scholarly journals Energy balance measurements over a banana orchard in the Semiarid region in the Northeast of Brazil

2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1365-1373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Antonio Costa dos Santos ◽  
Bernardo Barbosa da Silva ◽  
Tantravahi Venkata Ramana Rao ◽  
Christopher Michael Usher Neale
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Eddy Covariance System

The objective of this work was to evaluate the reliability of eddy covariance measurements, analyzing the energy balance components, evapotranspiration and energy balance closure in dry and wet growing seasons, in a banana orchard. The experiment was carried out at a farm located within the irrigation district of Quixeré, in the Lower Jaguaribe basin, in Ceará state, Brazil. An eddy covariance system was used to measure the turbulent flux. An automatic weather station was installed in a grass field to obtain the reference evapotranspiration (ET0) from the combined FAO-Penman-Monteith method. Wind speed and vapor pressure deficit are the most important variables on the evaporative process in both growing seasons. In the dry season, the heat fluxes have a similar order of magnitude, and during the wet season the latent heat flux is the largest. The eddy covariance system had acceptable reliability in measuring heat flux, with actual evapotranspiration results comparing well with those obtained by using the water balance method. The energy balance closure had good results for the study area, with mean values of 0.93 and 0.86 for the dry and wet growing seasons respectively.

scholarly journals Analysing surface energy balance closure and partitioning over a semi-arid savanna FLUXNET site in Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 3401-3415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhle P. Majozi ◽  
Chris M. Mannaerts ◽  
Abel Ramoelo ◽  
Renaud Mathieu ◽  
Alecia Nickless ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Wet Season

Abstract. Flux towers provide essential terrestrial climate, water, and radiation budget information needed for environmental monitoring and evaluation of climate change impacts on ecosystems and society in general. They are also intended for calibration and validation of satellite-based Earth observation and monitoring efforts, such as assessment of evapotranspiration from land and vegetation surfaces using surface energy balance approaches. In this paper, 15 years of Skukuza eddy covariance data, i.e. from 2000 to 2014, were analysed for surface energy balance closure (EBC) and partitioning. The surface energy balance closure was evaluated using the ordinary least squares regression (OLS) of turbulent energy fluxes (sensible (H) and latent heat (LE)) against available energy (net radiation (Rn) less soil heat (G)), and the energy balance ratio (EBR). Partitioning of the surface energy during the wet and dry seasons was also investigated, as well as how it is affected by atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD), and net radiation. After filtering years with low-quality data (2004–2008), our results show an overall mean EBR of 0.93. Seasonal variations of EBR also showed the wet season with 1.17 and spring (1.02) being closest to unity, with the dry season (0.70) having the highest imbalance. Nocturnal surface energy closure was very low at 0.26, and this was linked to low friction velocity during night-time, with results showing an increase in closure with increase in friction velocity. The energy partition analysis showed that sensible heat flux is the dominant portion of net radiation, especially between March and October, followed by latent heat flux, and lastly the soil heat flux, and during the wet season where latent heat flux dominated sensible heat flux. An increase in net radiation was characterized by an increase in both LE and H, with LE showing a higher rate of increase than H in the wet season, and the reverse happening during the dry season. An increase in VPD is correlated with a decrease in LE and increase in H during the wet season, and an increase in both fluxes during the dry season.

scholarly journals Estimating evaporation with thermal UAV data and two-source energy balance models

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 697-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Hoffmann ◽  
H. Nieto ◽  
R. Jensen ◽  
R. Guzinski ◽  
P. Zarco-Tejada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Thermal Camera ◽  
Model Input ◽  
Eddy Covariance Measurements

