Total Energy Flux Research Articles

Modeling Land‐Atmosphere Coupling at Cloud‐Resolving Scale Within the Multiple Atmosphere Multiple Land (MAML) Framework in SP‐E3SM

AbstractRepresenting subgrid variabilities of land surface processes and their upscaled effects is crucial for global climate modeling. Here, we implement a multiple atmosphere multiple land (MAML) framework in the superparamaterized version of E3SM (SP‐E3SM) to explicitly simulate the subgrid variabilities of land states and fluxes at cloud‐resolving scale and their interactions with atmosphere. Comparing to the standard SP‐E3SM in which all the atmospheric columns of the cloud resolving model embedded within the global atmospheric model grid interact with the same land surface (i.e., multiple atmosphere single land (MASL)), the impact of MAML on the strength of land‐atmosphere coupling is limited, partly because the current implementation mainly facilitates one‐way coupling between the cloud‐resolving model and the land surface model. Despite such limitation, MAML increases the surface latent heat flux at the expense of sensible heat flux, and increases precipitation in India, Amazon, and Central Africa, reducing the model dry bias compared to the standard SP‐E3SM. By employing a normalized gross moist stability (NGMS) diagnostic framework, we find that the increase in precipitation minus evaporation (P‐E) is primarily driven by the change in large‐scale moisture convergence, particularly by the increase of water vapor in the lower atmosphere, while the local effect of total surface energy flux plays a minor role in the P‐E change. More specifically, MAML changes the surface energy partitioning (evaporative fraction), increases the atmosphere water vapor, and further increases P‐E by decreasing the NGMS. Finally, future development in the MAML framework is discussed.

Altered energy dynamics of multitrophic groups modify the patterns of soil CO2 emissions in planted forest

Soil microbes and fauna as key components of belowground food webs play important roles in energy flux and carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it remains unclear whether forestry management regimes alter the energetic structure of soil food webs and thereby reshape the patterns of soil CO2 emissions in planted forest. Here, we tested the effects of legume (Cassia alata) addition, understory removal, understory removal with legume addition and all plants removal on energy fluxes through soil food webs and soil CO2 flux in the wet and dry seasons. We show that soil heterotrophic respiration contributed 36.9–57.8% of total CO2 flux in the soil. In the dry season, C. alata addition increased soil heterotrophic respiration by 24.6% and 57.3%, respectively, when compared with the control and understory removal treatment. Compared with the understory removal treatment, the total energy flux across the whole food web increased with legume addition (i.e., C. alata addition and understory removal with C. alata addition). Legume addition supported a high proportion of energy flux through herbivorous nematodes, whereas understory vegetation removal supported a high proportion of energy flux through microbivorous nematodes. Less energy fluxes were transferred from basal resources to fungivorous mites and collembolans compared with microbivorous and herbivorous nematodes. The total soil CO2 flux was positively correlated with metabolic rates of herbivorous and omnivorous-predatory nematodes, and energy fluxes through multitrophic groups. Taken together, legume addition and understory vegetation removal modify the patterns of soil CO2 emissions via changing nematode metabolic rates and re-shaping the energetic structure of soil food webs.

Acclimation of phenology relieves leaf longevity constraints in deciduous forests.

Leaf phenology is key for regulating total growing-season mass and energy fluxes. Long-term temporal trends towards earlier leaf unfolding are observed across Northern Hemisphere forests. Phenological dates also vary between years, whereby end-of-season (EOS) dates correlate positively with start-of-season (SOS) dates and negatively with growing-season total net CO2 assimilation (Anet). These associations have been interpreted as the effect of a constrained leaf longevity or of premature carbon (C) sink saturation-with far-reaching consequences for long-term phenology projections under climate change and rising CO2. Here, we use multidecadal ground and remote-sensing observations to show that the relationships between Anet and EOS are opposite at the interannual and the decadal time scales. A decadal trend towards later EOS persists in parallel with a trend towards increasing Anet-in spite of the negative Anet-EOS relationship at the interannual scale. This finding is robust against the use of diverse observations and models. Results indicate that acclimation of phenology has enabled plants to transcend a constrained leaf longevity or premature C sink saturation over the course of several decades, leading to a more effective use of available light and a sustained extension of the vegetation CO2 uptake season over time.

