it is possible by means of the three stream-wise velocity component spectra to determine the three scalar functions in _ij (k) by solving two uncoupled, ordinary linear differential equations of first and second order. The analytic form of the component spectra each has a set of three parameters: the variance and the integral length scale of the velocity component and a dimensionless parameter, which governs the curvature of the spectrum in the transition domain from the inertial subrange towards lower wave numbers. When the three sets of parameters are the same, the three spectra correspond to isotropic turbulence and they are all interrelated and related to the energy spectrum. We show how it is possible to obtain these spectral forms in the neutral surface layer and in the convective boundary layer from data reported in the literature. The spectral tensor is used to predict the lateral coherences for all three velocity components and these predictions are compared with coherences obtained in two experiments, one using three masts at a horizontally homogeneous site in Denmark and one employing two aircraft flying in formation over eastern Colorado. Comparison shows reasonable agreement although with considerable experimental scatter.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Turbulence measurements above a pine forest

Eddy fluxes of momentum, sensible and latent heat, and turbulence spectra measured over the Thetford Forest during 10 days in the Spring of 1973 are described. The measured total heat flux (H + E) for 122 20-min periods agreed closely on average with independent estimates from an energy balance method. There was evidence that the energy balance data gave small systematic overestimates of available energy during the hours before noon, compensated by slight underestimates for the remainder of the day. A comparison of measured wind speeds and friction velocities in neutral stability confirmed the validity of the aerodynamic method for estimating momentum fluxes at heights of a few roughness lengths above the canopy. In stable conditions the log-linear wind profileU = (u _*/k)(ln ((z -d)/z _o) + (z -d -z _o)/L) with = 3.4 ± 0.4 provided a good fit to the data. Spectra in unstable conditions were generally more sharply peaked than those measured by other workers over smoother terrain: differences were less marked in the case of vertical velocity in stable conditions. Temperature spectra in these stable conditions showed high energy at relatively low wavenumbers, andwT cospectra showed a cospectral gap; both of these results were associated with an intermittent sawtooth structure in the temperature fluctuations.Now at the Meteorological Office, Bracknell     

On gas fluxes from small lakes and ponds

A semi-empirical model for estimating gas fluxes at the air-water interface in a neutrally stratified atmosphere is presented. Gas transfer velocity is assumed to depend on local friction velocity, whose variation with over-water fetch is estimated from Walmsleyet al.'s (1989) Guidelines. As guidance for limnologists estimating CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes from lakes and ponds in the Hudson Bay Lowlands region, we present model results of the variation of gas transfer velocity with over-water fetch,k(x), for comparison with the customary constant valuek ₀. Gas fluxes are estimated over well mixed, circular and elliptical lakes and ponds. The results of accounting for fetch dependence, wind direction, pond shapes and sizes lead to correction factors to fluxes obtained withk ₀. Recent studies of gas transfer velocity for gases of low solubility from lakes are reviewed, and the problem of time averaging on quantities determined from experimental measurements is also discussed.     

A Comparative Analysis of Transpiration and Bare Soil Evaporation

Transpiration E^v and bare soil evaporation E^b processes are comparatively analysed assuming homogeneous and inhomogeneous areal distributions of volumetric soil moisture content . For a homogeneous areal distribution of we use a deterministic model, while for inhomogeneous distributions a statistical-deterministic diagnostic surface energy balance model is applied. The areal variations of are simulated by Monte-Carlo runs assuming normal distributions of .The numerical experiments are performed for loam. In the experiments we used different parameterizations for vegetation and bare soil surface resistances and strong atmospheric forcing. According to the results theE^v()-^Eb() differences are great, especially in dry conditions. In spite of this, the available energy flux curves of vegetation A^v() and bare soil A^b() surfaces differ much less than the E^v() and ^Eb() curves. The results suggest that E^v is much more non-linearly related to environmental conditions than ^Eb. Both E^v and ^Eb depend on the distribution of , the wetness regime and the parameterization used. With the parameterizations, ^Eb showed greater variations than E^v. These results are valid when there are no advective effects or mesoscale circulation patterns and the stratification is unstable.     

Near-field dispersion from instantaneous sources in the surface layer

This paper considers the near-field dispersion of an ensemble of tracer particles released instantaneously from an elevated source into an adiabatic surface layer. By modelling the Lagrangian vertical velocity as a Markov process which obeys the Langevin equation, we show analytically that the mean vertical drift velocity w(t) is w()=bu _*(1–e ^–(1+)), where is time since release (nondimensionalized with the Lagrangian time scale at the source), b Batchelor's constant, and u _*, the friction velocity. Hence, the mean height and mean depth of the ensemble are calculated. Although the derivation is formally valid only when 1, the predictions for w, mean height and mean depth are consistent in the downstream limit ( 1) with surface-layer Lagrangian similarity theory and with the diffusion equation. By comparing the analytical predictions with numerical, randomflight solutions of the Langevin equation, the analytical predictions are shown to be good approximations at all times, both near-field and far-field.     

