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In mountainous lake areas, lake-land and mountain-valley breezes interact with each other, leading to an “extended lake breeze”. These extended lake breezes can regulate and control energy and carbon cycles at different scales. Based on meteorological and turbulent fluxes data from an eddy covariance observation site at Erhai Lake in the Dali Basin, southwest China, characteristics of daytime and nighttime extended lake breezes and their impacts on energy and carbon dioxide exchange in 2015 are investigated. Lake breezes dominate during the daytime while, due to different prevailing circulations at night, there are two types of nighttime breezes. The mountain breeze from the Cangshan Mountain range leads to N1 type nighttime breeze events. When a cyclonic circulation forms and maintains in the southern part of Erhai Lake at night, its northern branch contributes to the formation of N2 type nighttime breeze events. The prevailing wind directions for daytime, N1, and N2 breeze events are southeast, west, and southeast, respectively. Daytime breeze events are more intense than N1 events and weaker than N2 events. During daytime breeze events, the lake breeze decreases the sensible heat flux (Hs) and carbon dioxide flux ( $$\boldsymbol{F}_{\text{CO}_{2}}$$ ) and increases the latent heat flux (LE). During N1 breeze events, the mountain breeze decreases Hs and LE and increases $$\boldsymbol{F}_{\text{CO}_{2}}$$ . For N2 breeze events, the southeast wind from the lake surface increases Hs and LE and decreases $$\boldsymbol{F}_{\text{CO}_{2}}$$ . Results indicate that lakes in mountainous areas promote latent heat mixing but suppress carbon dioxide exchange.

The stratification of the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) plays an important role in regulating the water vapor and heat exchange across the lake–air interface. Based on one year of data measured by the eddy covariance technique over Erhai Lake in 2015, the ASL stability ($${\rm{\zeta }}$$) was divided into six ranges, including unstable ($$ - 1 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt - 0.1$$), weakly unstable ($$ - 0.1 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt - 0.01$$), near-neutral1 ($$ - 0.01 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 0$$), near-neutral2 ($$0 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 0.01$$), weakly stable ($$0.01 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 0.1$$), and stable ($$0.1 \le {\rm{\zeta }} \lt 1$$). The characteristics of ASL stability conditions and factors controlling the latent ($$\rm LE$$) and sensible heat ($$H$$) fluxes under different stability conditions were analyzed in this study. The stability conditions of Erhai Lake have noticeably seasonal and diurnal variation, with the near-neutral and (weakly) stable stratification usually occurring before July, with frequencies of 51.7% and 23.3%, respectively, but most of the (weakly) unstable stratification was observed after July, with a frequency of 59.8%. Large evaporation occurred even in stable atmospheric conditions, due to the coupled effects of the relatively larger lake–air vapor pressure difference and wind speed. The relative controls of $$\rm LE$$ and $$H$$ by different atmospheric variables are largely dependent on the stability conditions. In stable and unstable ranges, $$\rm LE$$ is closely correlated with the vapor pressure difference, whereas in weakly unstable to weakly stable ranges, it is primarily controlled by wind speed. $$H$$ is related to wind speed and the lake–air temperature difference under stable conditions, but shows no obvious relationship under unstable conditions.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a key area affecting forecasts of weather and climate in China and occurrences of extreme weather and climate events over the world. The China Meteorological Administration, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly initiated the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Science Experiment (TIPEX-III) in 2013, with an 8–10-yr implementation plan. Since its preliminary field measurements conducted in 2013, routine automatic sounding systems have been deployed at Shiquanhe, Gaize, and Shenzha stations in western TP, where no routine sounding observations were available previously. The observational networks for soil temperature and soil moisture in the central and western TP have also been established. Meanwhile, the plateau-scale and regional-scale boundary layer observations, cloud-precipitation microphysical observations with multiple radars and aircraft campaigns, and tropospheric-stratospheric air composition observations at multiple sites, were performed. The results so far show that the turbulent heat exchange coefficient and sensible heat flux are remarkably lower than the earlier estimations at grassland, meadow, and bare soil surfaces of the central and western TP. Climatologically, cumulus clouds over the main body of the TP might develop locally instead of originating from the cumulus clouds that propagate northward from South Asia. The TIPEX-III observations up to now also reveal diurnal variations, macro- and microphysical characteristics, and water-phase transition mechanisms, of cumulus clouds at Naqu station. Moreover, TIPEX-III related studies have proposed a maintenance mechanism responsible for the Asian “atmospheric water tower” and demonstrated the effects of the TP heating anomalies on African, Asian, and North American climates. Additionally, numerical modeling studies show that the Γ distribution of raindrop size is more suitable for depicting the TP raindrop characteristics compared to the M-P distribution, the overestimation of sensible heat flux can be reduced via modifying the heat transfer parameterization over the TP, and considering climatic signals in some key areas of the TP can improve the skill for rainfall forecast in the central and eastern parts of China. Furthermore, the TIPEX-III has been promoting the technology in processing surface observations, soundings, and radar observations, improving the quality of satellite retrieved soil moisture and atmospheric water vapor content products as well as high-resolution gauge-radar-satellite merged rainfall products, and facilitating the meteorological monitoring, forecasting, and data sharing operations.