Spectral transition of multiscale turbulence in the tokamak pedestal

The transition in the turbulence spectrum from ion-scale dominated regimes to multiscale transport regimes that couple ion and electron scales is studied with gyrokinetic simulations of turbulent transport. The simulations are based on DIII-D high-confinement mode (H-mode) plasma parameters in the tokamak pedestal. The transition is initiated by varying the ion temperature gradient. To our knowledge, no full multiscale simulations of pedestal-like transport have been done previously. The experimental parameters lie in a bifurcation region between the two regimes. At long wavelengths, a complex, ion-direction hybrid mode is the dominant linearly unstable drift wave, while an electron temperature gradient-driven mode is unstable at short wavelengths. In the transition from the multiscale branch to the ion-scale branch, the magnitude of the ion-scale poloidal wavenumber spectrum of the nonlinear turbulent energy flux increases and the magnitude of the high-wavenumber spectrum decreases. The decrease in the electron-scale transport is due to nonlinear mixing with ion-scale fluctuations and the ion-scale-driven zonal flows. A shift in the total energy associated with the fluctuating electrostatic potential intensity from dominantly drift kinetic energy in the multiscale regime to dominantly potential intensity in the ion-scale regime is well-correlated with the trend in the total energy flux.

Correlations between energy flux and thin film modifications in an atmospheric pressure direct current microplasma

A custom-built atmospheric pressure direct current microplasma discharge was designed utilizing Au coated Si3N4 transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids as electrodes to enable a direct imaging of the plasma treated anode and cathode surfaces. Significant differences between the anode and the cathode, as well as between Ar or He operation of the microplasma, respectively, were observed already by examination of the electrode surfaces by light microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy as well as TEM imaging revealed details such as grain growth and changes in surface morphology. The energy fluxes from plasma towards the anode and cathode were determined and correlated with the surface modifications. As expected from structure zone diagrams higher energy fluxes result in higher degree of crystallinity even at atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, ions and their respective energy contributions were identified to play a major role for the surface modification, despite their low kinetic energy due to the large number of collisions. Depending on the working gas, Ar or He, the identified energetic contributions of the total ion energy flux change and, subsequently, result in visible differences in the plasma treated Au films.

Observed internal solitary waves in the northern Bali waters, Indonesia

Internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the northern Bali waters are frequently observed via satellite imagery, but in situ observations remain scarce. Here, we report the northward propagating Lombok solitary waves from shipboard acoustic current measurements. The four leading waves have amplitude of 45, 35, 30, and 25 m and typical mean phase speed of ∼1.8 m s−1. The waves generated strong northward currents of ∼0.8 m s−1 in the upper layer and triggered vertical velocity that reaches ∼15 cm s−1. Those observations suggest larger ISWs amplitude than recent numerical estimates at the same location. The shape of the four leading waves is consistent with the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) model. The total energy density within the packet reached ∼147 MJ m−1, and the total mean energy flux per tidal cycle into ISWs is in the range [0.6 – 1.0] GW, representing a strong fraction of the total northward baroclinic tidal energy flux estimated from models.

Substorm activity as a driver of energetic pulsating aurora

Pulsating aurora are common diffuse-like aurora. Studies have suggested that they contain higher energy particles than other types and are possibly linked to substorm activity. There has yet to be a quantitative statistical study of the variation in pulsating aurora energy content related to substorms. We analyzed the inverted energy content from 53 events using the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar. To reduce the uncertainty, we split the differential energy flux into low and high energy using the limit of 30 keV. We also analyzed the lower altitude boundary of the electron density profile, characterized by a number density of >1010 m−3, and used this as a proxy for high energy. We compared both of these to magnetic local time (MLT), AE index, and temporal proximity to substorm onset. There was a slight trend in MLT, but a much stronger one in relation to both substorm onset and AE index. For higher AE and closer to onset the total energy flux and flux above 30 keV increased. In addition, this higher energy remained enhanced for an hour after substorm onset. Our results confirm the high energy nature of pulsating aurora, demonstrate the connection to substorms, and imply their importance to coupling between the magnetosphere and atmosphere.

