Open AccessHeat balance of an asphalt surface: observations and physically‐based simulations
Author(s) -
Jansson C.,
Almkvist E.,
Jansson PE.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
meteorological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1469-8080
pISSN - 1350-4827
DOI - 10.1017/s1350482706002179
Subject(s) - sensible heat , environmental science , heat transfer , latent heat , heat flux , turbulence , surface runoff , closure (psychology) , meteorology , asphalt , energy balance , mechanics , atmospheric sciences , thermodynamics , materials science , geology , physics , ecology , economics , market economy , composite material , biology
Abstract A physically‐based 1‐D heat and mass transfer model was tested to estimate the heat fluxes of an asphalt surface. The model was run for two summer months for a road test site in southwest Sweden. Parameters for thermal properties, surface runoff, radiation and turbulent transfer were obtained from a description of the road stratification and from the literature. Coefficients of determination (r2) 0.94, 0.93 and 0.97 were obtained when simulated results were compared with observations of net radiation, heat flow below the surface and surface temperature respectively, all with slope coefficients close to unity. In addition, simulation results elucidated the role of water vapour transport through the asphalt‐soil profile and its effect on the latent heat flow from the surface. Problems were identified with closure of the heat balance in measurements based on discrepancy between simulated and observed sensible heat flux. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society.