Large uncertainties exist in carbon sequestration and water exchange process in wetland ecosystems under climate change. Beihai wetland is a very rare special type of alpine marsh with plants floating on the water surface located in the southeast margin area of the Tibetan Plateau. Based on the eddy covariance measurements from July 2015 to December 2016 over Baihai wetland, we have investigated the patterns of energy and carbon dioxide fluxes between the air and the alpine marsh and their main drivers. The latent heat flux (LE) was the main consumer of available radiation which accounted for 63% of net radiation (Rn) in 2016. Rn was the main factor determining H at both wet and dry season. Air temperature (Ta) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD)were most influenced with half-hourly LE during both wet and dry season, and VPD showed a larger influence on NEE in dry season than that in wet season. The total evapotranspiration (ET) in wet season occupied 60% of annual ET with an amount of 762.3 mm yr−1 in 2016, which was much lower than the annual total precipitation (1780.2 mm yr−1). Photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) was the main controller in the half-hourly net ecosystem exchange (NEE), while Ta mainly controlled the seasonal variations in NEE. The annual total NEE, gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (RE) were -233.8, 796.6 and 562.8 g C m−2 yr−1 in 2016. The fraction of vegetation to water surface changed from 66% to 74% in the study period. A positive linearly relationship was both found between the fraction of vegetation to water surface and CO2 uptake and evapotranspiration. The fraction of vegetation to water surface could explain 40% variation of ET and 62% variation of NEE, respectively.

Based on five years of eddy covariance measurements at multiple levels (47, 140, and 280 m) of Beijing's 325-m meteorological tower, the exchange process of CO2 fluxes between the atmosphere and urban surface were investigated. As a result of the total vehicle control policy from 2011 in Beijing, the growth rate of annual total CO2 flux at 140 m is 7.8% from 2008–2010 but 2.3% from 2010–2012. With the minimum vegetation cover and largest population density, the 5-yr average annual total CO2 flux at 140 m is largest (6.41 kg C m−2 yr−1), compared with that at 47 m (5.78 kg C m−2 yr−1) and 280 m (3.99 kg C m−2 yr−1). With regards to annual total CO2 fluxes in Beijing, vehicle numbers and population are the main controlling factors. The measured CO2 fluxes were highly dependent on land cover/use in the prevailing wind direction. The CO2 fluxes at three layers all correlated positively with road fraction, with the R2 values being 0.69, 0.57, and 0.54 (P 摘要 本文基于北京325米气象塔在47, 140, 和280米三层高度的5年涡动相关观测资料, 研究了城市下垫面与大气间的CO2交换过程.由于北京市2011年开始实行工作日汽车尾号限行, 140米高度CO2通量的年增长率由2008–2010年的7.8%降低到2010–2012年的2.3%.140米高度通量源区内植被比例最小且人口密度最大, 因此140米高度的5年平均CO2通量年总量)6.41 kg C m−2 yr−1(大于47米)5.78 kg C m−2 yr−1(和280米)3.99 kg C m−2 yr−1(.在年尺度上, 北京汽车总保有量和总人口是最重要的CO2通量控制因子.CO2通量随风向的变化主要与风向对应的通量源区内下垫面土地利用方式有关.三层高度的夏季CO2通量均与道路的比例呈正相关关系.47, 140, 和280米的决定系数分别为0.69, 0.57, 和0.54 (P

The differences in planetary boundary layer characteristics, in particular atmospheric boundary layer height (ABLH), humidity, and local circulations in pre-monsoon and monsoon period over the Erhai Lake, were simulated by the lake-atmosphere coupled model WRF v3.7.1. No lake simulations were also conducted to investigate lake effects over complex topography. During pre-monsoon period, local circulation was fully developed under weak synoptic system. The ABLH ran up to 2300 m or so. During monsoon period, temperature difference between land and lake became smaller, resulting in weaker local circulations. The height of circulation reduced by 500 m, and ABLH ran up to 1100 m during the day. Enhanced soil moisture and low surface temperature due to monsoon rainfalls in July could be the main reason for the slightly lower ABLH over the Erhai Lake area. Specific humidity of the boundary layer increased 8.8 g kg−1 or so during monsoon period. The Erhai Lake enlarged thermal contrast between valley and mountain slope in the Dali Basin. The lake reduced air temperature by 2~3 °C during daytime and increased air temperature by nearly 2 °C in the evening. Due to its small roughness length and large thermal capacity, the Erhai Lake enlarged lake-land temperature difference and local wind speed. A cyclonic circulation was maintained by the combination of mountain breeze and land breeze in the south of the lake. The lake decreased air temperature, increased specific humidity, and reduced ABLH during daytime, whereas the opposite effect is presented at night.

