Paper
18 September 2009 Critical analysis of empirical ground heat flux equations on a cereal field using micrometeorological data
Carmelo Cammalleri, Goffredo La Loggia, Antonino Maltese
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Abstract
The rate at which the net radiation is transferred to the soil as ground heat flux varies with surface characteristics. Surface energy balance algorithms use empirical relationships taking into account the effects of the canopy cover to insulate the soil through vegetation indexes, the soil capacity to absorb incoming net radiation via the albedo, and the surface temperature promoting the energy transfer. However empirical relationships are often dependent on local conditions, such as the soil humidity and vegetation type. Ground heat flux assumes a minimum value in case of full canopy cover and a maximum value for dry bare soil. Aim of the present research is the critical analysis of some ground heat flux equations on a homogeneous field of cereal using measured data acquired between February and May 2008. The study period covers almost a full phenological cycle, including phases characterised by a significant change in both reflected radiation and vegetation cover. The dataset begins with the emergence phase, in November, within which shoots emerge from the ground and finishes with the flowering phase, in May, when tiny white stems begin to come-out; moreover the dataset includes a bare soil period (from September up to November). The daily evapotranspiration is calculated in energy balance models under the hypotheses of negligible daily ground heat flux and constant daily evaporative fraction. Actually micrometeorological data show that daily average ground heat flux is not null but characterised by an increasing or decreasing transient. As a consequence, it is particular important to assess the effects of neglecting the daily ground heat flux on daily evapotranspiration estimation.
© (2009) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Carmelo Cammalleri, Goffredo La Loggia, and Antonino Maltese "Critical analysis of empirical ground heat flux equations on a cereal field using micrometeorological data", Proc. SPIE 7472, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology XI, 747225 (18 September 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.830289
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Cited by 8 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Heat flux

Soil science

Vegetation

Humidity

Radon

Calibration

Remote sensing

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