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Results from One-Year Continuous Operation of a Large Aperture Scintillometer over a Heterogeneous Land Surface

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Abstract

A large-aperture scintillometer (LAS) was operated continuouslyduring a period of more than one year over a heterogeneous land surface in Central Europeat the transition between marine and continental climates. The LAS measurements of the refractiveindex structure parameter, CN 2, were used to estimate the sensible heat flux. Thiswas possible for about 60to 80% of the time under daytime conditions during thesummer, with lower values obtained for the cold season (October to March). Using datafrom a three-week long field experiment, the LAS-based heat flux was compared with a weighedaverage of local heat flux measurements over the main land use classes (forest, agriculture,water) in the area, resulting in reasonable agreement. LAS-based heat fluxes were then used forcomparison with the heat flux values of a numerical weather prediction model. An over-predictionof the model heat flux was found in summer but the modelled values were lower than the LASderived data during the cold season.

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Correspondence to F. Beyrich.

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Beyrich, F., De Bruin, H.A.R., Meijninger, W.M.L. et al. Results from One-Year Continuous Operation of a Large Aperture Scintillometer over a Heterogeneous Land Surface. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 105, 85–97 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019640014027

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