Turbulence data (2008–2012) from a 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing, which consisted of three layers (47, 140, and 280 m), was used to analyze the vertical distribution characteristics of turbulent transfer over Beijing city according to similarity theory. The conclusions were as follows. (1) Normalized standard deviations of wind speeds σ i / u * were plotted as a function only of a local stability parameter. The values under near-neutral conditions were 2.15, 1.61, and 1.19 at 47 m, 2.39, 1.75, and 1.21 at 140 m, and 2.51, 1.77, and 1.30 at 280 m, showing a clear increase with height. The normalized standard deviation of wind components fitted the 1/3 law under unstable stratification conditions and decreased with height under both stable and unstable conditions. (2) The normalized standard deviation of temperature fitted the ‒1/3 law in the free convection limit, but was quite scattered with different characteristics under near-neutral conditions. The normalized standard deviations of humidity and the CO2 concentration fitted the ‒1/3 law under unstable conditions, and remained constant under near-neutral and stable stratification. The normalized standard deviation of scalars, i.e., temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, all increased with height. (3) Compared with momentum, and the water vapor and CO2 concentrations, the turbulence correlation coefficient for heat was smaller under near-neutral conditions, but larger under both stable and unstable conditions. A dissimilarity between heat, and the water vapor and CO2 concentrations was observed in urban areas. The relative correlation coefficients between heat and each of momentum, humidity, and CO2 concentration (| r wT / r uw |, | r wT / r wc | and | r wT / r uq |) in the lower layers were always larger than in higher layers, except for the relative correlation coefficient between heat and humidity in an unstable stratification. Therefore, the ratio between heat and each of momentum, humidity, and CO2 concentration decreased with height.

Tropical cyclones and meiyu-baiu fronts, as the two main synoptic systems over East Asia, bring heavy rain during summers, but their long-term and vertical raindrop size distribution (RSD) features over the midlatitude Japan Islands are limited. Radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) techniques require RSD observations. In this study, five-year observations from Tokyo with a ground-based impact Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer (JWD) and a vertically pointing micro rain radar (MRR) with a vertical range of 0.2&ndash, 6.0 km were used to study the vertical structures of RSD and QPE parameters. The results showed that the convective rain associated with tropical cyclones had a maritime nature, while the rain associated with the meiyu-baiu front had a continental nature. The rain associated with tropical cyclones had a relatively higher concentration of raindrops and a larger average raindrop diameter than the rain associated with the meiyu-baiu front. The Z&ndash, R (radar reflectivity-rain rate) relationships (Z = ARb) based on the JWD data for tropical cyclones, the meiyu-baiu front and total summer rainfall in Tokyo were Z = 189 R1.38, Z = 214 R1.35 and Z = 212 R1.33, respectively. When the Z&ndash, R relationships obtained in this study were used to replace the operational relationship of Z = 300 R1.4, the standard deviation of the rain rate was reduced from 5.50 mm/h (2.34 mm/h) to 2.34 mm/h (1.32 mm/h) for typhoon (meiyu-baiu front) rainfall, although the change for total summer rainfall was small. In addition, with increasing height below 4 km, the value of A and b decreased.

Based on eddy covariance flux data from July 15, 2014, to December 31, 2015, the water and CO2 fluxes were compared over a semiarid alpine steppe (Bange, Tibetan Plateau) and a humid alpine meadow (Lijiang, Yunnan) on the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding region. During the wet season, the evaporative fraction (EF) was strongly and linearly correlated with the soil water content (SWC) at Bange because of its sparse green grass cover. In contrast, the correlation between the EF at Lijiang and the SWC and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was very low because the atmosphere was close to saturation and the EF was relatively constant. In the dry season, the EF at both sites decreased with the SWC. The net ecosystem exchange (NEE) at Bange was largely depressed at noon, while this phenomenon did not occur at Lijiang. The saturated NEE at Bange was 24% of that at Lijiang. The temperature sensitivity coefficient of ecosystem respiration at Bange (1.7) was also much lower than that at Lijiang (3.4). The annual total NEE in 2015 was 21.8 and −230.0 g C m−2 yr−1 at Bange and Lijiang, respectively, and the NEE was tightly controlled by the NDVI at the two sites. The distinct differences in the water and CO2 fluxes at Bange and Lijiang are attributed to the large SWC difference and its effect on vegetation growth.

