Open AccessObservations of daytime surface energy balance in cloudy tropical conditions at Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Author(s) -
Olugbemiro J. Jegede
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
mausam
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.243
H-Index - 12
ISSN - 0252-9416
DOI - 10.54302/mausam.v53i3.1652
Subject(s) - sensible heat , latent heat , daytime , bowen ratio , environmental science , energy balance , cloud cover , atmospheric sciences , morning , climatology , humidity , meteorology , geography , physics , geology , cloud computing , astronomy , computer science , thermodynamics , operating system
Daytime energy balance at the surface in cloudy tropical conditions for Ile-Ife; Nigeria (7°33'N, 4°34'E) is investigated based on a series of micrometeorological measurements performed in October/November of 1998. For the humid environment that it is (mixing ratio, 17 -25 g / kg), magnitudes of the latent heat flux were much larger than the values for the sensible heat. Of the morning hours the average value for the Bowen ratio obtained was 0.36, while for the afternoons it was 0.74. As the soil surface became dried up in the afternoons, magnitudes of both sensible heat and ground heat fluxes were found to be comparable.
Fluctuations in the magnitudes of the terms of the surface energy balance correlated well to the cloud amount, degree of soil wetness, air temperature and humidity. But of all these factors, the variation in the amount of cloudiness appeared most dominant.