Estimating urban sensible heat flux using satellite-based data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Rios ◽  
Prathap Ramamurthy
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Model Validation ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Sensible Heat

<p>A model for calculating sensible heat flux (Q<sub>H</sub>) – a primary component of the urban surface energy budget - is presented here. Remote sensing data from the NOAA GOES-16 satellite and a high-resolution land cover dataset are used as inputs to calculate the spatio-temporal variability in urban sensible heat flux. The primary motivation for this model is to present a cost-effective approach to calculate Q<sub>H</sub> independent of traditional flux observations and computational methods. The GOES-16 satellite data, which has a moderate spatial and high temporal resolution (2 km square at 5 minute intervals) enables the estimation of Q<sub>H</sub> over highly heterogeneous urban areas. The model is constructed using an iterative algorithm that uses surface layer turbulence parameterization to solve for Q<sub>H</sub> as a function of the enterprise GOES-16 Land Surface Temperature product, an urban air temperature model, publicly-accessible ground observations, and the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Preliminary model validation was performed over a five-month period in 2019. Three (3) ground flux stations in the New York City metro area with varying degrees of urbanization were used for model validation. Statistics from validation found an RMSE of 42.9 W-m<sup>-</sup><sup>2</sup>, a mean bias of 12.9 W-m<sup>-2</sup>, and an R<sup>2</sup> of 0.80. Validation results demonstrate that the algorithm shows good correlation with observed values, suggesting that satellite data can be used as an accessible and cost-effective option to estimate Q<sub>H</sub> in urban areas.</p>

scholarly journals Method Development for Estimating Sensible Heat Flux over the Tibetan Plateau from CMA Data

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 2474-2486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Yang ◽  
Jun Qin ◽  
Xiaofeng Guo ◽  
Degang Zhou ◽  
Yaoming Ma
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Method Development ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
New Method ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Hourly Data

Abstract To clarify the thermal forcing of the Tibetan Plateau, long-term coarse-temporal-resolution data from the China Meteorological Administration have been widely used to estimate surface sensible heat flux by bulk methods in many previous studies; however, these estimates have seldom been evaluated against observations. This study at first evaluates three widely used bulk schemes against Tibet instrumental flux data. The evaluation shows that large uncertainties exist in the heat flux estimated by these schemes; in particular, upward heat fluxes in winter may be significantly underestimated, because diurnal variations of atmospheric stability were not taken into account. To improve the estimate, a new method is developed to disaggregate coarse-resolution meteorological data to hourly according to statistical relationships derived from high-resolution experimental data, and then sensible heat flux is estimated from the hourly data by a well-validated flux scheme. Evaluations against heat flux observations in summer and against net radiation observations in winter indicate that the new method performs much better than previous schemes, and therefore it provides a robust basis for quantifying the Tibetan surface energy budget.

scholarly journals Urban signals in high-resolution weather and climate simulations: role of urban land-surface characterisation

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 701-728
Author(s):  
Denise Hertwig ◽  
Sue Grimmond ◽  
Margaret A. Hendry ◽  
Beth Saunders ◽  
Zhengda Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Anthropogenic Heat ◽  
Urban Surface ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Climate Simulations

Abstract Two urban schemes within the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) are evaluated offline against multi-year flux observations in the densely built-up city centre of London and in suburban Swindon (UK): (i) the 1-tile slab model, used in climate simulations; (ii) the 2-tile canopy model MORUSES (Met Office–Reading Urban Surface Exchange Scheme), used for numerical weather prediction over the UK. Offline, both models perform better at the suburban site, where differences between the urban schemes are less pronounced due to larger vegetation fractions. At both sites, the outgoing short- and longwave radiation is more accurately represented than the turbulent heat fluxes. The seasonal variations of model skill are large in London, where the sensible heat flux in autumn and winter is strongly under-predicted if the large city centre magnitudes of anthropogenic heat emissions are not represented. The delayed timing of the sensible heat flux in the 1-tile model in London results in large negative bias in the morning. The partitioning of the urban surface into canyon and roof in MORUSES improves this as the roof tile is modelled with a very low thermal inertia, but phase and amplitude of the grid box-averaged flux critically depend on accurate knowledge of the plan-area fractions of streets and buildings. Not representing non-urban land cover (e.g. vegetation, inland water) in London results in severely under-predicted latent heat fluxes. Control runs demonstrate that the skill of both models can be greatly improved by providing accurate land cover and morphology information and using representative anthropogenic heat emissions, which is essential if the model output is intended to inform integrated urban services.