Based on the results from eleven flux sites during the third Tibetan Plateau (TP) Experiment (TIPEX III), land surface parameters and the turbulence characteristics of the atmospheric surface layer over the TP and surrounding region are analyzed. Monin-Obukhov similarity theory has been used to calculate the aerodynamic roughness length z0m and the excess resistance to heat transfer kB− 1 = ln(z0m/z0h), and the factors that cause variations of z0m and kB− 1 are investigated. The main sdrivers for the diurnal variations of surface albedo(α) at different sites are solar elevation, solar radiation, and soil moisture. The eddy correlation method is utilized to inversely calculate bulk transfer coefficients for momentum (CD) and heat (CH) at different sites. The relationships between CD and CH, and the wind speed at 10 m follow a power law for unstable stratification. For stable stratification, both CD and CH increase with increasing wind speed when wind speed is less than 5 m/s. Diurnal variations of turbulent fluxes are compared at different sites, and the relationships between turbulent fluxes and other variables are analyzed. Wind speed variance normalized by the friction velocity (σu/u*, σv/u*, σw/u*) for neutral stratification (Cu1,Cv1,Cw1), and temperature and humidity variance normalized by a temperature and humidity scale (σT/T*, σq/q*) under free convection (z/L

The cropland ecosystem in semiarid areas is sensitive to climate change. The accurate representation of crop phenology is important for predicting the carbon and water exchange process. The performance of a newly developed phenological model (SiBcrop) for simulations of carbon flux phenology in a semiarid area ecosystem was evaluated. The results showed that the SiBcrop improved the prediction for daily maximum gross primary production (GPP), and the days GPP reached the maximum value were closer to the observation, compared to SiB3. SiBcrop had a better prediction for both monthly total net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in the growing season than in the dormant season in semiarid areas. The day when the cumulative NEE predicted with SiBcrop became positive was closer to the observation. The observed start date of carbon uptake (CUstart) had a larger annual variation than did the end date of carbon uptake (CUend). SiBcrop had a better prediction for CUstart but poor for CUend, compared to SiB3. There was a longer carbon uptake period (CUP) predicted with SiBcrop than the observed results.

The effects of precipitation pulses on evapotranspiration (ET) and CO 2 fluxes were evaluated over different land surfaces in a semiarid area using eddy covariance technique. ET responded to rain events throughout the growing season, but the degree of responses varied among seasons. In spring and fall, ET slightly responded to precipitation pulses, because the precipitation amount in the rainfall event was small and very discrete. As the rainy season started in early summer, responses of ET to precipitation pulses significantly increased. In late summer, the intensity of responses in ET was weakened because the soils retain moisture by the high-frequency rainfall events and the antecedent soil moisture. Regarding CO 2 exchange, in early summer, the net CO 2 uptake slightly increased at the cultivated corn site after rain pulses, while the degraded grassland site experienced comparatively greater responses. In late summer, the cultivated corn site exhibited more negative CO 2 flux after rain than the grassland site, and the responses of net CO 2 uptake to rain pulses were much stronger than those in early summer. The soil moisture content and vegetation cover are the key factors in determining the responses of ET and CO 2 fluxes to precipitation pulses in these two semiarid ecosystems.

Lake evaporation is an important link connecting the water cycle and the surface energy cycle and remains one of the most uncertain terms in the local catchment&rsquo, s water balance. Quantifying lake evaporation and its variability is crucial to improve water resource management and understand the response of the lake system towards climate change. In this study, we evaluated the performances of nine evaporation methods at different timescales and calibrated them by using the continuous eddy covariance (EC) observation data during 2015&ndash, 2018 over Erhai Lake, a highland open freshwater lake situated in the Dali valley, China. The nine evaporation methods could be classified into combination methods (Bowen-ratio energy budget, Penman, Priestley&ndash, Taylor, DeBruin&ndash, Keijman and Brutsaert&ndash, Stricker), solar radiation-based methods (Jensen&ndash, Haise and Makkink) and Dalton-based method (mass transfer and Ryan&ndash, Harleman) based on their parameterization schemes. The Dalton-based Ryan&ndash, Harleman method is most suitable for estimating evaporation at daily to weekly scales, while the combination methods and solar radiation-based method had good estimates at monthly timescale. After calibration, the biases of the Jensen&ndash, Haise and Ryan&ndash, Harleman method were slightly reduced, while the biases of the Makkink and mass transfer methods were reduced substantially. The calibrated Jensen&ndash, Haise method with small annual bias (&minus, 2.2~2.8%) and simple input variables was applied to estimate the long-term trend of evaporation during 1981&ndash, 2018. The annual total evaporation showed an insignificant increasing trend of 0.30 mm yr&minus, 1, mainly caused by the significant rising air temperature. This study showed the performance of evaporation methods over water bodies had large discrepancies on different time scales, which indicated the importance of the choice of evaporation methods and provided instruction for water resource management of this region under climate change.

