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On the Brutsaert temperature roughness length model for sensible heat flux estimation
Author(s) -
Cahill Anthony T.,
Parlange Marc B.,
Albertson John D.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/97wr01638
Subject(s) - sensible heat , heat flux , flux (metallurgy) , surface roughness , scalar (mathematics) , surface finish , mechanics , thermodynamics , meteorology , environmental science , mathematics , materials science , heat transfer , physics , geometry , metallurgy , composite material
The scalar roughness length for temperature, z 0 h , is necessary to estimate the sensible flux from atmospheric surface layer similarity theory in conjunction with skin temperature measurements. A theoretical relationship for z 0 h as a function of the roughness Reynolds number z 0+ which was developed by Brutsaert [1975] for rough‐bluff surfaces is often used to link infrared skin temperature measurements to atmospheric temperature measurements. Measurements of sensible heat flux and temperature at two semiarid sites are used to evaluate and test the temperature roughness length model coefficients. Consideration of the measurement error is important to derive an accurate set of coefficients. These new field‐based coefficients correct for some of the underprediction of sensible heat flux at high flux rates that occurred with past formulations.