Modelling radiation quantities and photolysis frequencies in the troposphere

STAR (System for Transfer of Atmospheric Radiation) was developed to calculate accurately and efficiently the irradiance, the actinic flux, and the radiance in the troposphere. Additionally a very efficient calculation scheme to computer photolysis frequencies for 21 different gases was evolved. STAR includes representative data bases for atmospheric constituents, especially aerosol particles. With this model package a sensitivity study of the influence of different parameter on photolysis frequencies in particular of O₃ to Singlet D oxygen atoms, of NO₂, and of HCHO was performed. The results show the quantitative effects of the influence of the solar zenith angle, the ozone concentration and vertical profile, the aerosol particles, the surface albedo, the temperature, the pressure, the concentration of NO₂, and different types of clouds on the photolysis frequencies.Notation I _A(, ) actinic flux - I _H(, ) irradiance - L(, , , ) radiance - wavelength - azimuth angle - cosine of zenith angle - _s cosine of solar zenith angle - optical depth - _s scattering coefficient - _c extinction coefficient - _o single scattering albedo - p _mix mixed phase function - g _mix mixed asymmetry factor - J _gas photolysis frequency     

Numerical simulation of turbulent convective flow over wavy terrain

By means of a large-eddy simulation, the convective boundary layer is investigated for flows over wavy terrain. The lower surface varies sinusoidally in the downstream direction while remaining constant in the other. Several cases are considered with amplitude up to 0.15H and wavelength ofH to 8H, whereH is the mean fluid-layer height. At the lower surface, the vertical heat flux is prescribed to be constant and the momentum flux is determined locally from the Monin-Obukhov relationship with a roughness lengthz _o=10^–4 H. The mean wind is varied between zero and 5w _*, wherew _* is the convective velocity scale. After rather long times, the flow structure shows horizontal scales up to 4H, with a pattern similar to that over flat surfaces at corresponding shear friction. Weak mean wind destroys regular spatial structures induced by the surface undulation at zero mean wind. The surface heating suppresses mean-flow recirculation-regions even for steep surface waves. Short surface waves cause strong drag due to hydrostatic and dynamic pressure forces in addition to frictional drag. The pressure drag increases slowly with the mean velocity, and strongly with /H. The turbulence variances increase mainly in the lower half of the mixed layer forU/w _*>2.     

Sulfur dioxide plume dispersion and subsequent absorption by coniferous forests: Field measurements and model calculations

A Forest SO₂ Absorption Model (ForSAM) was developed to simulate (1) SO₂ plume dispersion from an emission source, (2) subsequent SO₂ absorption by coniferous forests growing downwind from the source. There are three modules: (1) a buoyancy module, (2) a dispersion module, and (3) a foliar absorption module. These modules were used to calculate hourly abovecanopy SO₂ concentrations and in-canopy deposition velocities, as well as daily amounts of SO₂ absorbed by the forest canopy for downwind distances to 42 km. Model performance testing was done with meteorological data (including ambient SO₂ concentrations) collected at various locations downwind from a coal-burning power generator at Grand Lake in central New Brunswick, Canada. Annual SO₂ emissions from this facility amounted to about 30,000 tonnes. Calculated SO₂ concentrations were similar to those obtained in the field. Calculated SO₂ deposition velocities generally agreed with published values.Notation c air parcel cooling parameter (non-dimensional) - E foliar absorption quotient (non-dimensional) - f areal fraction of foliage free from water (non-dimensional) - f _w SO₂ content of air parcel - h height of the surface layer (m) - H height of the convective mixing layer (m) - H _stack stack height (m) - k time level - k _drag coefficient of drag on the air parcel (non-dimensional) - K _z eddy viscosity coefficient for SO₂ (m²·s^–1) - L Monin-Obukhov length scale (m) - L _A single-sided leaf area index (LAI) - n degree-of-sky cloudiness (non-dimensional) - N number of parcels released with every puff (non-dimensional) - PAR photosynthetically active radiation (W m^–2) - Q emission rate (kg s^–2) - r _b diffusive boundary-layer resistance (s m^–1) - r _c canopy resistance (s m^–1) - r _cuticle cuticular resistance (s m^–1) - r _m mesophyllic resistance (s m^–1) - r _s stomatal resistance (s m^–1) - r _exit smokestack exit radius (m) - R normally distributed random variable with mean of zero and variance of t (s) - u _* frictional velocity scale, (m s^–1) - v lateral wind vector (m s^–1) - v _d SO₂ dry deposition velocity (m s^–1) - VCD water vapour deficit (mb) - z _can mean tree height (m) - Z zenith position of the sun (deg) - environmental lapse rate (°C m^–1) - dry adiabatic lapse rate (0.00986°C m^–1) - von Kármán's constant (0.04) - _B vertical velocities initiated by buoyancy (m s^–1) - canopy extinction coefficient (non-dimensional) - ()a denotes ambient conditions - ()can denotes conditions at the top of the forest canopy - ()h denotes conditions at the top of the surface layer - ()H denotes conditions at the top of the mixed layer - ()s denotes conditions at the canopy surface - ()p denotes conditions of the air parcels     

Drag and drag partition on rough surfaces

An analytic treatment of drag and drag partition on rough surfaces is given. The aims are to provide simple predictive expressions for practical applications, and to rationalize existing laboratory and atmospheric data into a single framework. Using dimensional analysis and two physical hypotheses, theoretical predictions are developed for total stress (described by the square root of the canopy drag coefficient), stress partition (described by the ratio _S/ of the stress _s on the underlying ground surface to total stress ), zero-plane displacement and roughness length. The stress partition prediction is the simple equation _S/= 1/(1+), where = C_RC_S the ratio of element and surface drag coefficients. This prediction agrees very well with data and is free of adjustable constants. Other predictions also agree well with a range of laboratory and atmospheric data.