Phenology plays an important role in the carbon exchange process. Seven years of continuous eddy covariance data across two different ecosystems in a semiarid area were used to investigate the variation in phenology indices, its effect on the carbon exchange process, and responses to climate change. The results showed that there was large annual variation for vegetation phenology. The GSL (growing season length) displayed an obvious increasing trend for the grassland ecosystem during the 7 years, and it was most determined by SOS (the start day of growing season). The growing season was divided into three periods, the recovery period (S1), the stable period (S2), and the senescence period (S3). Both ecosystems had a similar ratio of Re (ecosystem respiration) to GPP (gross primary production) during S1 and S2 periods but a much larger Re/GPP ratio during the last growing period. The inter-annual variation of the peak rate was most responsible for the NEP (net ecosystem production) and its components (GPP and Re) in both ecosystems. The inter-annual variation of recovery rate, GSL and SOS was found to be closely correlated to Re for the grassland ecosystem, while that could not be found for the cropland ecosystem. The temperature in June was most closely correlated with the peak rate of GPP and NEP for grassland ecosystem, with a significant correlation coefficient of −0.90 and −0.82, respectively. Meanwhile, the precipitation in July was found to be closely correlated with GPP for both ecosystems, with a similar correlation coefficient of 0.83. The precipitation and temperature roughly exhibited an inverse effect on vegetation phenology in this semiarid area. The variation of temperature in the early month and precipitation in mid growing season showed a more significant effect on main phenology indicators for the cropland ecosystem than those for grassland ecosystem.

The planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization schemes play a critical role in the weather and climate models, while they describe physical processes associated with the momentum, heat and humidity exchange between land surface and atmosphere. The sensitivity of boundary layer variables to eight PBL parameterization schemes (three non-local and five local closure schemes), available in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, is evaluated over the central Tibetan Plateau with field measurements of the Third Tibetan Plateau atmospheric scientific experiment (TIPEX III) in July. Model results showed acceptable behavior, but no particular scheme produced the best performances for all observation stations and meteorological parameters. All PBL schemes underestimated the surface temperature over the central Tibetan Plateau. The BouLac scheme showed the minimum cold bias of the surface temperature. For the surface energy budget components, it was found that the sensible heat flux and the downward longwave radiation were the main factors causing the lower surface temperature. The sub-grid scale gravity wave drag was added to reduce biases result from unresolved topography over the central Tibetan Plateau. It led to smaller cold bias, causing warmer lower-tropospheric temperature, smaller water vapor content and higher PBL height. The modified model results show more close to the observation.

Eddy covariance measurements from 2012 to 2015 were used to investigate the interannual variation in carbon dioxide exchange and its control over an alpine meadow on the south-east margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in the 4 years from 2012 to 2015 was −114.2, −158.5, −159.9 and −212.6 g C m−2 yr−1, and generally decreased with the mean annual air temperature (MAT). An exception occurred in 2014, which had the highest MAT. This was attributed to higher ecosystem respiration (RE) and similar gross primary production (GPP) in 2014 because the GPP increased with the MAT, but became saturated due to the limit in photosynthetic capacity. In the spring (March to May) of 2012, low air temperature (Ta) and drought events delayed grass germination and reduced GPP. In the late wet season (September to October) of 2012 and 2013, the low Ta in September and its negative effects on vegetation growth caused earlier grass senescence and significantly lower GPP. This indicates that the seasonal pattern of Ta has a substantial effect on the annual total GPP, which is consistent with results obtained using the homogeneity-of-slopes (HOS) model. The model results showed that the climatic seasonal variation explained 48.6 % of the GPP variability, while the percentages explained by climatic interannual variation and the ecosystem functional change were 9.7 and 10.6 %, respectively.

Based on the carbon fluxes measured over the grassland ecosystems in Inner Mongolia (UG79 site), Loess Plateau (SACOL site), and Tongyu, Jilin Province (TY site) in the semiarid areas from 2007 to 2008 with the eddy covariance method, we have investigated the carbon exchange processes over semiarid grassland ecosystem and its main affecting environmental variables. The precipitations at UG79 and TY sites in 2007 were below the historical average, especially for TY site, which was 50% below the historical average annual precipitation. The precipitation in SACOL site was close to average in 2007 but below average in 2008. The variation of monthly diurnal average NEE showed that the diurnal mean NEE decreased in the order of TY site, UG79 site, and SACOL site. However, a longer net carbon uptake period was observed at SACOL site. The diurnal course of NEE at UG79 site was similar between 2007 and 2008. The diurnal average NEE remained large during July and August in growing season (May to September) at UG79 site, with maximum values approaching 0.08 mg C m−2 s−1 in August of 2008. The diurnal average NEE of 2007 was larger than 2008 at SACOL site, with maximum values of 0.07 mg C m−2 s−1 in September of 2007. A shorter carbon uptake period was recorded in 2007 at TY site, lasting from July to August. A larger diurnal average NEE occurred in 2008 at TY site, with maximum values of 0.12 mg C m−2 s−1. The ecosystem respirations of three sites were controlled by both soil temperature and soil volumetric water content (at a depth of 5 cm below the land surface). Both UG79 site and SACOL site acted as a carbon sink during the growing periods of 2007 and 2008. Annual NEE in the growing seasons of 2007 and 2008 ranged from −68 to −50 g C m−2 at UG79 site and from −109 to −55 g C m−2 at SACOL site. Alternation between carbon source and carbon sink was found at TY site, with respective values of annual NEE in the growing seasons of 0.32 g C m−2 and −73 g C m−2 in 2007 and 2008. The magnitude and duration of carbon uptake depended mainly on the amount and timing of precipitation and the timing of the first effective rainfall during the growing season in semiarid grassland ecosystems.

