scholarly journals The Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) for estimation of turbulent heat fluxes

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Su
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Evaporative Fraction ◽  
Balance System ◽  
Turbulent Heat Fluxes

Abstract. A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) is proposed for the estimation of atmospheric turbulent fluxes and evaporative fraction using satellite earth observation data, in combination with meteorological information at proper scales. SEBS consists of: a set of tools for the determination of the land surface physical parameters, such as albedo, emissivity, temperature, vegetation coverage etc., from spectral reflectance and radiance measurements; a model for the determination of the roughness length for heat transfer; and a new formulation for the determination of the evaporative fraction on the basis of energy balance at limiting cases. Four experimental data sets are used to assess the reliabilities of SEBS. Based on these case studies, SEBS has proven to be capable to estimate turbulent heat fluxes and evaporative fraction at various scales with acceptable accuracy. The uncertainties in the estimated heat fluxes are comparable to in-situ measurement uncertainties. Keywords: Surface energy balance, turbulent heat flux, evaporation, remote sensing

scholarly journals Strong Summer Atmospheric Rivers Trigger Greenland Ice Sheet Melt through Spatially Varying Surface Energy Balance and Cloud Regimes

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (16) ◽  
pp. 6809-6832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle S. Mattingly ◽  
Thomas L. Mote ◽  
Xavier Fettweis ◽  
Dirk van As ◽  
Kristof Van Tricht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Water Vapor Transport ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Turbulent Heat Fluxes

ABSTRACTMass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) has accelerated over the past two decades, coincident with rapid Arctic warming and increasing moisture transport over Greenland by atmospheric rivers (ARs). Summer ARs affecting western Greenland trigger GrIS melt events, but the physical mechanisms through which ARs induce melt are not well understood. This study elucidates the coupled surface–atmosphere processes by which ARs force GrIS melt through analysis of the surface energy balance (SEB), cloud properties, and local- to synoptic-scale atmospheric conditions during strong summer AR events affecting western Greenland. ARs are identified in MERRA-2 reanalysis (1980–2017) and classified by integrated water vapor transport (IVT) intensity. SEB, cloud, and atmospheric data from regional climate model, observational, reanalysis, and satellite-based datasets are used to analyze melt-inducing physical processes during strong, >90th percentile “AR90+” events. Near AR “landfall,” AR90+ days feature increased cloud cover that reduces net shortwave radiation and increases net longwave radiation. As these oppositely signed radiative anomalies partly cancel during AR90+ events, increased melt energy in the ablation zone is primarily provided by turbulent heat fluxes, particularly sensible heat flux. These turbulent heat fluxes are driven by enhanced barrier winds generated by a stronger synoptic pressure gradient combined with an enhanced local temperature contrast between cool over-ice air and the anomalously warm surrounding atmosphere. During AR90+ events in northwest Greenland, anomalous melt is forced remotely through a clear-sky foehn regime produced by downslope flow in eastern Greenland.

scholarly journals Diurnal land surface energy balance partitioning estimated from the thermodynamic limit of a cold heat engine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Kleidon ◽  
Maik Renner
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Thermodynamic Limit ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Heat Engine ◽  
Turbulent Fluxes ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Turbulent Heat

Abstract. Turbulent fluxes strongly shape the conditions at the land surface, yet they are typically formulated in terms of semi-empirical parameterisations that make it difficult to derive theoretical estimates of how global change impacts land surface functioning. Here, we describe these turbulent fluxes as the result of a thermodynamic process that generates work to sustain convective motion and thus maintains the turbulent exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. We first derive a limit from the second law of thermodynamics that is equivalent to the Carnot limit, but which explicitly accounts for diurnal heat storage changes in the lower atmosphere. We then use this limit of a cold heat engine together with the surface energy balance to infer the maximum power that can be derived from the turbulent fluxes for a given solar radiative forcing. The surface energy balance partitioning estimated from this thermodynamic limit requires no empirical parameters and compares very well with the observed partitioning of absorbed solar radiation into radiative and turbulent heat fluxes across a range of climates, with correlation coefficients r2 ≥ 95 % and slopes near one. These results suggest that turbulent heat fluxes on land operate near their thermodynamic limit on how much convection can be generated from the local radiative forcing. It implies that this type of approach can be used to derive first-order estimates of global change that are solely based on physical principles.

