Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

The Effect of Soil Thermal Conductivity Parameterization on Surface Energy Fluxes and Temperatures

C. D. Peters-Lidard Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Search for other papers by C. D. Peters-Lidard in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
E. Blackburn Water Resources Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Search for other papers by E. Blackburn in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
X. Liang Water Resources Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Search for other papers by X. Liang in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
E. F. Wood Water Resources Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Search for other papers by E. F. Wood in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Apr 1998
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1998)055<1209:TEOSTC>2.0.CO;2
Page(s):
1209–1224
Restricted access

Abstract

The sensitivity of sensible and latent heat fluxes and surface temperatures to the parameterization of the soil thermal conductivity is demonstrated using a soil vegetation atmosphere transfer scheme (SVATS) applied to intensive field campaigns (IFCs) 3 and 4 of the First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project) Field Experiment (FIFE). In particular, the commonly used function for soil thermal conductivity presented by M. C. McCumber and R. A. Pielke results in overestimation during wet periods and underestimation during dry periods, as confirmed with thermal conductivity data collected at the FIFE site. The ground heat flux errors affect all components of the energy balance, but are partitioned primarily into the sensible heat flux and surface temperatures in the daytime. At nighttime, errors in the net radiation also become significant in relative terms, although all fluxes are small. In addition, this method erroneously enhances the spatial variability of fluxes associated with soil moisture variability. The authors propose the incorporation of an improved method for predicting thermal conductivity in both frozen and unfrozen soils. This method requires the specification of two additional parameters, and sensitivity studies and tables of recommended parameter values to facilitate the incorporation of this method into SVATS are presented.

Corresponding author address: Christa Peters-Lidard, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355.

Abstract

The sensitivity of sensible and latent heat fluxes and surface temperatures to the parameterization of the soil thermal conductivity is demonstrated using a soil vegetation atmosphere transfer scheme (SVATS) applied to intensive field campaigns (IFCs) 3 and 4 of the First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project) Field Experiment (FIFE). In particular, the commonly used function for soil thermal conductivity presented by M. C. McCumber and R. A. Pielke results in overestimation during wet periods and underestimation during dry periods, as confirmed with thermal conductivity data collected at the FIFE site. The ground heat flux errors affect all components of the energy balance, but are partitioned primarily into the sensible heat flux and surface temperatures in the daytime. At nighttime, errors in the net radiation also become significant in relative terms, although all fluxes are small. In addition, this method erroneously enhances the spatial variability of fluxes associated with soil moisture variability. The authors propose the incorporation of an improved method for predicting thermal conductivity in both frozen and unfrozen soils. This method requires the specification of two additional parameters, and sensitivity studies and tables of recommended parameter values to facilitate the incorporation of this method into SVATS are presented.

Corresponding author address: Christa Peters-Lidard, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355.

Save
Cover Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

  • Al Nakshabandi, G., and H. Kohnke, 1965: Thermal conductivity and diffusivity of soils as related to moisture tension and other physical properties. Agric. Meteor.,2, 271–279.

  • Avissar, R., and R. A. Pielke, 1989: A parameterization of heterogeneous land surfaces for atmospheric numerical models and its impact on regional meteorology. Mon. Wea. Rev.,117, 2113–2136.

  • ——, and M. M. Verstraete, 1990: The representation of continental surface processes in atmospheric models. Rev. Geophys.,28, 35–52.

  • Buckman, H. O., and N. C. Brady, 1969: The Nature and Properties of Soils. MacMillan, 653 pp.

  • Chen, F., and Coauthors, 1996: Modeling of land surface evaporation by four schemes and comparison with FIFE observations. J. Geophys. Res.,101(D3), 7251–7268.

  • Clapp, R. B., and G. M. Hornberger, 1978: Empirical equations for some soil hydraulic properties. Water Resour. Res.,14, 601–604.

  • Clark, C. A., and R. W. Arritt, 1995: Numerical simulations of the effect of soil moisture and vegetation cover on the development of deep convection. J. Appl. Meteor.,34, 2030–2045.

  • Collins, D. C., and R. Avissar, 1994: An evaluation with the Fourier amplitude sensitivity test (FAST) of which land–surface parameters are of greatest importance in atmospheric modeling. J. Climate,7, 681–703.

  • Cosby, B. J., G. M. Hornberger, R. B. Clapp, and T. R. Ginn, 1984:A statistical exploration of the relationship of moisture characteristics to the physical properties of soils. Water Resour. Res.,20, 682–690.

  • Cuenca, R. H., M. Ek, and L. Mahrt, 1996: Impact of soil water property parameterization on atmospheric boundary layer simulation. J. Geophys. Res.,101 (D3), 7269–7277.

  • Das, B. M., 1985: Principles of Geotechnical Engineering. PWS Engineering, 571 pp.

  • Deardorff, J. W., 1978: Efficient prediction of ground surface temperature and moisture, with inclusion of a layer of vegetation. J. Geophys. Res.,83(C4), 1889–1903.