Here we report a multiyear study on the surface roughness length and bulk transfer coefficients over the degraded grassland and cropland surfaces in a semiarid area of China. Eddy covariance measurement and the meteorological profile observation data were used to analyze characteristics of these parameters on the diurnal, seasonal, and annual scales. Significant seasonal and annual variations of the aerodynamic roughness length are observed over the two surfaces. A large variation of kB −1 is measured during the day. Both kB −1 and the bulk transfer coefficients exhibit significant seasonal and annual variations. During the growing season (May to October), average C d and C h are 3.1×10−3 and 2.5×10−3 over the degrade grassland surface, and 4.7×10−3 and 3.1×10−3 over the cropland surface respectively. During the non-growing season, average C d and C h are 2.3×10−3 and 2.0×10−3 over the degrade grassland surface, and 2.9×10−3 and 2.2×10−3 over the cropland surface respectively.

Detecting the influences of land management on seasonal dynamics and interannual variabilities of grassland surface reflectance is of scientific and practical importance as it can help to monitor grazing effects on the grassland ecosystem. We conducted spectral reflectance measurements at five differently grazed sites in Inner Mongolia, China, during the growing seasons of 2005 and 2006 using a portable, highly resolving spectrometer. Through analyses of the measured surface reflectance spectra and the derived visible albedo and NDVI, we found that grazing influences the reflectance spectrum shape and affects the visible albedo and NDVI seasonal pattern; visible albedo and NDVI of grazed sites are more sensitive to precipitation than that of ungrazed sites. In addition, we observed a well-defined linear relationship between total shortwave and visible (PAR) albedo, with R = 0.83 and R = 0.94 for 2005 and 2006, respectively, and between NDVI and total shortwave albedo with R = −0.92. Thus, NDVI spectrometer measurements and total shortwave albedo pyranometer measurements are interchangeable when addressing different grazing intensities.

Analytical solutions of convective waves in the convective boundary layer (CBL) were obtained with two-layer linearized atmospheric equations including Rayleigh friction, which represents the turbulent viscosity in the lower CBL. The analytical model shows that the interaction between the convection in the lower layer and gravity waves in the upper layer is one of the causes for the formation of convective bands. The flow and temperature fields obtained by the analytical model present the main characteristics of convective bands found in field observations. We have also investigated the influences of atmospheric conditions on the characteristics of the bands. Results accord with previous knowledge about these phenomena.

A roving tower concept was used to compare a semi-arid grassland site in Inner Mongolia (China), which was fenced in 1979 and ungrazed thereafter (UG79) with differently grazed semi-arid steppe ecosystems. The study was conducted during three consecutive years characterised by contrasting precipitation. The different grazing intensities included continuously and moderately grazed (CG), winter grazed (WG), and heavily grazed (HG). Here, we compare the energy fluxes and surface parameters that characterise the differently managed plots. The main focus is on sensible heat flux (H), available energy (AE), surface temperature (T ( s )), and surface albedo (alpha). Systematic errors were excluded by a side-to-side intercomparison of the instruments, and systematic climatic differences were minimised by the close distance between the fixed and the roving eddy covariance tower. Statistically, AE and T ( s ) were always significantly different between two simultaneously measured grazing intensities. Whereas AE was higher at UG79 in all years (mean difference of about 19Wm(-2)), T ( s ) was typically lower at UG79 (mean differences of 0.4 degrees C to about 2 degrees C). The exception was the end of the vegetation period in 2004 when T ( s ) was 0.6 degrees C higher at UG79 compared to CG. At UG79 alpha was typically significantly lower, and H was typically significantly higher. Consequently, latent heat fluxes (both as energy balance residual and directly measured) do not differ much between the different grazing intensities. It is concluded, that (1) the roving tower concept is able to detect differences due to grazing, (2) differences between the sites can be attributed to real surface differences, and (3) differences due to grazing intensities are small compared to interannual differences in surface fluxes.

