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

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 631-680 ◽  
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.

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.

scholarly journals Ablation modeling and surface energy budget in the ablation zone of Laohugou glacier No. 12, western Qilian mountains, China

2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (66) ◽  
pp. 111-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijun Sun ◽  
Xiang Qin ◽  
Wentao Du ◽  
Weigang Liu ◽  
Yushuo Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Qilian Mountains ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Ablation Zone

AbstractGlacier surface melting can be described using energy-balance models. We conducted a surface energy budget experiment to quantify surface energy fluxes and to identify factors affecting glacial melt in the ablation zone of Laohugou glacier No. 12, western Qilian mountains. The surface energy budget was calculated based on data from an automatic weather station, and turbulent fluxes calculated using the bulk-aerodynamic approach were corrected using measurements from an eddy-covariance system. Simulated mass balances were validated by stake observations. Net shortwave radiation was the primary component of the surface energy balance (126Wm–2), followed by sensible heat flux. Net longwave radiation (–45Wm–2) and latent heat flux (–12.8 Wm–2) represented heat sinks. The bulk-aerodynamic method underestimated sensible and latent heat fluxes by 3.4 and 1.2 W m–2, respectively. The simulated total mass balance of –1703mmw.e. exceeded the observed total by 90 mm w.e. Daily positive accumulated temperature and low albedo were the main factors accelerating glacier melt. An uncertainty assessment showed that mass balance was very sensitive to albedo and varied by 36% when albedo changed by 0.1.

scholarly journals The Summer Surface Energy Budget of the Ice-Free Area of Northern James Ross Island and Its Impact on the Ground Thermal Regime

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 877
Author(s):  
Klára Ambrožová ◽  
Filip Hrbáček ◽  
Kamil Láska
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Thermal Regime ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Ground Heat Flux ◽  
James Ross Island

Despite the key role of the surface energy budget in the global climate system, such investigations are rare in Antarctica. In this study, the surface energy budget measurements from the largest ice-free area on northern James Ross Island, in Antarctica, were obtained. The components of net radiation were measured by a net radiometer, while sensible heat flux was measured by a sonic anemometer and ground heat flux by heat flux plates. The surface energy budget was compared with the rest of the Antarctic Peninsula Region and selected places in the Arctic and the impact of surface energy budget components on the ground thermal regime was examined. Mean net radiation on James Ross Island during January–March 2018 reached 102.5 W m−2. The main surface energy budget component was the latent heat flux, while the sensible heat flux values were only 0.4 W m−2 lower. Mean ground heat flux was only 0.4 Wm-2, however, it was negative in 47% of January–March 2018, while it was positive in the rest of the time. The ground thermal regime was affected by surface energy budget components to a depth of 50 cm. The strongest relationship was found between ground heat flux and ground surface temperature. Further analysis confirmed that active layer refroze after a sequence of three days with negative ground heat flux even in summer months. Daily mean net radiation and ground heat flux were significantly reduced when cloud amount increased, while the influence of snow cover on ground surface temperature was negligible.

scholarly journals Influence of Subfacet Heterogeneity and Material Properties on the Urban Surface Energy Budget

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 2114-2129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prathap Ramamurthy ◽  
Elie Bou-Zeid ◽  
James A. Smith ◽  
Zhihua Wang ◽  
Mary L. Baeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Material Properties ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Role Reversal ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Urban Surface ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Peak Time ◽  
Sensible Heat

AbstractUrban facets—the walls, roofs, and ground in built-up terrain—are often conceptualized as homogeneous surfaces, despite the obvious variability in the composition and material properties of the urban fabric at the subfacet scale. This study focuses on understanding the influence of this subfacet heterogeneity, and the associated influence of different material properties, on the urban surface energy budget. The Princeton Urban Canopy Model, which was developed with the ability to capture subfacet variability, is evaluated at sites of various building densities and then applied to simulate the energy exchanges of each subfacet with the atmosphere over a densely built site. The analyses show that, although all impervious built surfaces convert most of the incoming energy into sensible heat rather than latent heat, sensible heat fluxes from asphalt pavements and dark rooftops are 2 times as high as those from concrete surfaces and light-colored roofs. Another important characteristic of urban areas—the shift in the peak time of sensible heat flux in comparison with rural areas—is here shown to be mainly linked to concrete’s high heat storage capacity as well as to radiative trapping in the urban canyon. The results also illustrate that the vegetated pervious soil surfaces that dot the urban landscape play a dual role: during wet periods they redistribute much of the available energy into evaporative fluxes but when moisture stressed they behave more like an impervious surface. This role reversal, along with the direct evaporation of water stored over impervious surfaces, significantly reduces the overall Bowen ratio of the urban site after rain events.

scholarly journals Permafrost and surface energy balance of a polygonal tundra site in Northern Siberia – Part 2: Winter

