Latent heat

About: Latent heat is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 13503 publications have been published within this topic receiving 302811 citations.

Monin–Obukhov Similarity Functions for the Structure Parameters of Temperature and Humidity

Abstract: Monin–Obukhov similarity functions for the structure parameters of temperature and humidity are needed to derive surface heat and water vapour fluxes from scintillometer measurements and it is often assumed that the two functions are identical in the atmospheric surface layer. Nevertheless, this assumption has not yet been verified experimentally. This study investigates the dissimilarity between the turbulent transport of sensible heat and water vapour, with a specific focus on the difference between the Monin–Obukhov similarity functions for the structure parameters. Using two datasets collected over homogeneous surfaces where the surface sources of sensible heat and water vapour are well correlated, we observe that under stable and very unstable conditions, the two functions are similar. This similarity however breaks down under weakly unstable conditions; in that regime, the absolute values of the correlations between temperature and humidity are also observed to be low, most likely due to large-scale eddies that transport unsteadiness, advection or entrainment effects from the outer layer. We analyze and demonstrate how this reduction in the correlation leads to dissimilarity between the turbulent transport of these two scalars and the corresponding Monin–Obukhov similarity functions for their structure parameters. A model to derive sensible and latent heat fluxes from structure parameters without measuring the friction velocity is tested and found to work very well under moderately to strongly unstable conditions (−z/L > 0.5). Finally, we discuss the modelling of the cross-structure parameter over wet surfaces, which is crucial for correcting water vapour effects on optical scintillometer measurements and also for obtaining surface sensible and latent heat fluxes from the two-wavelength scintillometry.

Modeling the Thermal Effects of Artificial Turf on the Urban Environment

Abstract: The effects of artificial turf (AT) on the urban canopy layer energy balance, air and surface temperatures, and building cooling loads are compared to those of other common ground surface materials (asphalt, concrete, and grass) through heat transfer modeling of radiation, convection, and conduction. The authors apply the Temperatures of Urban Facets in 3D (TUF3D) model—modified to account for latent heat fluxes—to a clear summer day at a latitude of 33° over a typical coastal suburban area in Southern California. The low albedo of artificial turf relative to the other materials under investigation results in a reduction in shortwave radiation incident on nearby building walls and an approximately equal increase in longwave radiation. Consequently, building walls remain at a relatively cool temperature that is similar to those that are adjacent to irrigated grass surfaces. Using a simple offline convection model, replacing grass ground cover with artificial turf was found to add 2.3 kW h m−2 day−...

Ice pack and lead surface energy budgets during LEADEX 1992

Abstract: During a 1-month deployment for the Arctic Leads Experiment (LEADEX) in March and April 1992 on the Arctic ice cap roughly 200 km north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, surface-based mean meteorological and flux instruments plus a variety of remote sensors were operated at the main base camp. Identical systems were also deployed by helicopter on the upwind and downwind edges of several Arctic leads, two of which we describe in this paper. At the base camp the diurnal amplitude for sensible heat flux was +10 W m -2 about a mean of-3 W m -2, net radiation was +30 W m -2 about a mean of -15 W m '2, and net surface energy flux was +20 W m -2 about a mean of-12 W m -2. The mean latent heat flux was +1 W m -2 with a diurnal variation of about +1.5 W m -2. Mean values for the momentum and sensible heat transfer coefficients were C o = (1.20 + 0.20) x 10 '3 and Cn = (0.75 + 0.25) x 10 -3 at a 10-m reference height with only modest diurnal variations. Two lead deployments were examined. Lead 3 was approximately 1 km across. Only limited meteorological data were obtained for about 6 hours at the end of April 7 and beginning of April 8 when the lead was covered with about 10 cm of ice. Downwind of the lead, the sensible heat flux increased to about 170 W m -2 and the stress doubled, suggesting an ice-covered lead 10-m drag coefficient of 2.2 x 10 -3. More than 36 hours of data were obtained upwind and downwind of lead 4, which varied in width from 80 to 120 m. Doppler minisodars upwind and downwind of the lead indicated a doubling in the depth (5 to 10 m) of the shear-driven turbulent surface layer downwind of the lead and an intensification of intermittent wave interactions exceeding 60 m (sodar range maximum). Three prominent waves with strong downward motion were observed in this period, apparently causing increases in the downwind stress magnitude. Various sources of data were used to compute estimates over a 36-hour period of the net surface heat flux Qg over the lead, the adjacent pack ice, and any open water that might have occurred in the lead. The results indicate that once significant ice forms, the sun is increasingly more effective in reducing the surface freezing rate and in shutting off convective mixing in the ocean under the lead. Over the period of observations the average net surface heat flux was -75 W m -2 over the pack ice, -130 W m -2 over the lead, and -250 W m '2 over the open water.