How incoming turbulence affects wake recovery of an NREL-5MW wind turbine

The present work aims at investigating the effect of inflow turbulence on the wake recovery of the NREL-5MW reference wind turbine. The wake produced by a utility-scale wind turbine invested by both a laminar uniform inflow and a turbulent flow, is analyzed by means of proper-orthogonal decomposition (POD). The considered turbine is the NREL-5MW at tip-speed ratio λ = 7 and a diameter-based Reynolds number of the order 108. The flow is simulated through Large Eddy Simulation, where the forces exerted by the blades are modeled using the Actuator Line Method, whereas tower and nacelle are modeled employing the immersed boundary method. The main flow structures identified by modal decomposition in both of the considered cases are compared, and some differences emerge, which can be of great importance for the formulation of a reduced-order model. Among the most energetic modes, a high-frequency mode directly related to the tip vortices is found only in the flow case with laminar inflow. In the presence of inflow turbulence, the most energetic modes are all composed by large-scale low-frequency structures filling the whole domain. We evaluate the contribution of each POD mode to wake recovery reconstructing the total flux of mean kinetic energy due to turbulent fluctuations on a closed surface enclosing the wake of the wind turbine. In the laminar-inflow case, we have found that the POD modes related to the tip and root vortices do not contribute positively to the wake recovery, but they rather sustains the velocity gradient, as already established by Lignarolo et al. (2015) for a wind-turbine model. Whereas, in the turbulent-inflow case, all the most energetic modes contribute positively to wake recovery. These results clearly indicate that inflow turbulence should be taken into account for accurately estimate the entrainment process in the wake of wind turbines.NREL 5MW wind turbine, POD, laminar or turbulent inflow, wake recovery, turbulent kinetic energy entrainment.

Multi‐Scale Geomagnetic Forcing Derived From High‐Resolution Observations and Their Impacts on the Upper Atmosphere

AbstractTechniques developed in the past few years enable the derivation of high‐resolution regional ion convection and particle precipitation patterns from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) and Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms All‐Sky Imager (ASI) observations, respectively. For the first time in this study, a global ionosphere‐thermosphere model (GITM) is driven by such high‐resolution patterns to simulate the I‐T response to the multi‐scale geomagnetic forcing during a real event. Specifically, GITM simulations have been conducted for the 26 March 2014 event with different ways to specify the high‐latitude forcing, including empirical models, high‐resolution SuperDARN convection patterns, and high‐resolution ASI particle precipitation maps. Multi‐scale ion convection forcing estimated from high‐resolution SuperDARN observations is found to have a very strong meso‐scale component. Multi‐scale convection forcing increases the regional Joule heating (integrated over the high‐resolution SuperDARN observation domain) by ∼30% on average, which is mostly contributed by the meso‐scale component. Meso‐scale electron precipitation derived from ASI measurements contributes on average about 30% to the total electron energy flux, and its impact on the I‐T system is comparable to the meso‐scale convection forcing estimated from SuperDARN observations. Both meso‐scale convection and precipitation forcing are found to enhance ionospheric and thermospheric disturbances with prominent structures and magnitudes of a few tens of meters per second in the horizontal neutral winds at 270 km and a few percent in the neutral density at 400 km through comparisons between simulations driven by the original and smoothed high‐resolution forcing patterns.

Energy Partition at Collisionless Supercritical Quasi‐Perpendicular Shocks

AbstractCollisionless shocks in astrophysical plasmas are important thermalizers, converting some of the incident flow energy into thermal energy, and non‐thermalizers, partitioning that energy in unequal ways to different particle species, subpopulations thereof, and field components. This partition problem, or equivalently the shock equation of state, lies at the heart of shock physics. Here, we employ systematically a framework to capture all the incident and downstream energy fluxes at two example traversals of the Earth's bow shock by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. Here and traditionally, such data has to be augmented by information from other spacecraft, for example, to provide more accurate measurements of the cold solar wind beam. With some care and fortuitous choices, the total energy flux is conserved, including instantaneous measurements through the shock layer. The dominant incident proton ram energy is converted primarily into downstream proton enthalpy flux, the majority of which is actually carried by a small fraction of suprathermal protons. Fluctuations include both real and instrumental effects. Separating these, resolving the solar wind beam, and other considerations point the way to a dedicated mission to solve this energy partition problem across a full range of plasma and shock conditions.