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1391-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Langer ◽  
S. Westermann ◽  
S. Muster ◽  
K. Piel ◽  
J. Boike
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Latent Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Northern Siberia ◽  
Ground Heat Flux

Abstract. Permafrost is largely determined by the surface energy balance. Its vulnerability to degradation due to climate warming depends on complex soil-atmosphere interactions. This article is the second part of a comprehensive surface energy balance study at a polygonal tundra site in Northern Siberia. It comprises two consecutive winter periods from October 2007 to May 2008 and from October 2008 to January 2009. The surface energy balance is obtained by independent measurements of the radiation budget, the sensible heat flux and the ground heat flux, whereas the latent heat flux is inferred from measurements of the atmospheric turbulence characteristics and a model approach. The measurements reveal that the long-wave radiation is the dominant factor in the surface energy balance. The radiative losses are balanced to about 60% by the ground heat flux and almost 40% by the sensible heat fluxes, whereas the contribution of the latent heat flux is found to be relatively small. The main controlling factors of the surface energy budget are the snow cover, the cloudiness and the soil temperature gradient. Significant spatial differences in the surface energy balance are observed between the tundra soils and a small pond. The heat flux released from the subsurface heat storage is by a factor of two increased at the freezing pond during the entire winter period, whereas differences in the radiation budget are only observed at the end of winter. Inter-annual differences in the surface energy balance are related to differences in snow depth, which substantially affect the temperature evolution at the investigated pond. The obtained results demonstrate the importance of the ground heat flux for the soil-atmosphere energy exchange and reveal high spatial and temporal variabilities in the subsurface heat budget during winter.

scholarly journals Near-surface climate and surface energy budget of Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kuipers Munneke ◽  
M. R. van den Broeke ◽  
J. C. King ◽  
T. Gray ◽  
C. H. Reijmer
Keyword(s):  
Surface Energy ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Surface Energy Budget ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Data collected by two automatic weather stations (AWS) on the Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica, between 22 January 2009 and 1 February 2011 are analyzed and used as input for a model that computes the surface energy budget (SEB), which includes melt energy. The two AWSs are separated by about 70 km in the north–south direction, and both the near-surface meteorology and the SEB show similarities, although small differences in all components (most notably the melt flux) can be seen. The impact of subsurface absorption of shortwave radiation on melt and snow temperature is significant, and discussed. In winter, longwave cooling of the surface is entirely compensated by a downward turbulent transport of sensible heat. In summer, the positive net radiative flux is compensated by melt, and quite frequently by upward turbulent diffusion of heat and moisture, leading to sublimation and weak convection over the ice shelf. The month of November 2010 is highlighted, when strong westerly flow over the Antarctic Peninsula led to a dry and warm föhn wind over the ice shelf, resulting in warm and sunny conditions. Under these conditions the increase in shortwave and sensible heat fluxes is larger than the decrease of net longwave and latent heat fluxes, providing energy for significant melt.

scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Trends of Surface Energy Budget in Tibet from Satellite Remote Sensing Observations and Reanalysis Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
Usman Mazhar ◽  
Shuanggen Jin ◽  
Wentao Duan ◽  
Muhammad Bilal ◽  
Md. Arfan Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Latent Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Being the highest and largest land mass of the earth, the Tibetan Plateau has a strong impact on the Asian climate especially on the Asian monsoon. With high downward solar radiation, the Tibetan Plateau is a climate sensitive region and the main water source for many rivers in South and East Asia. Although many studies have analyzed energy fluxes in the Tibetan Plateau, a long-term detailed spatio-temporal variability of all energy budget parameters is not clear for understanding the dynamics of the regional climate change. In this paper, satellite remote sensing and reanalysis data are used to quantify spatio-temporal trends of energy budget parameters, net radiation, latent heat flux, and sensible heat flux over the Tibetan Plateau from 2001 to 2019. The validity of both data sources is analyzed from in situ ground measurements of the FluxNet micrometeorological tower network, which verifies that both datasets are valid and reliable. It is found that the trend of net radiation shows a slight increase. The latent heat flux increases continuously, while the sensible heat flux decreases continuously throughout the study period over the Tibetan Plateau. Varying energy fluxes in the Tibetan plateau will affect the regional hydrological cycle. Satellite LE product observation is limited to certain land covers. Thus, for larger spatial areas, reanalysis data is a more appropriate choice. Normalized difference vegetation index proves a useful indicator to explain the latent heat flux trend. Despite the reduction of sensible heat, the atmospheric temperature increases continuously resulting in the warming of the Tibetan Plateau. The opposite trend of sensible heat flux and air temperature is an interesting and explainable phenomenon. It is also concluded that the surface evaporative cooling is not the indicator of atmospheric cooling/warming. In the future, more work shall be done to explain the mechanism which involves the complete heat cycle in the Tibetan Plateau.

