A comparison of two methods of estimating transpiration rates from a Sitka spruce plantation

Estimates of hourly transpiration from a 16–17 yr old Sitka spruce forest were calculated from the Penman-Monteith combination equation and compared with estimates from an eddy correlation/energy balance method.Canopy conductances were estimated from stomatal conductances measured using null balance diffusion porometers and took account of canopy variations of stomatal conductance and needle area index.Vertical heat fluxes were measured by the eddy correlation method; transpiration fluxes were then estimated from an energy balance of the forest.There was not a 1:1 relationship between the estimates of transpiration from the two methods. The major sources of error were concluded to be (i) difficulties of estimating the variation in stomatal conductance and leaf area through the canopy, (ii) errors in the value of total leaf area index, and (iii) errors in stomatal conductance measurements.The eddy correlation method was suggested as the more useful for future studies of the variation of forest transpiration in time or space, because the Penman-Monteith equation requires extensive biological measurements.     

Atmospheric turbulence within and above a douglas-fir stand. Part II: Eddy fluxes of sensible heat and water vapour

This is the second paper describing a study of the turbulence regimes and exchange processes within and above an extensive Douglas-fir stand. The experiment was conducted on Vancouver Island during a two-week rainless period in July and August 1990. Two eddy correlation units were operated in the daytime to measure the fluxes of sensible heat and water vapour and other turbulence statistics at various heights within and above the stand. Net radiation was measured above the overstory using a stationary net radiometer and beneath the overstory using a tram system. Supplementary measurements included soil heat flux, humidity above and beneath the overstory, profiles of wind speed and air temperature, and the spatial variation of sensible heat flux near the forest floor.The sum of sensible and latent heat fluxes above the stand accounted for, on average, 83% of the available energy flux. On some days, energy budget closure was far better than on others. The average value of the Bowen ratio was 2.1 above the stand and 1.4 beneath the overstory. The mid-morning value of the canopy resistance was 150–450 s/m during the experiment and mid-day value of the Omega factor was about 0.20. The daytime mean canopy resistance showed a strong dependence on the mean saturation deficit during the two-week experimental period.The sum of sensible and latent heat fluxes beneath the overstory accounted for 74% of the available energy flux beneath the overstory. One of the reasons for this energy imbalance was that the small number of soil heat flux plates and the short pathway of the radiometer tram system was unable to account for the large horizontal heterogeneity in the available energy flux beneath the overstory. On the other hand, good agreement was obtained among the measurements of sensible heat flux made near the forest floor at four positions 15 m apart.There was a constant flux layer in the trunk space, a large flux divergence in the canopy layer, and a constant flux layer above the stand. Counter-gradient flux of sensible heat constantly occurred at the base of the canopy.The transfer of sensible heat and water vapour was dominated by intermittent cool downdraft and warm updraft events and dry downdraft and moist updraft events, respectively, at all levels. For sensible heat flux, the ratio of the contribution of cool downdrafts to that of warm updrafts was greater than one in the canopy layer and less than one above the stand and near the forest floor.     

Influence of leaf water potential on diurnal changes in CO2 and water vapour fluxes

Mass and energy fluxes between the atmosphere and vegetation are driven by meteorological variables, and controlled by plant water status, which may change more markedly diurnally than soil water. We tested the hypothesis that integration of dynamic changes in leaf water potential may improve the simulation of CO₂ and water fluxes over a wheat canopy. Simulation of leaf water potential was integrated into a comprehensive model (the ChinaAgrosys) of heat, water and CO₂ fluxes and crop growth. Photosynthesis from individual leaves was integrated to the canopy by taking into consideration the attenuation of radiation when penetrating the canopy. Transpiration was calculated with the Shuttleworth-Wallace model in which canopy resistance was taken as a link between energy balance and physiological regulation. A revised version of the Ball-Woodrow-Berry stomatal model was applied to produce a new canopy resistance model, which was validated against measured CO₂ and water vapour fluxes over winter wheat fields in Yucheng (36°57′ N, 116°36′ E, 28 m above sea level) in the North China Plain during 1997, 2001 and 2004. Leaf water potential played an important role in causing stomatal conductance to fall at midday, which caused diurnal changes in photosynthesis and transpiration. Changes in soil water potential were less important. Inclusion of the dynamics of leaf water potential can improve the precision of the simulation of CO₂ and water vapour fluxes, especially in the afternoon under water stress conditions.     