Abstract. Estimating evaporation is important when managing water resources and cultivating crops. Evaporation can be estimated using land surface heat flux models and remotely sensed land surface temperatures (LST), which have recently become obtainable in very high resolution using lightweight thermal cameras and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). In this study a thermal camera was mounted on a UAV and applied into the field of heat fluxes and hydrology by concatenating thermal images into mosaics of LST and using these as input for the two-source energy balance (TSEB) modelling scheme. Thermal images are obtained with a fixed-wing UAV overflying a barley field in western Denmark during the growing season of 2014 and a spatial resolution of 0.20 m is obtained in final LST mosaics. Two models are used: the original TSEB model (TSEB-PT) and a dual-temperature-difference (DTD) model. In contrast to the TSEB-PT model, the DTD model accounts for the bias that is likely present in remotely sensed LST. TSEB-PT and DTD have already been well tested, however only during sunny weather conditions and with satellite images serving as thermal input. The aim of this study is to assess whether a lightweight thermal camera mounted on a UAV is able to provide data of sufficient quality to constitute as model input and thus attain accurate and high spatial and temporal resolution surface energy heat fluxes, with special focus on latent heat flux (evaporation). Furthermore, this study evaluates the performance of the TSEB scheme during cloudy and overcast weather conditions, which is feasible due to the low data retrieval altitude (due to low UAV flying altitude) compared to satellite thermal data that are only available during clear-sky conditions. TSEB-PT and DTD fluxes are compared and validated against eddy covariance measurements and the comparison shows that both TSEB-PT and DTD simulations are in good agreement with eddy covariance measurements, with DTD obtaining the best results. The DTD model provides results comparable to studies estimating evaporation with similar experimental setups, but with LST retrieved from satellites instead of a UAV. Further, systematic irrigation patterns on the barley field provide confidence in the veracity of the spatially distributed evaporation revealed by model output maps. Lastly, this study outlines and discusses the thermal UAV image processing that results in mosaics suited for model input. This study shows that the UAV platform and the lightweight thermal camera provide high spatial and temporal resolution data valid for model input and for other potential applications requiring high-resolution and consistent LST.

Comparison of energy fluxes from eddy covariance and scintillometer over an agricultural field

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matěj Orság ◽  
Milan Fischer ◽  
Josef Eitzinger ◽  
Miroslav Trnka
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Soil Heat Flux ◽  
Radiation Balance ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Agricultural Field ◽  
Available Energy

<p>In this study we compare turbulent energy fluxes obtained from eddy covariance (EC) (LI-7500A, LI-COR + Windmaster, Gill Instruments) and large aperture scintillometer (BLS900, Scintec) over an agricultural field (wheat field, straw and bare soil). As the EC method provides direct measurements of sensible heat (H<sub>EC</sub>) and latent heat (LE<sub>EC</sub>) fluxes we use it as a reference method. The EC method enables to determine fluxes within a footprint centered around the point of measurement in the middle of the field. The scintillometer provides an estimation of sensible heat flux (H<sub>SC</sub>), derived from air refractive index fluctuation integrated over the measurement path length, in this case 570 m diagonally across whole field. The reference measurements of the radiation balance components consist of 4-component net radiometer for net radiation (Rn) (NR01, Hukseflux), three soil heat flux plates for soil heat flux (G) monitoring (HFP01, Hukseflux), including thermocouples for quantification of the heat storage above the soil heat flux plates. The scintillometer-based latent heat (LE<sub>SC</sub>) is calculated as a residuum from available energy (Rn-G) and H<sub>SC</sub>, provided by scintillometer. The measurement of radiation balance components was located at the top of 3.5 m mast with the EC system, while the soil heat flux plates were collocated around in 5 cm depth. The site is a flat, rectangular agricultural field (app. 16.5 ha), in the north-eastern Austria, Danube river lowland (48.21N, 16.622E), sown with winter wheat during growing season 2019. The measurement campaign was established in February 2019 with aim for multi-seasonal monitoring. The EC measurement height is 2.7 m, the scintillometer transmitter and receiver are fixed on 4 m masts, facing towards each other from NW and SE corners of the field.</p><p>Comparison of the EC-based turbulent fluxes (H<sub>EC</sub>+LE<sub>EC</sub>) and the available energy (Rn-G) during the period March to Mid-June showed a very good agreement, resulting in the energy balance closure of 0.96 (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.93). This suggest high accuracy and robustness of the measurement setup together with the ability of the EC method to capture all scales of eddies responsible for energy transport at this site. The comparison of methods indicates that H<sub>SC</sub> overestimated H<sub>EC</sub> by 10 % (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.74) and LE<sub>SC</sub> underestimated LE<sub>EC</sub> by 13 % (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.81). Related to Rn, the H<sub>EC</sub>, LE<sub>EC</sub> and G fluxes accounted for 22 % (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.53), 59 % (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.70) and 15% (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.62) of the Rn flux, respectively. We assume that the combination of EC and scintillometer method has a potential to bring deeper insight into the analysis of the energy balance closure problem.</p>

