Space - scale resolved surface fluxes across a heterogeneous, mid-latitude forested landscape Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The Earth’s surface is heterogeneous at multiple scales owing to spatial; variability in various properties. The atmospheric responses to these; heterogeneities through fluxes of energy, water, carbon and other; scalars are scale-dependent and non-linear. Although these exchanges can; be measured using the eddy covariance technique, widely used tower-based; measurement approaches suffer from spectral losses in lower frequencies; when using typical averaging times. However, spatially resolved; measurements such as airborne eddy covariance measurements can detect; such larger scale (meso-{$beta$},; $gamma$) transport. To evaluate the prevalence and; magnitude of these flux contributions we applied wavelet analysis to; airborne flux measurements over a heterogeneous mid-latitude forested; landscape, interspersed with open water bodies and wetlands. The; measurements were made during the Chequamegon Heterogeneous Ecosystem; Energy-balance Study Enabled by a High-density Extensive Array of; Detectors (CHEESEHEAD19) intensive field campaign. We ask, how do; spatial scales of surface-atmosphere fluxes vary over heterogeneous; surfaces across the day and across seasons? Measured fluxes were; separated into smaller-scale turbulent and larger-scale mesoscale; contributions. We found significant mesoscale contributions to H and LE; fluxes through summer to autumn which wouldn’t be resolved in single; point tower measurements through traditional time-domain half-hourly; Reynolds decomposition. We report scale-resolved flux transitions; associated with seasonal and diurnal changes of the heterogeneous study; domain. This study adds to our understanding of surface atmospheric; interactions over unstructured heterogeneities and can help inform; multi-scale model-data integration of weather and climate models at a; sub-grid scale.

publication date

  • October 17, 2022

has restriction

  • hybrid

Date in CU Experts

  • October 26, 2022 2:17 AM

Full Author List

  • Paleri S; Desai AR; Metzger S; Durden D; Butterworth B; Mauder MR; Kohnert K; Serafimovich A

author count

  • 8

Other Profiles