Pine forest microclimate simulation using different diffusivities

Proper understanding of, e.g., evaporation from a forest requires an understanding of its microclimate. A well established, steady-state model was used to simulate microclimate and evaporation of a sparse pine forest in central Sweden. Model input included profiles of turbulent diffusivity, boundary-layer resistance, stomatal resistance, wind speed, net and global radiation and needle area density. Momentum balance, energy balance and exponentially decreasing diffusivities were used to study the sensitivity of the evaporation rates and of the temperature and humidity profiles. Model output proved to be unreliable when measured temperature and humidity at the bottom of the stand were used instead of a measured ground heat flux as the lower boundary condition. Energy balance diffusivity was usually larger than momentum balance diffusivity at the canopy top but decreased rapidly to a minimum at approximately the height where the momentum balance diffusivity had its maximum. Energy balance diffusivity commonly showed a secondary maximum below the height of the maximum needle area density. Profiles of Richardson number showed that thermal effects became important just below the canopy top. Bluff-body effects distinguished the energy balance from the momentum balance diffusivity and both were subject to shelter effects. Total evaporation was not very sensitive to the choice of diffusivity when soil heat flux was given as the lower boundary condition.     

Transpiration and evaporation from heather Moorland

The energy balance of an upland heath dominated by heather (Calluna vulgaris) was measured in dry and wet weather. Median values of both transpiration and evaporation rates were ca. 2 mm hr^-1. The median Bowen ratio for the dry canopy was 2.0 and for the wet canopy 0.6. On dry days the median value of the saturation deficit was only 3.8 mb and that of the climatological resistance was 30 s m^-1. The bulk stomatal resistance increased from ca. 50 s m ^-2 in the morning to over 290 s m^-1 in the afternoon with an overall median value of 110 s m^-1. Transpiration from the dry canopy was controlled by a combination of small saturation deficits and large stomatal resistances. The median value of the boundary-layer resistance of the canopy was 22 s m^-1 and was low partly because of a large low-level drag coefficient. Saturation deficits on wet days were close to zero and evaporation of intercepted water proceeded at close to the equilibrium rate, being largely limited by the low fluxes of available energy. The water loss from heather was compared with simulated losses from coniferous forest, herbaceous crops and grassland in the same conditions to evaluate the effects of vegetation on water loss from catchments.Laboratorio de Ecologia, Dept. de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade de Brasilia, 70 910 — Brasila — DF, Brazil.     

An Attempt to Partition Stomatal and Non-stomatal Ozone Deposition Parts on a Short Grassland

To evaluate the damaging effect of tropospheric ozone on vegetation, it is important to evaluate the stomatal uptake of ozone. Although the stomatal flux is a dominant pathway of ozone deposition onto vegetated surfaces, non-stomatal uptake mechanisms such as soil and cuticular deposition also play a vital role, especially when the leaf area index \({LAI}< 4\). In this study, we partitioned the canopy conductance into stomatal and non-stomatal components. To calculate the stomatal conductance of water vapour for sparse vegetation, we firstly partitioned the latent heat flux into effects of transpiration and evaporation using the Shuttleworth–Wallace (SW) model. We then derived the stomatal conductance of ozone using the Penman–Monteith (PM) theory based on the similarity to water vapour conductance. The non-stomatal conductance was calculated by subtracting the stomatal conductance from the canopy conductance derived from directly-measured fluxes. Our results show that for short vegetation (LAI \(=\) 0.25) dry deposition of ozone was dominated by the non-stomatal flux, which exceeded the stomatal flux even during the daytime. At night the stomatal uptake of ozone was found to be negligibly small. In the case of vegetation with \({LAI}\approx 1\), the daytime stomatal and non-stomatal fluxes were of the same order of magnitude. These results emphasize that non-stomatal processes must be considered even in the case of well-developed vegetation where cuticular uptake is comparable in magnitude with stomatal uptake, and especially in the case of vegetated surfaces with \({LAI}< 4\) where soil uptake also has a role in ozone deposition.     