Temporal changes of the food web structure and function driven by changes in hydrological regimes and water quality in a large shallow lake

Assessing food web structural properties and energy fluxes under changing hydrological regimes and water quality reveals the temporal patterns of ecosystem dynamics in shallow lakes. Here, we studied northern China’s largest shallow lake (Lake Baiyangdian) using quantitative food web models for five representative years (1958, 1980, 1993, 2009, and 2019). We analyzed the temporal patterns of food web structure and function by combining a Bayesian isotope mixing model with a food web energetics model. We further examined the temporal changes of unweighted and weighted food web topological attributes. Lake Baiyangdian changed from a detritus-based into a phytoplankton-based food web based on the relative contributions of basal food sources and energy flux distributions. The trophic position of fingerlings, large omnivorous fish, and carnivorous fish decreased with increasing eutrophication. The highest energy fluxes were from detritus to zooplankton and mollusks in 1958, from detritus and phytoplankton to zooplankton in 1980, 1993, and 2009, and from phytoplankton to zooplankton and detritus to mollusks in 2019. The highest total energy flux was in 1993, followed by 2019, with the lowest value in 1958. Unweighted food web metrics showed similar patterns. We observed more pronounced temporal variability in the node- and link-weighted food web metrics than in the unweighted metrics. In addition, hydrological factors (threshold, duration, reversals between high, and low water levels), eutrophication, and some water quality factors (chemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and pH) played important roles in the temporal changes of food web dynamics in Lake Baiyangdian. Our findings demonstrate the importance of integrating unweighted and weighted indicators to holistically comprehend how highly aggregated food webs respond to changing hydrological regimes and water quality, thereby improving management and restoration of shallow lake ecosystems.

Infrared finite scattering theory in quantum field theory and quantum gravity

It has been known since the earliest days of quantum field theory (QFT) that infrared divergences arise in scattering theory with massless fields. These infrared divergences are manifestations of the memory effect: At order $1/r$ a massless field generically will not return to the same value at late retarded times ($u\ensuremath{\rightarrow}+\ensuremath{\infty}$) as it had at early retarded times ($u\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\infty}$). There is nothing singular about states with memory, but they do not lie in the standard Fock space. Infrared divergences are merely artifacts of trying to represent states with memory in the standard Fock space. If one is interested only in quantities directly relevant to collider physics, infrared divergences can be successfully dealt with by imposing an infrared cutoff, calculating inclusive quantities, and then removing the cutoff. However, this approach does not allow one to treat memory as a quantum observable and is highly unsatisfactory if one wishes to view the $S$-matrix as a fundamental quantity in QFT and quantum gravity, since the $S$-matrix itself is undefined. In order to have a well-defined $S$-matrix, it is necessary to define ``in'' and ``out'' Hilbert spaces that incorporate memory in a satisfactory way. Such a construction was given by Faddeev and Kulish for quantum electrodynamics (QED) with a massive charged field. Their construction can be understood as pairing momentum eigenstates of the charged particles with corresponding memory representations of the electromagnetic field to produce states of vanishing large gauge charges at spatial infinity. (This procedure is usually referred to as ``dressing'' the charged particles.) We investigate this procedure for QED with massless charged particles and show that, as a consequence of collinear divergences, the required dressing in this case has an infinite total energy flux, so that the states obtained in the Faddeev-Kulish construction are unphysical. An additional difficulty arises in Yang-Mills theory, due to the fact that the ``soft Yang-Mills particles'' used for the dressing contribute to the Yang-Mills charge-current flux, thereby invalidating the procedure used to construct eigenstates of large gauge charges at spatial infinity. We show that there are insufficiently many charge eigenstates to accommodate scattering theory. In quantum gravity, the analog of the Faddeev-Kulish construction would attempt to produce a Hilbert space of eigenstates of supertranslation charges at spatial infinity. Again, the Faddeev-Kulish dressing procedure does not produce the desired eigenstates because the dressing contributes to the null memory flux. We prove that there are no eigenstates of supertranslation charges at spatial infinity apart from the vacuum. Thus, analogs of the Faddeev-Kulish construction fail catastrophically in quantum gravity. We investigate some alternatives to Faddeev-Kulish constructions but find that these also do not work. We believe that if one wishes to treat scattering at a fundamental level in quantum gravity---as well as in massless QED and Yang-Mills theory---it is necessary to approach it from an algebraic viewpoint on the ``in'' and ``out'' states, wherein one does not attempt to ``shoehorn'' these states into some prechosen ``in'' and ``out'' Hilbert spaces. We outline the framework of such a scattering theory, which would be manifestly infrared finite.