  • de Vries, D. A., 1963: Thermal properties of soils. Physics of Plant Environments, W. R. van Wijk, Ed., North-Holland, 210–235.

  • Ek, M., and L. Mahrt, 1991: OSU 1D PBL Model: User’s guide, version 1.0.4. Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 120 pp. [Available from Dept. of Atmos. Sci., Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331.].

  • ——, and R. H. Cuenca, 1994: Variation in soil parameters: Implications for modeling surface fluxes and atmospheric boundary layer development. Bound.-Layer Meteor.,70, 369–383.

  • Famiglietti, J. F., and E. F. Wood, 1994a: Multiscale modeling of spatially variable water and energy balance processes. Water Resour. Res.,30, 3061–3078.

  • ——, and ——, 1994b: Application of multiscale water and energy balance models on a tallgrass prairie. Water Resour. Res.,30, 3079–3093.

  • Farouki, O. T., 1986: Thermal Properties of Soils. Series on Rock and Soil Mechanics, Vol. 11, Trans Tech, 136 pp.

  • Garratt, J. R., 1993: Sensitivity of climate simulations to land–surface and atmospheric boundary-layer treatments—A review. J. Climate,6, 419–449.

  • Henderson-Sellers, A., A. J. Pitman, P. K. Love, P. Irannejad, and T. H. Chen, 1995: The Project for Intercomparison of Land Surface Schemes (PILPS): Phases 2 and 3. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,76, 489–503.

  • Hillel, D., 1980: Fundamentals of Soil Physics. Academic Press, 413 pp.

  • Johansen, O., 1975: Thermal conductivity of soils. Ph.D. thesis, University of Trondheim, 236 pp. [Available from Universitetsbiblioteket i Trondheim, Høgskoleringen 1, 7034 Trondheim, Norway.].

  • Kersten, M. S., 1949: Thermal properties of soils. University of Minnesota Engineering Experiment Station Bulletin 28, 227 pp. [Available from University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN 55108.].

  • McCumber, M. C., and R. A. Pielke, 1981: Simulation of the effects of surface fluxes of heat and moisture in a mesoscale numerical model. J. Geophys. Res.,86(C10), 9929–9938.

  • McInnes, K. J., 1981: Thermal conductivities of soils from dryland wheat regions of eastern Washington. M.S. thesis, Dept. of Agronomy and Soils, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 51 pp. [Available from Owen Science Library, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163-3200.].

  • Noilhan, J., and S. Planton, 1989: A simple parameterization of land surface processes for meteorological models. Mon. Wea. Rev.,117, 536–549.

  • Peters-Lidard, C. D., M. S. Zion, and E. F. Wood, 1997: A soil–vegetation–atmosphere transfer scheme for modeling spatially variable water and energy balance processes. J. Geophys. Res.,102 (D4), 4303–4324.

  • Philip, J. R., 1957: Evaporation, and moisture and heat fields in the soil. J. Meteor.,14, 354–366.

  • Pleim, J. E., and A. Xu, 1995: Development and testing of a surface flux and planetary boundary layer model for application in mesoscale models. J. Appl. Meteor.,34, 16–32.

  • Rawls, W. J., D. L. Brakensiek, and K. E. Saxton, 1982: Estimation of soil water properties. Trans. Amer. Soc. Agric. Eng.,25, 1316–1320.

  • Sellers, P. J., F. G. Hall, G. Asrar, D. E. Strebel, and R. E. Murphy, 1992: An overview of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE). J. Geophys. Res.,97(D17), 18345–18371.

  • ——, D. A. Randall, G. J. Collatz, J. A. Berry, C. B. Field, D. A. Dazlich, C. Zhang, G. D. Collelo, and L. Bounoua, 1996: A revised land surface parameterization (SiB2) for atmospheric GCMs. Part I: Model formulation. J. Climate,9, 676–705.

  • Shukla, J., and Y. Mintz, 1982: Influence of land–surface evapotranspiration on the earth’s climate. Science,215, 1498–1501.

  • Strebel, D. E., D. Landis, K. F. Huemmrich, and B. W. Meeson, 1994:Collected data of the First ISLSCP Field Experiment. Surface Observations and Non-Image Data Sets, Vol. 1, NASA, CD-ROM.

  • Viterbo, P., and A. C. M. Beljaars, 1995: An improved land surface parameterization scheme in the ECMWF model and its validation. J. Climate,8, 2716–2748.

  • Walker, J., and P. R. Rowntree, 1977: The effect of soil moisture on circulation and rainfall in a tropical model. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc.,103, 29–46.

  • Xinmei, H., and T. J. Lyons, 1995: The simulation of surface heat fluxes in a land surface–atmosphere model. J. Appl. Meteor.,34, 1099–1111.

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 2747 645 72
PDF Downloads 1733 350 28