Impacts of summer warming on the energy and water balance of wetland tundra

Measurements, made at a high subarctic, maritime, wetland tundra site, are presented for three different growing seasons. These are divided into hot-dry, normal-dry and normal-wet years and the behaviour of their surface energy and water balances is examined within the framework of a combination model. For periods of comparable energy availability, evapotranspiration during hot-dry conditions can be larger than during cooler and wetter periods. This results from small stomatal resistance in the sparse canopy of well-rooted sedges, and from the ability of peat soils to supply water under conditions of large atmospheric demand. This demand is expressed in terms of the vapour pressure deficit and it counteracts the large surface resistances which develop during dry periods. In many respects, the energy balance of a subarctic wetland tundra is comparable to observations and models for temperate agricultural and forest lands, in spite of the fact that the soils are organic, the vegetation canopy is sparse and there is continuous permafrost. A dry year promotes deeper thaw depths in the permafrost soils, during the growing season, than does a wet one. This is due to larger ground heat fluxes and larger soil thermal diffusivities. We concluded that maritime, wetland tundra, growing on peat soils, displays feedback mechanisms, which can offset the effects of moisture stress, caused by summer climate warming of a similar magnitude to that simulated by General Circulation Models for a 2 × CO₂ scenario.     

Energy balance comparison of the Hartheim forest and an adjacent grassland site during the HartX experiment

Summary Energy balance components over a grassland surface were compared to those obtained above an adjacent, uniform Scots pine plantation during a five-day period of fine, sunny, spring weather. Soils were judged to contain ample water. Shortwave and total radiation flux densities were measured at both sites with pyranometers and total pyrradiometers. Soil heat flux densities were measured with heat flux plates at both sites, and additional storage changes were estimated for air and canopy at the forest site. The forest gained more shortwave energy than the grassland during daytime because of its lower albedo, but it lost more longwave radiation at night. The turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent energy were evaluated with the Bowen ratio energy balance (BREB) method at both sites. Temperature and humidity gradients were measured with fixed psychrometers at the grassland site, and with interchanging psychrometers at the forest site. Mean daily evapotranspiration (ET) averaged 2.26 mm over the five days for the Scots pine, or only 57 percent of the 3.94 mm measured at the grassland site. The mean Bowen ratios were 2.6 and 0.8, respectively.An error analysis was carried out for the BREB estimates of latent heat flux at the two sites. For a given error in latent heat flux and at a specified Bowen ratio the demands on accuracy of dry- and wet-bulb temperature gradients above the rough forest canopy was found to be 10 times higher than above the smoother grassland. If additionally the observed differences in transpiration rates between the two sites were taken into account, the precision for temperature gradient measurements above the slowly transpiring forest becomes fortyfold greater than required above the rapidly transpiring grass. At present, BREB precision requirements for gradients above rougher, drier canopies appear achievable only through use of specialized instrumentation, such as measurement systems that incorporate interchangeable psychrometers into their design.With 9 Figures     

植被冠层截留对地表水分和能量平衡影响的数值模拟

利用NCAR_CLM4.0模式,通过有无植被冠层截留的试验对比分析,讨论了植被冠层截留对全球陆面水分和能量平衡产生的潜在影响.结果表明:就全球水分平衡而言,不考虑植被冠层截留时,全球平均土壤总含水量、表面径流和次表面径流增加,蒸散发减少.空间分布特征表明,低纬地区各水分平衡分量全年维持较高的差值分布,并随季节变化沿赤道南北振荡;北半球中高纬高值区有春季扩张、夏季极盛、秋冬季撤退的趋势.冠层截留消失后冠层蒸发的消失是蒸散发减弱的主要原因.对于能量平衡而言,不考虑冠层截留时,全球感热通量增加,冠层感热的增加明显大于地面感热的减少;潜热减少.此外,不同植被类型对不考虑冠层截留后产生的响应存在明显差异.     

Evaluating a Model of Evaporation and Transpiration with Observations in a Partially Wet Douglas-Fir Forest

The Penman–Monteith equation is extended to describe evaporation of intercepted rain, transpiration and the interaction between these processes in a single explicit function. This single-layer model simulates the effects of heat exchange, stomatal blocking and changed humidity deficit close to the canopy as a function of canopywater storage. Evaporation depends on the distribution of water over the canopy and the energy exchange between wet and dry parts. Transpiration depends on the dry canopy surface resistance that is described with a Jarvis-type response. The explicit functions obtained for water vapour fluxes facilitate a straightforward identificationof the various processes. Canopy water storage amounts and xylem sapflow were measured simultaneously during drying episodes after rainfall in a dense, partially wet, Douglas-fir forest. Estimates of evaporation and transpiration rates are derived from these observations. The analysis shows that evaporation induced transpirationreduction is mainly caused by energy consumption. Changes in water vapour deficit have a minor effect due to a compensating stomatal reaction. The remaining difference between observed and modelled transpiration reduction can be attributed to partial blocking of stomata by the water layer.     