Energy fluxes, mass balance, and climate sensitivity of the Sutri Dhaka Glacier in the western Himalaya

Various regional climatic factors influence glacier mass balance and thus control the water budget of the Himalayan rivers. However, the scarcity of observational data hinders a detailed understanding of the processes governing glacier mass balances in the Himalaya. Here we analyze the mass balance of the Sutri Dhaka Glacier, a debris-free glacier in the Chandra basin (western Himalaya) combining field observations and a physically based model to understand the drivers of mass balance variability. The modeled energy flux showed that net shortwave radiation contributed 56% to the total surface energy fluxes, followed by net longwave radiation (27%), sensible heat (8%), latent heat (5%), and ground heat flux (4%). However, over the ablation zone, inward fluxes account for most of the total heat flux, resulting in strong summertime melting. The model estimated glacier mass balance was −1.09 ± 0.31 and −0.62 ± 0.19 m w.e. during 2015/16 and 2016/17, which matches well with the in situ glaciological mass balance of −1.16 ± 0.33 and −0.67 ± 0.33 m w.e., respectively. A sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the mass balance of the glacier is affected by both air temperature (−0.21 m w.e. a−1 °C−1) and precipitation (0.19 m w.e. a−1 (10%)−1) changes. Our study suggests that, the mass balance of the Sutri Dhaka Glacier is less sensitive to changes in the partitioning of precipitation into snow and rain because the majority of precipitation falls as snow during the winter when the temperature is well below 0°C.

Fate of internal solitary wave and enhanced mixing in Manado Bay, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Sulawesi Sea is one of the most active regions where internal solitary waves (ISWs) are frequently observed through satellite images. These waves that result from the nonlinear evolution of internal tides are generated over the Sibutu Sills and propagate over a long distance, up to 700 km before shoaling in coastal areas. To date there is yet no specific in-situ observation or numerical studies dedicated to characterize their dynamics. We present results from the combination of two simulations and in-situ observations which allow to describe the full life cycle from generation to breaking of ISWs in the Sulawesi Sea. A first set of 2D non-hydrostatic numerical simulations reproduces the generation of ISW from the non-linear steepening of the internal tides. The tidal energy flux emanated from the generation site is of about 15 kW m−1 with progressive decrease in the along flux direction resulting the growth of ISWs. The ISW energy flux increases up to large fraction of 32% of the total energy flux at 700 km from the generation point while the M2 internal tide contributes to 64% of the total energy flux. A second simulation at higher resolution focusing on the shallow coastal area of the Manado Bay reproduces the breaking of the ISWs at the shelf slope and was compared with in-situ observations. About 3.5% of the energy contained in an ISWs packet is dissipated over a 3 km wide cross shelf region of the Manado Bay in the simulation. Both simulations and observations revealed the presence of energetic boluses identified as a sequence of high-frequency waves of elevations in the stratified bottom layer. A high level of turbulence was diagnosed in the observations and simulations from the Thorpe Method. The mean eddy kinetic energy dissipation rate and vertical diffusivity in the observation reaches as 10−6 W kg−1 and 10−3 m2 s−1, respectively; while the dissipation rate is one order of magnitude higher and the vertical diffusivity is one order lower in the model. This discrepancy likely reflects the sparse sampling in the observations as well as differences in the stratification and the absence of surface forcing in the model.

