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The surface energy budget
What determines sensible and latent heat fluxes?
The movement of moisture and heat between the atmosphere and Earth's surface depends on the season, local climate, time of day, and also on several surface properties.
Wind - Fluxes of sensible and latent heat need motion in the atmosphere to physically transport the energy between the surface and air.
Land vs. water - The land heats up and cools down largely in response to the incoming solar radiation, but the oceans store heat during the day and so are less sensitive to daily and seasonal changes in radiation. For this reason, sensible and latent heat fluxes are close to zero at night over land but not over the oceans.
Albedo - The reflectivity of the surface is important because it determines how much incoming solar radiation the ground can potentially absorb
Vegetation type and agriculture - Plant roots help hold moisture in the top layers of the ground. For example, you would see more latent heat flow in a vegetated region than in a barren desert. Also, when people irrigate crops or water their lawns, they increase the potential evaporation that can occur from the surface.
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What determines sensible and latent heat fluxes?
The movement of moisture and heat between the atmosphere and Earth's surface depends on the season, local climate, time of day, and also on several surface properties.
Wind - Fluxes of sensible and latent heat need motion in the atmosphere to physically transport the energy between the surface and air.
Land vs. water - The land heats up and cools down largely in response to the incoming solar radiation, but the oceans store heat during the day and so are less sensitive to daily and seasonal changes in radiation. For this reason, sensible and latent heat fluxes are close to zero at night over land but not over the oceans.
Albedo - The reflectivity of the surface is important because it determines how much incoming solar radiation the ground can potentially absorb
Vegetation type and agriculture - Plant roots help hold moisture in the top layers of the ground. For example, you would see more latent heat flow in a vegetated region than in a barren desert. Also, when people irrigate crops or water their lawns, they increase the potential evaporation that can occur from the surface.
Next page -> what does this look like?
Links and resources