Parameterization of turbulent flux from bare-soil and undercanopy surfaces is imperative for modeling land–atmosphere interactions in arid and semiarid regions, where flux from the ground is dominant or comparable to canopy-sourced flux. This paper presents the major characteristics of turbulent flux transfers over seven bare-soil surfaces. These sites are located in arid, semiarid, and semihumid regions in Asia and represent a variety of conditions for aerodynamic roughness length (z0m; from

By solving the linearized atmospheric dynamic equation system including turbulent dissipation, the analytical solutions of wave drag and form drag over small scale terrain in a nocturnal stable boundary layer are obtained. The solutions show that the atmospheric conditions and terrain features such as the stability, wind speed and turbulent dissipation in the stable layer, the depth of the stable layer, the stability and wind speed in the upper residue layer as well as the height and slope of the terrain are all the factors affecting the values of the wave drag and form drag. Those factors should be considered in the parameterization schemes of the wave drag and form drag in a numerical model. The analyses also show that the form drag may be omitted as long as the terrain slope is small to a certain degree.

Numerical land surface models (LSMs) are abundant and in many cases highly sophisticated, yet their output has not converged towards a consensus depiction of reality. Addressing this matter is complicated by the huge number of possible combinations of input land characteristics, forcings, and physics packages available. The Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and its sister project the Land Information System (LIS) have made it straightforward to test a variety of configurations with multiple LSMs. In order to compare the impacts of the choice of LSM, land cover, soil, and elevation information, and precipitation and downward radiation forcing datasets on simulated evapotranspiration, sensible heat flux, and top layer soil moisture, a set of experiments was designed which made use of high quality, physically coherent, 1-year datasets from four reference sites of the Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period (CEOP) initiative. As in previous studies, it was shown that the LSM itself is generally the most important factor governing output. Beyond that, evapotranspiration seems to be most sensitive to precipitation, land cover, and radiation (in that order); sensible heat flux is most sensitive to radiation, precipitation, and land cover; and soil moisture is most sensitive to precipitation, soil, and land cover. Various seasonal and model specific dependencies and other caveats are discussed. Output fields were also compared with observations in order to test whether the LSMs are capable of simulating an observed reality given a plausible set of inputs. In general, that potential was fair for evapotranspiration, good for sensible heat flux but problematic given its strong sensitivity to the inputs, and poor for soil moisture. The results emphasize that improving the LSMs themselves, and notjust the inputs, will be essential if we hope to model land surface water and energy processes accurately.

This paper uses a Modified Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Scheme (MSPAS) to study the interaction between land surface and atmospheric boundary layer processes. The scheme is composed of two main parts: atmospheric boundary layer processes and land surface processes. Compared with SiB and BATS, which are famous for their detailed parameterizations of physical variables, this simplified model is more convenient and saves much more computation time. Though simple, the feasibility of the model is well proved in this paper. The numerical simulation results from MSPAS show good agreement with reality. The scheme is used to obtain reasonable simulations for diurnal variations of heat balance, potential temperature of boundary layer, and wind field, and spatial distributions of temperature, specific humidity, vertical velocity, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence exchange coefficient over desert and oasis. In addition, MSPAS is used to simulate the interaction between desert and oasis at night, and again it obtains reasonable results. This indicates that MSPAS can be used to study the interaction between land surface processes and the atmospheric boundary layer over various underlying surfaces and can be extended for regional climate and numerical weather prediction study.

Evaluation of the WRF3.7.1 lake model performance on lake physical processes and lake-atmosphere interaction at Erhai Lake was conducted with in-situ observation data sets over the lake to verify the model results. The lake model with default parameters presented significant negative bias during the day and positive bias during the night on lake surface temperature. Calibrations of water absorption and extinction coefficients, surface roughness length and eddy diffusion coefficient were carried out to correct this bias. The added absorption and extinction coefficients increased solar radiation in upper water layer, leading to a little higher surface temperature. Compared to constant surface roughness lengths, parameterization of roughness lengths as functions of friction velocity and fetch length significantly improved simulations of lake surface temperature and sensible heat flux. In Erhai Lake, eddy diffusion coefficient of the Henderson-Sellers parameterization is smaller than that in deep lakes. The eddy diffusion coefficient was reduced by a factor of 0.05 in dry season and 0.02 in wet season respectively to restrict mixing strength, generating a reasonable diurnal range with observed surface temperature. The adjusted parameters simulations matched better with in-situ observations in diurnal cycle of temperature and surface heat fluxes, but still overestimated wind speed. Topographic correction is effective to correct the bias, indicating topographic correction over complex terrain was necessary.