scholarly journals Surface-Energy-Balance Closure over Land: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 177 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 395-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Mauder ◽  
Thomas Foken ◽  
Joan Cuxart
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Airborne Measurements ◽  
Open Questions

Abstract Quantitative knowledge of the surface energy balance is essential for the prediction of weather and climate. However, a multitude of studies from around the world indicate that the turbulent heat fluxes are generally underestimated using eddy-covariance measurements, and hence, the energy balance is not closed. This energy-balance-closure problem, which has been heavily covered in the literature for more than 25 years, is the topic of the present review, in which we provide an overview of the potential reason for the lack of closure. We demonstrate the effects of the diurnal cycle on the energy balance closure, and address questions with regard to the partitioning of the energy balance residual between the sensible and the latent fluxes, and whether the magnitude of the flux underestimation can be predicted based on other variables typically measured at micrometeorological stations. Remaining open questions are discussed and potential avenues for future research on this topic are laid out. Integrated studies, combining multi-tower experiments and scale-crossing, spatially-resolving lidar and airborne measurements with high-resolution large-eddy simulations, are considered to be of critical importance for enhancing our understanding of the underlying transport processes in the atmospheric boundary layer.

scholarly journals Diurnal land surface energy balance partitioning estimated from the thermodynamic limit of a cold heat engine

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1127-1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Kleidon ◽  
Maik Renner
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Thermodynamic Limit ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Heat Engine ◽  
Turbulent Fluxes ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Turbulent Heat

Abstract. Turbulent fluxes strongly shape the conditions at the land surface, yet they are typically formulated in terms of semiempirical parameterizations that make it difficult to derive theoretical estimates of how global change impacts land surface functioning. Here, we describe these turbulent fluxes as the result of a thermodynamic process that generates work to sustain convective motion and thus maintains the turbulent exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. We first derive a limit from the second law of thermodynamics that is equivalent to the Carnot limit but which explicitly accounts for diurnal heat storage changes in the lower atmosphere. We call this the limit of a “cold” heat engine and use it together with the surface energy balance to infer the maximum power that can be derived from the turbulent fluxes for a given solar radiative forcing. The surface energy balance partitioning estimated from this thermodynamic limit requires no empirical parameters and compares very well with the observed partitioning of absorbed solar radiation into radiative and turbulent heat fluxes across a range of climates, with correlation coefficients r2≥95 % and slopes near 1. These results suggest that turbulent heat fluxes on land operate near their thermodynamic limit on how much convection can be generated from the local radiative forcing. It implies that this type of approach can be used to derive general estimates of global change that are solely based on physical principles.

Surface energy balance closure – the role dispersive fluxes induced by submesoscale secondary circulations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Mauder
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Secondary Circulations ◽  
Dispersive Fluxes

<p>Quantitative knowledge of the surface energy balance is essential for the prediction of weather and climate. However, a multitude of studies from around the world indicates that the turbulent heat fluxes are generally underestimated using eddy-covariance measurements, and hence, the surface energy balance is not closed. This energy balance closure problem has been heavily covered in the literature for more than 25 years, and as a result, several instrumental and methodological aspects have been reconsidered and partially revised. Nevertheless, a non-negligible energy imbalance remains, and we demonstrate that a major portion of this imbalance can be explained by dispersive fluxes in the surface layer, which are associated with submesoscale secondary circulations. Such large-scale organized structures are a very common phenomenon in the convective boundary layer, and depending on static stability, they can either be roll-like or cell-like and occur even over homogeneous surfaces. Over heterogeneous surfaces, thermally-induced mesoscale circulations can occur in addition to those. Either way, the associated dispersive heat fluxes can inherently not be captured by single-tower measurements, since the ergodicity assumption is violated. As a consequence, energy transported non-turbulently will not be sensed by eddy-covariance systems and a bias towards lower energy fluxes will result. The objective of this research is to develop a model that can be used to correct single-tower eddy-covariance data. As a first step towards this goal, we will present a parametrisation for dispersive fluxes, which was developed based on an idealized high-resolution LES study for homogeneous surfaces, as a function of non-local scaling variables. Secondly, we explore how well this parametrisation works for a number of real-world eddy-covariance sites.</p>

scholarly journals Analysis of meteorological data and the surface energy balance of McCall Glacier, Alaska, USA