Energy balance and transpiration from tussock grassland in New Zealand

The energy balance was measured for the dry canopy of narrow-leaved snow tussock (Chionochloa rigida), and measurements of transpiration were obtained from a large weighing lysimeter.Typical maximum summer transpiration rates of 0.21–0.43 mmhr^-1 (140–290 W m^-2) were recorded. The latent heat flux accounted for less than 40% of net radiation. The estimated value of the bulk stomatal resistance (r _ST) for 29 days was 158 s m^-1, and the decoupling parameter () was 0.17. Transpiration rates were not driven directly by net radiation, but were closely linked to the size of the regional saturation deficit imposed at the level of the canopy by efficient overhead mixing, and were constrained by a large bulk stomatal resistance. A linear relationship between r _ST and the saturation deficit is proposed as a realistic method for estimating transpiration for water yield studies of tussock catchments.     

半干旱区陆面模式参数对水分循环的敏感性研究

植被覆盖对陆气之间物质和能量交换过程具有极其重要的影响,但植被覆盖对于交换过程的影响因子很多,关系复杂.作者研究了各种植被因子对陆气之间水分循环的作用和相对重要性.首先通过单点NO-AH模式对吉林通榆农田下垫面2004年土壤和边界层各物理量进行模拟,并与观测结果比较和评价,肯定了单点NOAH模式模拟能力.使用这一模式进行敏感试验,将与植被有关的参数分别在其取值范围取较大与较小值,比较水分循环各物理量如土壤湿度、土壤蒸发、植被蒸腾等的变化情况.试验表明在各参数中植被气孔阻抗、根系深度、土壤湿度初值和反照率对水分循环的影响较大,而叶面积指数、粗糙度和冠层阻抗则影响较小.     

A radiation and energy balance study of mature forest and clear-cut sites

Components of the radiation and energy balances were measured over a clear-cut area and a mature, mixed forest during the summer of 1981 at the Petawawa National Forestry Institute, Chalk River, Ontario. The work concentrated on the clear-cut site which supported a canopy layer composed primarily of bracken fern and logging remnants.Forty days of radiation data were collected at the clear-cut site. After the first four weeks of measurements (the green season), most of the ferns quickly died, and their foliage changed appearance from a green to brownish colour (the brown season). The daily mean reflection coefficient of solar radiation determined over the green season was 0.20 and decreased to 0.13 for the brown season. The corresponding value for the forest was 0.13, based on a limited amount of data. The clear-cut site received 11% and 21% less net radiation than the forest on a 24-hr and daylight-hours basis, respectively, as a consequence of the higher reflection coefficient and larger daytime longwave radiation emission.A reversing temperature difference measurement system (RTDMS), incorporating ten-junction thermopiles was employed at each site in order to determine Bowen ratios () via differential psychrometry. Both systems performed well, especially the RTDMS over the forest which was capable of resolving very small differences of temperature, typically less than 0.2 °C over a height of 3 m. The mean hourly Bowen ratio, calculated from values from 0800 to 1600 hr, varied from 0.2 to 1.0 for the forest and from 0.4 to 0.8 for the clear-cut site in the green season.A significant canopy heat storage component of the energy balance, Q _S , was found at the clear-cut site. In the early morning, a portion of the available energy was used to heat the biomass materials and air within the canopy layer. The stored heat within the canopy was released later in the day, increasing the available energy total.The daily mean value of the Priestley-Taylor coefficient (Priestley and Taylor, 1972) for the green season at the clear-cut site was 1.14, and individual values tended to increase during wet surface conditions and decrease when the surface dried. The daylight mean value during dry canopy conditions at the forest was 1.05, and much higher values occurred when the canopy was wet. The enhancement of for the wet forest was a result of the evaporation of intercepted rain (which is not limited by stomatal resistance) and the concomitant transfer of sensible heat to the forest.     