Observed Impact of Atmospheric Aerosols on the Surface Energy Budget

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison L. Steiner ◽  
Dori Mermelstein ◽  
Susan J. Cheng ◽  
Tracy E. Twine ◽  
Andrew Oliphant
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosols ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Sensible Heat

Abstract Atmospheric aerosols scatter and potentially absorb incoming solar radiation, thereby reducing the total amount of radiation reaching the surface and increasing the fraction that is diffuse. The partitioning of incoming energy at the surface into sensible heat flux and latent heat flux is postulated to change with increasing aerosol concentrations, as an increase in diffuse light can reach greater portions of vegetated canopies. This can increase photosynthesis and transpiration rates in the lower canopy and potentially decrease the ratio of sensible to latent heat for the entire canopy. Here, half-hourly and hourly surface fluxes from six Flux Network (FLUXNET) sites in the coterminous United States are evaluated over the past decade (2000–08) in conjunction with satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) to determine if atmospheric aerosols systematically influence sensible and latent heat fluxes. Satellite-derived AOD is used to classify days as high or low AOD and establish the relationship between aerosol concentrations and the surface energy fluxes. High AOD reduces midday net radiation by 6%–65% coupled with a 9%–30% decrease in sensible and latent heat fluxes, although not all sites exhibit statistically significant changes. The partitioning between sensible and latent heat varies between ecosystems, with two sites showing a greater decrease in latent heat than sensible heat (Duke Forest and Walker Branch), two sites showing equivalent reductions (Harvard Forest and Bondville), and one site showing a greater decrease in sensible heat than latent heat (Morgan–Monroe). These results suggest that aerosols trigger an ecosystem-dependent response to surface flux partitioning, yet the environmental drivers for this response require further exploration.

Monitoring the Sensible Heat Flux over Urban Areas using Large Aperture Scintillometry: Case Study of Marseille City During the Escompte Experiment

2005 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. -P. Lagouarde ◽  
M. Irvine ◽  
J. -M. Bonnefond ◽  
C. S. B. Grimmond ◽  
N. Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Large Aperture

Heat island mitigation using water retentive pavement sprinkled with reclaimed wastewater

2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 763-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Yamagata ◽  
M. Nasu ◽  
M. Yoshizawa ◽  
A. Miyamoto ◽  
M. Minamiyama
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Heat Island ◽  
Temperature Decrease ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Reclaimed Wastewater ◽  
Wet Bulb Globe Temperature ◽  
The Road ◽  
Globe Temperature

In Japan, reclaimed wastewater has been recycled widely for non-potable urban applications and it is to be used for sprinkling roads to mitigate heat island in urban areas. To assess the heat island mitigation effects of the sprinkling reclaimed wastewater on water retentive pavement, we carried out a survey at Shiodome-District, Tokyo. The temperatures of air and roads, humidity, and WBGT (Wet-bulb globe temperature) were measured and heat flux was estimated to compare the condition of the areas with/without sprinkling. The following results were obtained. 1) Sprinkling reclaimed wastewater decreased the road surface temperature by 8 degrees during the daytime and by 3 degrees at night: temperatures equal to those on planting zones. Nevertheless sprinkling was done only in the daytime, the temperature decrease effect was not only obtained during the daytime: it continued through the night, due to the water retentive pavement. 2) Sprinkling reclaimed wastewater reduced the amount of sensible heat flux and increased that of latent heat flux. These results suggest that sprinkling reclaimed wastewater on water retentive pavement can effectively mitigate the heat island phenomenon.

scholarly journals Numerical Evaluation of the Impact of Urbanization on Summertime Precipitation in Osaka, Japan

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hikari Shimadera ◽  
Akira Kondo ◽  
Kundan Lal Shrestha ◽  
Ken Kitaoka ◽  
Yoshio Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

This study utilized the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model version 3.5.1 to evaluate the impact of urbanization on summertime precipitation in Osaka, Japan. The evaluation was conducted by comparing the WRF simulations with the present land use and no-urban land use (replacing “Urban” with “Paddy”) for August from 2006 to 2010. The urbanization increased mean air temperature by 2.1°C in urban areas because of increased sensible heat flux and decreased mean humidity by 0.8 g kg−1because of decreased latent heat flux. In addition, the urbanization increased duration of the southwesterly sea breeze. The urbanization increased precipitation in urban areas and decreased in the surrounding areas. The mean precipitation in urban areas was increased by 20 mm month−1(27% of the total amount without the synoptic-scale precipitation). The precipitation increase was generally due to the enhancement of the formation and development of convective clouds by the increase in sensible heat flux during afternoon and evening time periods. The urbanization in Osaka changes spatial and temporal distribution patterns of precipitation and evaporation, and consequently it substantially affects the water cycle in and around the urban areas of Osaka.

scholarly journals The annual surface energy budget of a high-arctic permafrost site on Svalbard, Norway