Nonlinear Surface Polaritons near the Interface between a Magneto-Optical Substance and a Nonlinear Metamaterial with a Permittivity Close to Zero

Relevance. Considerable attention of researchers is drawn to nonlinear surface optical waves, as they are promising for application in optical information processing systems, ultra-sensitive sensors, and modern telecommunications components. Purpose. To obtain an exact solution of the Maxwell equation system for TM-polarised nonlinear surface polaritons propagating along the interface between an optically linear magnetic medium and an optically nonlinear medium with saturated nonlinearity. Methods. Analysis of the properties of nonlinear surface polaritons (NSP) and mathematical modelling of the dependence of the permittivity of a nonlinear medium on the intensity are used. Results. TM-polarised nanoparticles propagating along the interface of a magneto-optical medium and a nonlinear optical metamaterial with a permittivity close to zero (ENZ-metamaterial) are studied. For NSP in such a structure, an exact solution of the Maxwell equation system is obtained, considering the saturation effect of optical nonlinearity. On this basis, the dependences of constant propagation on the total energy flux of NSP and energy fluxes in contact media in the structure were investigated: magneto-optical ENZ-metamaterial with negative permittivity/nonlinear self-focusing ENZ-metamaterial. Conclusions. The NSP energy flow is positive in a nonlinear medium and negative in a linear one. As the saturation level decreases, the NSP energy fluxes in the contacting media increase modulo, if the value of the NSP propagation constant (NSPPC) is fixed. The lowest NSPPC value for guiding nonlinearity is obtained when the total energy flow of the NSP becomes zero. As the saturation level decreases, the NSP propagation variable (NSPPV) increases. At a fixed NSPPC, with a decrease in the magnetic permeability, the energy fluxes of NSP in the contacting media increase. When the magnetic permeability decreases to zero and the NSP energy flux is positive, the NSPPV change range narrows

Impact of Soft Electron Precipitation on the Thermospheric Neutral Mass Density During Geomagnetic Storms: GITM Simulations

AbstractIn this study, the impact of improving soft (0.1–1 keV) electron precipitation on the F‐region neutral mass density has been evaluated using the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM). Two types of electron energy spectra having the same total energy flux and average energy but different spectral shapes have been used to specify the electron precipitation in GITM. One is the Maxwellian spectrum and the other is from an empirical model, Auroral Spectrum and High‐Latitude Electric field variabilitY (ASHLEY), which provides stronger (up to 2–3 orders of magnitude) soft electron precipitations than the Maxwellian spectrum. Data‐model comparisons indicate that the storm‐time orbital averaged neutral density can be increased by 10%–40% and is more consistent with the observation if the non‐Maxwellian ASHLEY spectrum is used. This study reveals the importance of accurate soft electron precipitation specifications in the whole auroral zone to improving the F‐region neutral mass density estimations.

Organic amendments increase the flow uniformity of energy across nematode food webs

Energy dynamics within ecological communities are important in delivering ecosystem services. However, it remains elusive how the energy fluxes within soil food webs respond to agricultural fertilization regimes. Here, we studied the effects of long-term organic amendments and mineral fertilizers on the energetic structure of soil nematodes from a food-web perspective. We replicated our experiment in a rice paddy and in an upland maize cropping system. Results showed that the abundance of most trophic groups was higher in organically amended soils compared with mineral fertilizer treatments in both systems. Organic amendments, but not mineral fertilizers, increased the energy flux of total nematodes and most trophic groups compared with the no-fertilizer treatment. Furthermore, organic amendments increased the relative allocation of energy flux to microbivores but decreased the relative allocation to herbivores, supporting a higher flow uniformity than mineral fertilizers. We further found that organic amendments favored a higher total energy flux by supporting a greater nematode diversity, while sustained a higher flow uniformity by altering nematode community composition. Taken together, the result provides the evidence that a complex and species-rich community could transfer more energy to support ecosystem services. A broader perspective on linkages of biodiversity and energy dynamics spanning multitrophic groups is crucial for sustainable management, particularly in the light of non-random species loss under future environmental change.