阿尔卑斯山杉林冠层影响辐射传输的个例分析

利用瑞士Alptal观测站杉树林冠层上方、下方的辐射观测资料,分析了冠层对短波辐射的减弱及对长波辐射的增幅作用及其季节变化。结果表明,对比较密集的常绿针叶林,冠层对入射短波辐射的透过率随着太阳高度的降低而减小,春季以后趋于稳定;冠层对长波辐射的增幅作用随天气状况而变化,这种增幅作用在晴空条件下最显著,可达1.5倍。在冬季,因为太阳辐射较弱,冠层对长波辐射的增幅作用超过对短波辐射的减弱从而增加地面净辐射。在其它季节,太阳辐射比较强,冠层对短波辐射的减弱超过对长波辐射的增幅作用而减少地面净辐射。地面净辐射与冠层上方气温的变化趋势虽然在有些时段一致,但在伴随降雪过程的降温时段,地面净辐射与气温的变化趋势近乎反相,在积雪融化时段,地面净辐射的增加比气温升高更显著,尤其是在白天。     

Turbulent Flux Measurements Above and Below the Overstory of a Boreal Aspen Forest

Turbulent flux measurements both above and beneath the canopy of a boreal aspen forest are described. Velocity skewness showed that, beneath the aspen canopy, turbulence was dominated by intermittent, downward penetrating gusts. Eulerian horizontal length scales calculated from integration of the autocorrelation function or spectral peaks were 9.0 and 1.4 times the mean aspen height of 21.5 m respectively. Above-canopy power spectral slopes for all velocity components followed the -2/3 power law, whereas beneath-canopy slopes were closer to -1 and showed a spectral short cut in the horizontal and vertical components. Cospectral patterns were similar both above and beneath the canopy. The Monin–Obukhov similarity function for the vertical wind velocity variance was a well-defined function of atmospheric stability, both above and beneath the canopy. Nocturnal flux underestimation and departures of this similarity function from that expected from Monin–Obukhov theory were a function of friction velocity. Energy balance closure greater than 80% was achieved at friction velocities greater than 0.30 and 0.10 m s-1, above and below the aspen canopy, respectively. Recalculating the latent heat flux using various averaging periods revealed a minimum of 15 min were required to capture 90% of the 30-min flux. Linear detrending reduced the flux at shorter averaging periods compared to block averaging. Lack of energy balance closure and erratic flux behaviour led to the recalculation of the latent and sensible heat fluxes using the ratio of net radiation to the sum of the energy balance terms.     

Water Loss and Canopy Resistance of a Young Sitka Spruce Plantation

Transpiration of a 7 m-high Stika spruce forest was investigated using measurements of net radiation, sensible heat and ground heat fluxes in an energy balance to give latent heat flux, and hence canopy resistance from the Penman-Monteith equation. Sensible heat flux was measured by the eddy-correlation method using a Fluxatron circuit. During six consecutive days of measurement in July/August, canopy resistance typically followed a decreasing trend from high values (≈150 s m⁻¹) at dawn to around 40 s m⁻¹ at midday and then returning steadily to >100 s m⁻¹ at sunset. Transpiration was 3 mm day⁻¹ on average over the period studied and changes in the rate within the day were significantly correlated with changes in net radiation. Comparisons are drawn with published data from other forest sites and the conclusion is reached that it is imprudent to generalise about transpiration rates and canopy resistances of different species at different sites from results gathered at one or two places.     

The HartX-synthesis: An experimental approach to water and carbon exchange of a Scots pine plantation