scholarly journals The surface energy balance in a cold-arid permafrost environment, Ladakh Himalaya, India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Mohd Wani ◽  
Renoj J. Thayyen ◽  
Chandra Shekhar Prasad Ojha ◽  
Stephan Gruber
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Latent Heat Flux ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Sensible Heat ◽  
The Alps

Abstract. Cryosphere of the cold-arid trans-Himalayan region is unique with its significant permafrost cover. While the information on the permafrost characteristics and its extent started emerging, the governing energy regimes of this cryosphere region is of particular interest. This paper present the results of Surface Energy Balance (SEB) studies carried out in the upper Ganglass catchment in the Ladakh region of India, which feed directly to the River Indus. The point SEB is estimated using the one-dimensional mode of GEOtop model from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2017 at 4727 m a.s.l elevation. The model is evaluated using field monitored radiation components, snow depth variations and one-year near-surface ground temperatures and showed good agreement with the respective simulated values. The study site has an air temperature range of −23.7 to 18.1 °C with a mean annual average temperature (MAAT) of −2.5 and ground surface temperature range of −9.8 to 19.1 °C. For the study period, the surface energy balance characteristics of the cold-arid site show that the net radiation was the major component with mean value of 28.9 W m−2 followed by sensible heat flux (13.5 W m−2) and latent heat flux (12.8 W m−2), and the ground heat flux was equal to 0.4 W m−2. The partitioning of energy balance during the study period shows that 47 % of Rn was converted into H, 44 % into LE, 1 % into G and 7 % for melting of seasonal snow. Both the study years experienced distinctly different, low and high snow regime. Key differences due to this snow regime change in surface energy balance characteristics were observed during peak summer (July–August). The latent heat flux was higher (lower) during this period with 39 W m−2 (11 W m−2) during high (low) snow years. The study also shows that the sensible heat flux during the early summer season (May, June) of the high (low) snow was much smaller (higher) −3.4 W m−2 (36.1 W m−2). During the study period, snow cover builds up in the catchment initiated by the last week of December facilitating the ground cooling by almost three months (October to December) of sub-zero temperatures up to −20 °C providing a favourable environment for permafrost. It is observed that the Ladakh region have a very low relative humidity in the range of 43 % as compared to, e.g., ~ 70 % in the Alps facilitating lower incoming longwave radiation and strongly negative net longwave radiation averaging ~ −90 W m−2 compared to −40 W m−2 in the Alps. Hence, the high elevation cold-arid region land surfaces could be overall colder than the locations with more RH such as the Alps. Further, it is apprehended that high incoming shortwave radiation in the region may be facilitating enhanced cooling of wet valley bottom surfaces as a result of stronger evaporation.

Energy management in dry canopy starts with efficient leaf-scale heat exchange

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Müller ◽  
Eyal Rotenberg ◽  
Fedor Tatarinov ◽  
Itay Oz ◽  
Efrat Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Heat Exchange ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Latent Heat Flux ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Sensible Heat

<p>Dry forests are expected to heat up considerably more than adjacent shrubland areas due to lower albedo and reduced latent heat flux. Paradoxically, the forest surface at our research site was observed to be cooler than the non-forested neighbouring areas during drought. This reflected the control over canopy temperature through the sensible heat flux, i.e. a 'convector effect'. Our objective was to examine how the efficient non-evaporative energy management, critical to protect the biological functioning of dryland ecosystems, develops at the small, leaf scale. </p><p>We developed a novel system to continuously measure the energy balance and heat dissipation mechanisms on a leaf scale under field conditions. It allows the measurement of emitted leaf and background longwave radiation, and estimating the incoming, absorbed and reflected shortwave radiation using PAR measurements and full spectrum models.  Latent heat exchange and photosynthetic activity were measured with branch chambers. The system was deployed during the long summer drought (>8 months) in drought-exposed and irrigated plots in our semi-arid research Aleppo Pine forest site in southern Israel (mean daytime temperature of >30°C).</p><p>Preliminary results showed that in spite of a x10 higher transpiration rate in the irrigated plot compared with the control plots, leaf temperature remains within 1-2°C of air temperature on average in both plots during direct exposure to sunlight at midday. These results suggest an effective leaf to air heat transfer which prevents overheating independent of the latent heat flux. Under the high radiation load, the midday summer value of incoming shortwave radiation was >800 W·m<sup>-2</sup> (mostly absorbed by the low albedo leaves), and background longwave radiation was >500 W·m<sup>-2</sup>. In turn, the energy dissipation in the drought-exposed trees was dominated by sensible heat flux of >500 W·m<sup>-2</sup>, while the long-wave radiation balance was near neutral (~50 W m<sup>-2</sup>), and the residual latent heat flux was <50 W·m<sup>-2</sup>. We demonstrated a system that provided new insights to leaf and canopy energy management under drought, which is a basis for the evolution of the convector effect.</p>

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