Whistler-Mode Radiation From a Dipole Antenna in Cold Magnetized Plasma

We treat whistler-mode radiation from a dipole antenna in a cold magnetized plasma based on the Fresnel zone construction theory. Radiated waves from the antenna with different propagation directions interfere in space. Regions of enhanced waves are formed when the interference is predominantly constructive at the observing point. The coherently enhanced wave propagates at the group velocity. If the antenna is perpendicular to the background magnetic field, the regions of strong waves form two back-to-back Fresnel zones that are parabolic-shaped cones along the background magnetic field from the antenna. The power within each cone drops with distance at a rate of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1/r$ </tex-math></inline-formula> much more slowly than the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1/r^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> thinning of a spherical wave as in vacuum. The total radiation can be approximately derived by the total energy flux integrated over the Fresnel zone. The derived radiation resistance is much greater than that in vacuum. It is proportional to frequency as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1/f^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and proportional to the antenna length as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$d^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. To radiate more power, a longer antenna is preferred, a result that is opposite to some previous theoretical studies.

Evapotranspiration uncertainty at micrometeorological scales: the impact of the eddy covariance energy imbalance and correction methods

Under ideal conditions, evapotranspiration (ET) fluxes derived through the eddy covariance (EC) technique are considered a direct measure of actual ET. Eddy covariance flux measurements provide estimates at a temporal frequency that allows examining sub-daily, daily, and seasonal scale processes and relationships between different surface fluxes. The Grape Remote Sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment (GRAPEX) project has collected micrometeorological and biophysical data to ground-truth new remote sensing tools for fine-tuning vineyard irrigation management across numerous sites since 2013. This rich dataset allows us to quantify the impact of different approaches to estimate daily ET fluxes, while accounting for energy imbalance. This imbalance results from the lack of agreement between the total available energy and turbulent fluxes derived by the EC technique. We found that different approaches to deal with this energy imbalance can lead to uncertainty in daily ET estimates of up to 50%. Over the growing season, this uncertainty can lead to considerable biases in crop water use estimates, which in some cases were equivalent to ~ 1/3rd of the total growing season applied irrigation We analyzed ET uncertainty relative to atmospheric meteorological, stability, and advective conditions, and highlight the importance of recognizing limitations of micrometeorological observational techniques, considered state of the art, to quantify ET for model validation and field-scale monitoring. This study provides a framework to quantify daily ET estimates’ uncertainty and expected reliability when using the eddy covariance technique for ground-truthing or model validation purposes.

The Importance of Horizontal Poynting Flux in the Solar Photosphere

Abstract The electromagnetic energy flux in the lower atmosphere of the Sun is a key tool to describe the energy balance of the solar atmosphere. Current investigations on energy flux in the solar atmosphere focus primarily on the vertical electromagnetic flux through the photosphere, ignoring the Poynting flux in other directions and its possible contributions to local heating. Based on a realistic Bifrost simulation of a quiet-Sun (coronal hole) atmosphere, we find that the total electromagnetic energy flux in the photosphere occurs mainly parallel to the photosphere, concentrating in small regions along intergranular lanes. Thereby, it was possible to define a proxy for this energy flux based on only variables that can be promptly retrieved from observations, namely, horizontal velocities of the small-scale magnetic elements and their longitudinal magnetic flux. Our proxy accurately describes the actual Poynting flux distribution in the simulations, with the electromagnetic energy flux reaching 1010 erg cm−2 s−1. To validate our findings, we extended the analysis to Sunrise/IMaX data. First, we show that Bifrost realistically describes photospheric quiet-Sun regions, as the simulation presents similar distributions for line-of-sight magnetic flux and horizontal velocity field. Second, we found very similar horizontal Poynting flux proxy distributions for the simulated photosphere and observational data. Our results also indicate that the horizontal Poynting flux in the observations is considerably larger than the vertical electromagnetic flux from previous observational estimates. Therefore, our analysis confirms that the electromagnetic energy flux in the photosphere is mainly horizontal and is most intense in localized regions along intergranular lanes.