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Westermann ◽  
J. Lüers ◽  
M. Langer ◽  
K. Piel ◽  
J. Boike
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ground Heat Flux

Abstract. Independent measurements of radiation, sensible and latent heat fluxes and the ground heat flux are used to describe the annual cycle of the surface energy budget at a high-arctic permafrost site on Svalbard. During summer, the net short-wave radiation is the dominant energy source, while well developed turbulent processes and the heat flux in the ground lead to a cooling of the surface. About 15% of the net radiation is consumed by the seasonal thawing of the active layer in July and August. The Bowen ratio is found to vary between 0.25 and 2, depending on water content of the uppermost soil layer. During the polar night in winter, the net long-wave radiation is the dominant energy loss channel for the surface, which is mainly compensated by the sensible heat flux and, to a lesser extent, by the ground heat flux, which originates from the refreezing of the active layer. The average annual sensible heat flux of −6.9 Wm−2 is composed of strong positive fluxes in July and August, while negative fluxes dominate during the rest of the year. With 6.8 Wm−2, the latent heat flux more or less compensates the sensible heat flux in the annual average. Strong evaporation occurs during the snow melt period and particularly during the snow-free period in summer and fall. When the ground is covered by snow, latent heat fluxes through sublimation of snow are recorded, but are insignificant for the average surface energy budget. The near-surface atmospheric stratification is found to be predominantly unstable to neutral, when the ground is snow-free, and stable to neutral for snow-covered ground. Due to long-lasting near-surface inversions in winter, an average temperature difference of approximately 3 K exists between the air temperature at 10 m height and the surface temperature of the snow. As such comprehensive data sets are sparse for the Arctic, they are of great value to improve process understanding and support modeling efforts on the present-day and future arctic climate and permafrost conditions.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) applied to ASTER imagery with flux-measurements at the SPARC 2004 site (Barrax, Spain)

2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1337-1347 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. van der Kwast ◽  
W. Timmermans ◽  
A. Gieske ◽  
Z. Su ◽  
A. Olioso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Balance System ◽  
Flux Measurements ◽  
Aerodynamic Parameters

Abstract. Accurate quantification of the amount and spatial variation of evapotranspiration is important in a wide range of disciplines. Remote sensing based surface energy balance models have been developed to estimate turbulent surface energy fluxes at different scales. The objective of this study is to evaluate the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) model on a landscape scale, using tower-based flux measurements at different land cover units during an overpass of the ASTER sensor over the SPARC 2004 experimental site in Barrax (Spain). A sensitivity analysis has been performed in order to investigate to which variable the sensible heat flux is most sensitive. Taking into account their estimation errors, the aerodynamic parameters (hc, z0M and d0) can cause large deviations in the modelling of sensible heat flux. The effect of replacement of empirical derivation of these aerodynamic parameters in the model by field estimates or literature values is investigated by testing two scenarios: the Empirical Scenario in which empirical equations are used to derive aerodynamic parameters and the Field Scenario in which values from field measurements or literature are used to replace the empirical calculations of the Empirical Scenario. In the case of a homogeneous land cover in the footprints of the measurements, the Field Scenario only resulted in a small improvement, compared to the Empirical Scenario. The Field Scenario can even worsen the result in the case of heterogeneous footprints, by creating sharp borders related to the land cover map. In both scenarios modelled fluxes correspond better with flux measurements over uniform land cover compared to cases where different land covers are mixed in the measurement footprint. Furthermore SEBS underestimates sensible heat flux especially over dry and sparsely vegetated areas, which is common in single-source models.

scholarly journals Simulation of the Impacts of Urbanization on Winter Meteorological Fields over the Pearl River Delta Region

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naixing Luo ◽  
Liping Zeng ◽  
Wenshi Lin ◽  
Fangzhou Li ◽  
Baolin Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pearl River Delta ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Pearl River Delta Region ◽  
Delta Region

The influences of urbanization on weather in Guangdong Province, China, were studied using the Weather Research and Forecasting model from 31 December 2009 through 3 January 2010. Model outputs were compared with extensive monitoring of meteorological data to examine the simulation ability. Model results between tests (with and without land-use change) show that the urbanization had major effects on meteorological fields across nearly the entire Pearl River Delta region and particularly in urban areas. Studied fields (wind speed, temperature, precipitation, and sensible and latent heat fluxes) were affected by the urbanization of the PRD region. The major influences occurred in urban areas, where wind speeds decreased greatly, while the daytime surface upward sensible heat flux clearly increased. Unlike the sensible heat flux, the latent heat flux had a nonmonotonic increase or decrease. As a consequence of the two heat fluxes, 2-m temperature varied with location and time. Change of precipitation was complex. The main rain band became more concentrated, while precipitation decreased upwind of the urban area and increased downwind.

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