Regional scale evaporation and the atmospheric boundary layer

Journal Article · Wed Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1995 · Reviews of Geophysics (1985)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/94RG03112· OSTI ID:96041

Evaporation into the atmosphere is fundamental to the fields of hydrology, meteorology, and climatology. With evolving interest in regional and global hydrologic processes there is an increasing recognition of the importance of the study of evaporation and land surface water balances for length scales of the order of 10 km. To obtain regional scale fluxes of water vapor, heat, and momentum, it is important to understand transport in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), which is defined to be that part of the atmosphere directly influenced by the land surface. In this review the authors briefly summarize some current models of evaporation and the ABL and discuss new experimental and computational opportunities that may aid their understanding of evaporation at these larger scales. In particular, consideration is given to remote sensing of the atmosphere, computational fluid dynamics and the role numerical models can play in understanding land-atmosphere interaction. These powerful modeling and measurement tools are allowing the authors to visualize and study spatial and temporal scales previously untouched, thereby increasing the opportunities to improve the understanding of land-atmosphere interaction. 311 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 96041
• Journal Information: Reviews of Geophysics (1985), Journal Name: Reviews of Geophysics (1985) Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 33; ISSN REGEEP; ISSN 8755-1209
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR-BIOSPHERE INTERACTIONS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVAPORATION
HYDROLOGY
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
WATER VAPOR