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (174) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.J. Klok ◽  
M. Nolan ◽  
M.R. Van Den Broeke
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Specific Mass

AbstractWe report on analysis of meteorological data for the period 27 May–20 August 2004, from two automatic weather stations on McCall Glacier, Alaska, USA, aimed at studying the relationship between climate and ablation. One station is located on a mountain ridge and the other in the ablation area where we also analyzed the energy balance. The weather station on the glacier measured an average temperature of 5.3°C (at 2 m height above surface) and wind speed of 3.1 m s−1 (at 3 m height). A sonic height ranger and ablation stakes indicate a specific mass balance of –1.94 ± 0.09 m w.e between 15 June and 20 August. The specific mass balance calculated from the surface energy balance, –2.06 ± 0.18 m w.e., is in close correspondence to this. The latter is the sum of 0.12 m w.e. of snowfall, 0.003 m w.e. of deposition and –2.18 m w.e. of melt. Net radiation contributes 74% of the melt energy. Compared to ablation measurements in the early 1970s, summer ablation was large. This increase is explained by a combination of a relatively higher net radiation, a lower albedo and larger turbulent heat fluxes that led to more energy being available for melting. No single meteorological variable can be isolated as being the principal reason for the high ablation, however. The lower ice albedo (0.19) is possibly due to ash deposits from forest fires.

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

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhle P. Majozi ◽  
Chris M. Mannaerts ◽  
Abel Ramoelo ◽  
Renaud Mathieu ◽  
Alecia Nickless ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Energy Balance Closure ◽  
Flux Tower ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Flux tower sites and data are in great demand to 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 for example assessment of evapotranspiration from land and vegetation surfaces using surface energy balance approaches. Surface energy budget methods for ET estimation rely to a large extend on the basic assumption of a surface energy balance closure, assuming the full conversion of net solar radiation reaching the land surface into soil heat conduction and turbulent fluxes, i.e. the sensible (or convection) and latent heat components of the energy balance. Evapotranspiration is the conversion of the latent heat exchange fraction of the balance. In this paper, the Skukuza flux tower data were analysed in order to verify their use for validation of satellite–based evapotranspiration methods, under development in South Africa.Data series from 2000 until 2014 were used in the analysis. The energy balance ratio (EBR) concept, defined as the ratio between the sum of the turbulent convective and latent heat fluxes and radiation minus soil heat was used. At first typical diurnal patterns of EB partitioning were derived for four different seasons, well illustrating how this savannah-type biome responses to the weather conditions. Also the particular behaviour of the EB components during sunrise and sunset conditions, being important but usually neglected periods of energy transitions and inversions were noted and analysed. Annual estimates of the surface energy balance and its components were generated, including an evaluation of the balance closure. The seasonal variations were also investigated as well as the impact of nocturnal observations on the overall EB behaviour.

scholarly journals Improving Meteorological Input for Surface Energy Balance System Utilizing Mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting Model for Estimating Daily Actual Evapotranspiration

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dakang Wang ◽  
Yulin Zhan ◽  
Tao Yu ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Xiaomei Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Interpolation Method ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Meteorological Station ◽  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
Balance System ◽  
Meteorological Input ◽  
Sebs Model

Using Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) to estimate actual evapotranspiration (ET) on a regional scale generally uses gridded meteorological data by interpolating data from meteorological stations with mathematical interpolation. The heterogeneity of underlying surfaces cannot be effectively considered when interpolating meteorological station measurements to gridded data only by mathematical interpolation. This study aims to highlight the improvement of modeled meteorological data from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale numerical model which fully considers the heterogeneity of underlying surfaces over the data from mathematical interpolation method when providing accurate meteorological input for SEBS model. Meteorological data at 1 km resolution in the Hotan Oasis were simulated and then were put into SEBS model to estimate the daily actual ET. The accuracy of WRF simulation was evaluated through comparison with data collected at the meteorological station. Results found that the WRF-simulated wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity and surface pressure correlate well with the meteorological stations measurements (R2 are 0.628, 0.8242, 0.8089 and 0.8915, respectively). Comparison between ET calculated using the meteorological data simulated from the WRF (ETa-WRF) and meteorological data interpolated from measurements at met stations (ETa-STA) showed that ETa-WRF could better reflect the ET difference between different land cover, and capture the vegetation growing trend, especially in areas with sparse vegetation, where ETa-STA intends to overestimate. In addition, ETa-WRF has less noise in barren areas compared to ETa-STA. Our findings suggest that WRF can provide more reliable meteorological input for SEBS model than mathematical interpolation method.

