scholarly journals Early Peak of Latent Heat Fluxes Regulates Diurnal Temperature Range in Montane Cloud Forests

Author(s):  
Rong-Yu Gu ◽  
Min-Hui Lo ◽  
Chi-Ya Liao ◽  
Yi-Shin Jang ◽  
Jehn-Yih Juang ◽  
...  

AbstractHydro-climate in the montane cloud forest (MCF) regions is unique for its frequent fog occurrence and abundant water interception by tree canopies. Latent heat (LH) flux, the energy flux associated with evapotranspiration (ET), plays an essential role in modulating energy and hydrological cycles. However, how LH flux is partitioned between transpiration (stomatal evaporation) and evaporation (non-stomatal evaporation), and how it impacts local hydro-climate remain unclear. In this study, we investigate how fog modulates the energy and hydrological cycles of MCF by using a combination of in-situ observations and model simulations. We compare LH flux and associated micrometeorological conditions at two eddy-covariance sites—Chi-Lan (CL), a MCF, and Lien-Hua-Chih (LHC), a non-cloud forest in Taiwan. The comparison between the two sites reveals an asymmetric LH flux with an early peak at 9:00 in CL as opposed to LHC, where LH flux peaks at noon. The early peak of LH flux and its evaporative cooling dampen the increase in near-surface temperature during the morning hours in CL. The relatively small diurnal temperature range, abundant moisture brought by the valley wind, and local ET result in frequent afternoon fog formation. Fog water is then intercepted by the canopy, sustaining moist conditions throughout the night. To further illustrate this hydrological feedback, we used a land surface model to simulate how varying canopy water interception can affect surface energy and moisture budgets. Our study highlights the unique hydro-climatological cycle in MCF and, specifically, the inseparable relationship between the canopy and near-surface meteorology during the diurnal cycle.

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (21) ◽  
pp. 9159-9179 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Breil ◽  
D. Rechid ◽  
E. L. Davin ◽  
N. de Noblet-Ducoudré ◽  
E. Katragkou ◽  
...  

AbstractThe biophysical effects of reforestation and afforestation (herein jointly called re/afforestation) on the diurnal temperature cycle in European summer are investigated by analyzing a regional climate model (RCM) ensemble, established within the Land Use and Climate Across Scales Flagship Pilot Study (LUCAS FPS). With this RCM ensemble, two idealized experiments are performed for Europe, one with a continent with maximized forest cover, and one in which all forests are turned into grassland. First, an in-depth analysis of one ensemble member (“CCLM-VEG3D”) is carried out, to reveal the complex process chain caused by such land use changes (LUCs). From these findings, the whole ensemble is analyzed and principal biophysical effects of re/afforestation are derived. Results show that the diurnal temperature range is reduced at the surface (top of the vegetation) with re/afforestation. Most RCMs simulate colder surface temperatures Tsurf during the day and warmer Tsurf during the night. Thus, for the first time, the principal temperature interrelations found in observation-based studies in the midlatitudes could be reproduced within a model intercomparison study. On the contrary, the diurnal temperature range in the lowest atmospheric model level (Tair) is increased with re/afforestation. This opposing temperature response is mainly caused by the higher surface roughness of forest, enhancing the turbulent heat exchange. Furthermore, these opposing temperature responses demonstrate that the use of the diagnostic 2-m temperature (weighted interpolation between Tsurf and Tair) has a limited potential to assess the effects of re/afforestation. Thus, studies about the biophysical impacts of LUCs should investigate the whole near-surface temperature profile.


2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret A. LeMone ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Joseph G. Alfieri ◽  
Mukul Tewari ◽  
Bart Geerts ◽  
...  

Abstract Analyses of daytime fair-weather aircraft and surface-flux tower data from the May–June 2002 International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) and the April–May 1997 Cooperative Atmosphere Surface Exchange Study (CASES-97) are used to document the role of vegetation, soil moisture, and terrain in determining the horizontal variability of latent heat LE and sensible heat H along a 46-km flight track in southeast Kansas. Combining the two field experiments clearly reveals the strong influence of vegetation cover, with H maxima over sparse/dormant vegetation, and H minima over green vegetation; and, to a lesser extent, LE maxima over green vegetation, and LE minima over sparse/dormant vegetation. If the small number of cases is producing the correct trend, other effects of vegetation and the impact of soil moisture emerge through examining the slope ΔxyLE/ΔxyH for the best-fit straight line for plots of time-averaged LE as a function of time-averaged H over the area. Based on the surface energy balance, H + LE = Rnet − Gsfc, where Rnet is the net radiation and Gsfc is the flux into the soil; Rnet − Gsfc ∼ constant over the area implies an approximately −1 slope. Right after rainfall, H and LE vary too little horizontally to define a slope. After sufficient drying to produce enough horizontal variation to define a slope, a steep (∼−2) slope emerges. The slope becomes shallower and better defined with time as H and LE horizontal variability increases. Similarly, the slope becomes more negative with moister soils. In addition, the slope can change with time of day due to phase differences in H and LE. These trends are based on land surface model (LSM) runs and observations collected under nearly clear skies; the vegetation is unstressed for the days examined. LSM runs suggest terrain may also play a role, but observational support is weak.


Climate ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andri Pyrgou ◽  
Mattheos Santamouris ◽  
Iro Livada

High daily temperatures in the Mediterranean and Europe have been documented in observation and modeling studies. Long-term temperature data, from 1988 to 2017, from a suburban station and an urban station in Nicosia, Cyprus have been analyzed, and the diurnal temperature range (DTR) trend was investigated. The seasonal Mann–Kendall test revealed a decreasing DTR trend of −0.24 °C/decade at the urban station and −0.36 °C/decade at the suburban station, which were attributed to an increase in the daily minimum temperature. Variations in precipitation, longwave radiation, ultraviolet-A (UVA), ultraviolet-B (UVB), cloud cover, water vapor, and urbanization were used to assess their possible relationship with regional DTR. The clustering of daytime and night-time data showed a strong relationship between the DTR and observed cloud cover, net longwave radiation, and precipitation. Clouds associated with smaller shortwave and net longwave radiation reduce the DTR by decreasing the surface solar radiation, while atmospheric absolute humidity denotes an increased daytime surface evaporative cooling and higher absorption of the short and longwave radiation. The intra-cluster variation could be reduced, and the inter-cluster variance increased by the addition of other meteorological parameters and anthropogenic sources that affect DTR in order to develop a quantitative basis for assessing DTR variations.


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