Optimizing large-eddy simulations for investigating the energy-balance closure problem at typical flux measurement heights

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luise Wanner ◽  
Frederik De Roo ◽  
Matthias Mauder
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Balance Study ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Secondary Circulations

<p>The eddy-covariance method generally underestimates sensible and latent heat fluxes, resulting in an energy-balance gap from 10 % to even 30 % across sites worldwide. In contrast to single-tower eddy-covariance measurements, large-eddy simulations (LES) provide information on a 3D array of grid points and can capture atmospheric processes such as secondary circulations on all relevant scales, which makes them a powerful tool to investigate this problem. In order to compare LES results to field measurements at 20 m height from the CHEESEHEAD (Chequamegon Heterogeneous Ecosystem Energy-balance Study Enabled by a High-density Extensive Array of Detectors) campaign, a LES-setup that provides comparability to the measurements at these low levels is necessary. However, former LES studies have shown that the energy balance is almost closed near the surface, which does not reflect the energy-balance gap in measurements. One possible reason might be the common use of prescribed surface fluxes that cannot adapt to changes in surface temperature and moisture, which would allow for the self-reinforcement of secondary circulations. Therefore, we set up an idealized study, in which we compare the performance of the land-surface and plant-canopy models implemented in PALM to the use of prescribed surface fluxes above homogeneous forest and grassland ecosystems under different atmospheric conditions with respect to realistic energy-balance closure behavior. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of a dynamic subgrid-scale model, as well as an alternative to the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (Banerjee et al. 2015, Q. J. R. Met. Soc.).</p>

scholarly journals A comparison of eddy-covariance and large aperture scintillometer measurements with respect to the energy balance closure problem

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 1291-1306 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Liu ◽  
Z. W. Xu ◽  
W. Z. Wang ◽  
Z. Z. Jia ◽  
M. J. Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Large Aperture ◽  
Large Aperture Scintillometer

Abstract. We analyzed the seasonal variations of energy balance components over three different surfaces: irrigated cropland (Yingke, YK), alpine meadow (A'rou, AR), and spruce forest (Guantan, GT). The energy balance components were measured using eddy covariance (EC) systems and a large aperture scintillometer (LAS) in the Heihe River Basin, China, in 2008 and 2009. We also determined the source areas of the EC and LAS measurements with a footprint model for each site and discussed the differences between the sensible heat fluxes measured with EC and LAS at AR. The results show that the main EC source areas were within a radius of 250 m at all of the sites. The main source area for the LAS (with a path length of 2390 m) stretched along a path line approximately 2000 m long and 700 m wide. The surface characteristics in the source areas changed with the season at each site, and there were characteristic seasonal variations in the energy balance components at all of the sites. The sensible heat flux was the main term of the energy budget during the dormant season. During the growing season, however, the latent heat flux dominated the energy budget, and an obvious "oasis effect" was observed at YK. The sensible heat fluxes measured by LAS at AR were larger than those measured by EC at the same site. This difference seems to be caused by the so-called energy imbalance phenomenon, the heterogeneity of the underlying surfaces, and the difference between the source areas of the LAS and EC measurements.

scholarly journals Application of the Flux-Variance Technique for Evapotranspiration Estimates in Three Types of Agricultural Structures

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ori Ahiman ◽  
Yonatan Mekhmandarov ◽  
Moran Pirkner ◽  
Josef Tanny
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Latent Heat Flux ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Control Analysis ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Tomato Crop ◽  
Simple Method