scholarly journals Water tracks intensify surface energy and mass exchange in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2203-2219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Linhardt ◽  
Joseph S. Levy ◽  
Christoph K. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Dry Valleys ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Taylor Valley ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. The hydrologic cycle in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) is mainly controlled by surface energy balance. Water tracks are channel-shaped high-moisture zones in the active layer of permafrost soils and are important solute and water pathways in the MDV. We evaluated the hypothesis that water tracks alter the surface energy balance in this dry, cold, and ice-sheet-free environment during summer warming and may therefore be an increasingly important hydrologic feature in the MDV in the face of landscape response to climate change. The surface energy balance was measured for one water track and two off-track reference locations in Taylor Valley over 26 d of the Antarctic summer of 2012–2013. Turbulent atmospheric fluxes of sensible heat and evaporation were observed using the eddy-covariance method in combination with flux footprint modeling, which was the first application of this technique in the MDV. Soil heat fluxes were analyzed by measuring the heat storage change in the thawed layer and approximating soil heat flux at ice table depth by surface energy balance residuals. For both water track and reference locations over 50 % of net radiation was transferred to sensible heat exchange, about 30 % to melting of the seasonally thawed layer, and the remainder to evaporation. The net energy flux in the thawed layer was zero. For the water track location, evaporation was increased by a factor of 3.0 relative to the reference locations, ground heat fluxes by 1.4, and net radiation by 1.1, while sensible heat fluxes were reduced down to 0.7. Expecting a positive snow and ground ice melt response to climate change in the MDV, we entertained a realistic climate change response scenario in which a doubling of the land cover fraction of water tracks increases the evaporation from soil surfaces in lower Taylor Valley in summer by 6 % to 0.36 mm d−1. Possible climate change pathways leading to this change in landscape are discussed. Considering our results, an expansion of water track area would make new soil habitats accessible, alter soil habitat suitability, and possibly increase biological activity in the MDV. In summary, we show that the surface energy balance of water tracks distinctly differs from that of the dominant dry soils in polar deserts. With an expected increase in area covered by water tracks, our findings have implications for hydrology and soil ecosystems across terrestrial Antarctica.

scholarly journals Diurnal and Seasonal Variations of Surface Energy and CO2 Fluxes over a Site in Western Tibetan Plateau

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingbing Zhao ◽  
Changwei Liu ◽  
Nan Yang ◽  
Yubin Li
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Diurnal Variations ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Western Tibetan Plateau

Land surface process observations in the western Tibet Plateau (TP) are limited because of the abominable natural conditions. During the field campaign of the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Scientific Experiment (TIPEX III), continuous measurements on the four radiation fluxes (downward/upward short/long-wave radiations), three heat fluxes (turbulent sensible/latent heat fluxes and soil heat flux) and also CO2 flux were collected from June 2015 through January 2017 at Shiquanhe (32.50° N, 80.08° E, 4279.3 m above sea level) in the western Tibetan Plateau. Diurnal and seasonal variation characteristics of these surface energy and CO2 fluxes were presented and analyzed in this study. Results show that (1) diurnal variations of the seven energy fluxes were found with different magnitudes, (2) seasonal variations appeared for the seven energy fluxes with their maxima in summer and minima in winter, (3) diurnal and seasonal variations of respiration caused by the biological and chemical processes within the soil were found, and absorption (release) of CO2 around 0.1 mg m−2 s−1 occurred at afternoon of summer (midnight of winter), but the absorption and release generally canceled out from a yearly perspective; and (4) the surface energy balance ratio went through both diurnal and seasonal cycles, and in summer months the slopes of the fitting curve were above 0.6, but in winter months they were around 0.5. Comparing the results of the Shiquanhe site with the central and eastern TP sites, it was found that (1) they all generally had similar seasonal and diurnal variations of the fluxes, (2) caused by the low rainfall quantity, latent heat flux at Shiquanhe (daily daytime mean always less than 90 W m−2) was distinctively smaller than at the central and eastern TP sites during the wet season (generally larger than 100 W m−2), and (3) affected by various factors, the residual energy was comparatively larger at Shiquanhe, which led to a small surface energy balance ratio.

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