12 Jun 2009
12 Jun 2009
A Bayesian approach to estimate sensible and latent heat over vegetated land surface
C. van der Tol1, S. van der Tol2, A. Verhoef3, B. Su1, J. Timmermans1, C. Houldcroft3, and A. Gieske1
C. van der Tol et al.
C. van der Tol1, S. van der Tol2, A. Verhoef3, B. Su1, J. Timmermans1, C. Houldcroft3, and A. Gieske1
- 1ITC International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation Hengelosestraat 99, P. O. Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands
- 2Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
- 3The University of Reading, Department of Soil Science, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, Reading RG6 6DW, UK
- 1ITC International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation Hengelosestraat 99, P. O. Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands
- 2Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
- 3The University of Reading, Department of Soil Science, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, Reading RG6 6DW, UK
Hide author details
Received: 29 Jan 2009 – Discussion started: 16 Mar 2009 – Revised: 13 May 2009 – Accepted: 21 May 2009 – Published: 12 Jun 2009
Sensible and latent heat fluxes are often calculated from bulk transfer equations combined with the energy balance. For spatial estimates of these fluxes, a combination of remotely sensed and standard meteorological data from weather stations is used. The success of this approach depends on the accuracy of the input data and on the accuracy of two variables in particular: aerodynamic and surface conductance. This paper presents a Bayesian approach to improve estimates of sensible and latent heat fluxes by using a priori estimates of aerodynamic and surface conductance alongside remote measurements of surface temperature. The method is validated for time series of half-hourly measurements in a fully grown maize field, a vineyard and a forest. It is shown that the Bayesian approach yields more accurate estimates of sensible and latent heat flux than traditional methods.