Summary In May 1992 during the interdisciplinary measurement campaign HartX (Hartheim eXperiment), several independent estimates of stand water vapor flux were compared at a 12-m high Scots pine (Pinus silvestris) plantation on a flat fluvial terrace of the Rhine close to Freiburg, Germany. Weather during the HartX period was characterized by ten consecutive clear days with exceptionally high input of available energy for this time of year and with a slowly shifting diurnal pattern in atmospheric variables like vapor pressure deficit. Methods utilized to quantify components of stand water flux included porometry measurements on understory graminoid leaves and on pine needles and three different techniques for determining individual tree xylem sap flow. Micrometeorological methods included eddy covariance and eddy covariance energy balance techniques with six independent systems on two towers separated by 40 m. Additionally, Bowen ratio energy balance estimates of water flux were conducted and measurements of the gradients in water vapor, CO₂, and trace gases within and above the stand were carried out with an additional, portable 30 m high telescoping mast.Biologically-based estimates of overstory transpiration were obtained by up-scaling tree sap flow rates to stand level via cumulative sapwood area. Tree transpiration contributed between 2.2 and 2.6 mm/day to ET for a tree leaf area index (LAI) of 2.8. The pine stand had an understory dominated by sedge and grass species with overall average LAI of 1.5. Mechanistic canopy gas exchange models that quantify both water vapor and CO₂ exchange were applied to both understory and tree needle ecosystem compartments. Thus, the transpiration by graminoid species was estimated at approximately 20% of total stand ET. The modelled estimates for understory contribution to stand water flux compared well with micrometeorologically-based determinations. Maximum carbon gain was estimated from the canopy models at approximately 425 mmol/(m²day) for the tree needles and at 100 mmol/(m²day) for the understory. Carbon gain was suggested by the modelling analysis to remain relatively constant during the HartX period, while water use efficiency in carbon fixation increased with decreasing vapor pressure deficit. Biologically- and micrometeorologically-based estimates of stand water flux showed good general agreement with variation of up to 20% that reflects both errors due to the inherent assumptions associated with different methods as well as natural spatial variability in fluxes. The various methods support a reliable estimate of average ET from this homogeneous canopy during HartX of about 2.6 mm/day (a maximum of about 3.1 mm/day) with an insignificant decreasing trend in correlation with decreasing vapor pressure deficit and possibly soil moisture.Findings during HartX were embedded in local scale heterogeneity with greater roughness over the forest and much higher ET over the surrounding agricultural fields which results in weak but clearly existant circulation patterns. A variety of measurements were continued after the HartX campaign. They allow us to extend our findings for six months with changing environmental conditions, including shortage of soil moisture. Hydrological estimates of soil water extractions and micrometeorological estimates of ET by the one-propeller eddy covariance (OPEC) system were in very good agreement, supporting the use of this robust eddy covariance energy balance technique for long-term monitoring.With 5 Figures     

Application of a mixed-layer model to bare soil surfaces

A model that couples the surface energy balance equation, a surface hydraulic resistance equation, and the force-restore soil temperature model to a mixed-layer model of the planetary boundary layer is described. The mixed layer is separated from the soil by a relatively thin surface layer and is overlain by a stable free atmosphere with prescribed profiles of potential temperature and water vapour density. The model is in reasonably good agreement with daytime micrometeorological measurements made at a wet bare site at Agassiz, British Columbia, and a desert site at Pampa de La Joya, Peru. The sensitivity of the mixed-layer model to conditions in the free atmosphere, to the parameters describing the growth of the mixed layer, and to surface roughness lengths, surface hydraulic resistance, and windspeed is examined.     

黄土高原塬区地表辐射和热量平衡观测与分析

利用2005年夏季黄土高原塬区陆面过程野外试验(LOPEX05)的观测资料,初步分析了甘肃平凉黄土高原塬区地表辐射收支和热量平衡特征。结果显示,黄土高原塬区地面长波辐射大于大气长波辐射,典型晴天、阴天和雨天情况下两者平均差值分别为65,25和8 W.m-2;对于地气能量交换各个分量而言,黄土高原塬上和塬下在相同下垫面下的差别不大,但裸地和有植被的下垫面差别很明显;在白天,潜热在净辐射中所占的比重较大,其次是感热,最后是土壤热通量。对能量平衡中的储存项如热通量板上层土壤的热存储和植被冠层存储进行了估算,结果表明,土壤的热储存项在-30~70W.m-2之间,而植被的热能储存项在-10~25 W.m-2之间。在考虑估算的存储项之后,能量平衡散布图斜率由0.68提高到0.79,相关系数R由0.90提高到0.93,两者分别提高了11.0%和3.0%,并对能量不平衡有明显的改进,说明能量储存项在地表能量闭合中必须考虑。     

Planetary boundary layer and surface layer sensitivity to land surface parameters

The sensitivity of the development of the convective planetary boundary layer (PBL) and the surface layer are examined using a coupled surface parameterization and detailed PBL model. First, the coupling is verified against observations from the First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project) Field Experiment (FIFE). Results of the sensitivity experiments indicate that the PBL is most sensitive to the amount of soil water content, and the proximity of the soil water content to critical soil texture values (field capacity and wilting point). While vegetation cover is not the most sensitive parameter at the surface, its influence on the surface energy and hydrologic balance is crucial. Model sensitivity to minimum stomatal resistance, type of soil parameterization and canopy height (surface roughness and displacement depth) is also discussed.