Estimates of sensible heat flux from observations of temperature fluctuations

Abstract

Comparisons between sensible heat flux measured using eddy correlation instrumentation and estimated using the temperature fluctuation method are presented for four types of surface in West Africa. Agreement between measured and estimated values is good. Regression of estimated on measured sensible heat flux gave a mean slope of 0.98 with a mean r2 of 0.94 for bare soil, mature millet, fallow savannah and tiger bush. Estimates of heat flux from temperature fluctuations measured by an instrument mounted beneath a tethered balloon are also shown to be in close agreement with eddy correlation measurements made at the surface (regression slope = 0.98, r2 = 0.84). The results provide evidence that the ratio Σθ/θ×is indeed a universal function of z/L for all the surface types considered.