Irrigation of protected crops requires sound knowledge of evapotranspiration. Previous studies have established that the eddy-covariance (EC) technique is suitable for whole canopy evapotranspiration measurements in large agricultural screenhouses. Nevertheless, the eddy-covariance technique remains difficult to apply in the farm due to costs, operational complexity, and postprocessing of data, thereby inviting alternative techniques to be developed. The subject of this paper is the evaluation of a turbulent transport technique, the flux variance (FV), whose instrumentation needs and operational demands are not as elaborate as the EC, to estimate evapotranspiration within large agricultural structures. Measurements were carried out in three types of agricultural structures: (i) a banana plantation in a light-shading (8%) screenhouse (S1), (ii) a pepper crop in an insect-proof (50-mesh) screenhouse (S2), and (iii) a tomato crop in a naturally ventilated greenhouse with a plastic roof and 50-mesh screened sidewalls (S3). Quality control analysis of the EC data showed that turbulence development and flow stationarity conditions in the three structures were suitable for flux measurements. However, within the insect-proof screenhouse (below the screen) and the plastic-covered greenhouse, R2 of the energy balance closure was poor; hence, the alternative simple method could not be used. Results showed that the FV technique was suitable for reliable estimates of ET in shading and insect-proof screenhouses with R2 of the regressions between FV latent heat flux and latent heat flux deduced from energy balance closure of 0.99 and 0.92 during validation for S1 and S2, respectively.

scholarly journals Analysing surface energy balance closure and partitioning over a semi-arid savanna FLUXNET site in Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhle P. Majozi ◽  
Chris M. Mannaerts ◽  
Abel Ramoelo ◽  
Renaud Mathieu ◽  
Alecia Nickless ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Friction Velocity ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Wet Season

Abstract. Flux towers provide essential terrestrial climate, water and radiation budget information needed for environmental monitoring and evaluation of climate change impacts on ecosystems and society in general. They are also intended for calibration and validation of satellite-based earth observation and monitoring efforts, such as assessment of evapotranspiration from land and vegetation surfaces using surface energy balance approaches. In this paper, 15 years of Skukuza eddy covariance data, i.e. from 2000 to 2014, were analysed for surface energy balance closure (EBC) and partitioning. The surface energy balance closure was evaluated using the ordinary least squares regression (OLS) of turbulent energy fluxes (sensible (H) and latent heat (LE)) against available energy (net radiation (Rn) less soil heat (G)), and the energy balance ratio (EBR). Partitioning of the surface energy during the wet and dry seasons was investigated, as well as how it is affected by atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and net radiation. After filtering years with bad data (2004–2008), our results show an overall mean EBR of 0.93. Seasonal variations of EBR also showed summer (0.98) and spring (1.02) were closest to unity, with winter (0.70) having the least closure. Nocturnal surface energy closure was very low at 0.11, and this was linked to low friction velocity during night-time, with results showing an increase in closure with increase in friction velocity. The surface energy partitioning of this savanna ecosystem showed that sensible heat flux dominated the energy partitioning between March and October, followed by latent heat flux, and lastly the soil heat flux, and during the wet season where latent heat flux dominated the sensible heat flux. An increase in net radiation was characterized by an increase in both LE and H, with LE showing a higher rate of increase than H in the wet season, and the reverse happening during the dry season. An increase in VPD is characterized by a decrease in LE and increase in H during the wet season, and an increase of both fluxes during the dry season.

scholarly journals Mesoscale Eddies Affect Near-Surface Turbulent Exchange: Evidence from Lidar and Tower Measurements

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Eder ◽  
Marius Schmidt ◽  
Thomas Damian ◽  
Katja Träumner ◽  
Matthias Mauder
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Turbulent Exchange ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Flow Distortion ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Eddy Covariance Technique

AbstractThe eddy-covariance technique tends to underestimate turbulent heat fluxes, which results in nonclosure of the surface energy balance. This study shows experimental evidence that mesoscale turbulent organized structures, which are inherently not captured by the standard eddy-covariance technique, can affect near-surface turbulent exchange. By using a combined setup of three Doppler wind lidars above a cropland-dominated area in Germany, low-frequency turbulent structures were detected in the surface layer down to a few meters above ground. In addition, data from two micrometeorological stations in the study area were analyzed with respect to energy balance closure. In accordance with several previous studies, the data confirm a strong friction velocity dependence of the energy balance residual. At both stations, the energy balance residual was found to be positively correlated with the vertical moisture gradient in the lower atmospheric boundary layer, but at only one station was it correlated with the temperature gradient. This result indicates that mesoscale transport probably contributes more to the latent heat flux than to the sensible heat flux, but this conclusion depends largely on the measurement site. Moreover, flow distortion due to tower mountings and measurement devices affects the energy balance closure considerably for certain wind directions.

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