According to the boundary layer observations of three stations (Garze, Damxung and Qamdu) and relevant earth satellite, radiosonde and surface observations during the intensive observational period (IOP) of the second Tibetan (Qinghai-Xizang) Plateau Experiment of atmospheric science (TIPEX), the land-air physical process and dynamic model on the Tibetan Plateau were comprehensively analyzed in this study. The dynamic characteristics of boundary layer and the rules of turbulent motion on the plateau were illustrated. The characteristics of distributions of wind speed and direction with mutiple-layer structure and deep convective mixed layer on the plateau, the strong buoyancy effect in turbulent motion on the plateau on which the air density is obviously smaller than on the plain, and the Ekman spiral and its dynamic pump effect of the plateau deep boundary layer have been found. The local static distribution of water vapor and the horizontal advection of water vapor in the plateau boundary layer were studied. The abnomal thermodynamic structure on the plateau surface and boundary layer, including the plateau strong radiation phenomenon and strong heating source characteristics of the middle plateau, was also analyzed. The authors synthesized the above dynamic and thermodynamic structures of both surface and boundary layers on the plateau and posed the comprehensive physical model of the turbulence and convective mixture mechanism on the plateau boundary layer. The characteristics of formation, development and movement for convective cloud cluster over the plateau influencing floods in the Yangtze River area of China were studied. The conceptual model of dynamic and thermodynamic structures of turbulent motion and convective plume related to the frequent occurrence of “pop-corn-like” cloud system is given as well.

Based on the eddy covariance measurements from June 2011 to December 2013, the seasonal variations and the controls of water and CO2 fluxes were investigated over an alpine meadow in Lijiang, southwest China. The year 2012 had the largest total precipitation among years from 2011 to 2013 (1037.9, 1190.4, and 1066.1 mm, respectively). A spring drought event occurred from March to May 2012, and the peak normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in 2012 was the lowest. Throughout the whole year, net radiation (Rn), vapor pressure deficit, and air temperature (Ta) were the primary controls on evapotranspiration (ET), and R n is the most important factor. The influence of R n on ET was much more in the wet season (R(2) = 0.93) than in the dry season (R(2) = 0.28). In the wet season, the ratio of ET to equilibrium ET (ETeq) (0.92 ± 0.14; mean ± S.D.) did not show a clear seasonal pattern with NDVI when the soil water content (SWC) was usually more than 0.25 m(3) m(-3), indicating that ET could be predicted well by ETeq (or radiation and temperature). On half-hourly and daily scales, photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and air temperature were the main meteorological factors in determining the net ecosystem production (NEP). The seasonal trends of NEP were closely related with the change of NDVI. The integrated NEP in the 2012 wet season (157.8 g C m(-2) year(-1)) was 19.5 and 23.8 % lower than in the 2011 and 2013 wet season (207.0 and 196.1 g C m(-2) year(-1)). The mean ET/ETeq for each of the wet seasons from 2011 to 2013 was 0.88. The 2012 spring drought and its reduction in NDVI decreased the total NEP significantly but had little effect on the total ET in the wet season. The different response of NEP and ET to the spring drought was attributed to the high SWC and small vapor pressure deficit during the wet season.

Three velocity componentsand temperature were measured usingthree-dimensional sonic anemometers/thermometers attwo levels, above and within a forest canopy, in theChangbai Mountains of northeast China. Turbulencespectral structure, local isotropy anddissipation rates above and within the forest canopywere calculated using the eddy correlation method.Results show that the normalized turbulent spectralcurves have -2/3 slopes in the inertial subrange.While the shapes of the spectra are in good agreementwith the Kansas flat terrain results, the atmosphericturbulence is anisotropic above the forest canopy. Dueto breaking down of large eddies by the foliage,branches and trunks, the spectral peak frequencies forvelocity and temperature are higher withinthan above the forest canopy. Compared withmeasurements from previous studies over flat terrain,the velocity and temperature spectra above andinside the forest canopy appear to shift toward higherfrequencies. The turbulence is approximately isotropicin the inertial subrange within the forest canopy, and isanisotropic above the forest canopy. The turbulentkinetic energy and heat energy dissipation rates aboveand inside the forest canopy are much larger thanthose obtained by Kaimal and Hogstrom over grasslandand grazing land. The distinct features in the resultsof the present experiment may be attributed to thedynamic forcing caused by the rough surface of the forestcanopy.

Observational analyses and numerical simulations were carried out to study the characteristics of the winter urban boundary layer of a large city. The observations showed that with light winds the ground inversion at nighttime in urban areas was about 200 m deep. The heat island circulation, caused mainly by anthropogenic heating, induced reverse flow at the downwind part of the city. A shallow internal boundary layer with a depth of 50–80 m developed from the fringe of the city. In the daytime heavy smoke attenuated the solar radiation, and caused a cold island in the urban area, and retarded the development of a convective boundary layer. The features described above were well simulated by the numerical model.

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes from a cotton field in northern China were measured for a year using the static chamber method based on a gas chromatograph (GC) and the eddy covariance (EC) technique based on a tunable diode laser (TDL). The aims were to compare the N 2 O fluxes obtained from both techniques, assess the uncertainties in the fluxes and evaluate the annual direct emission factors ( EF d s, i.e. the loss rate of fertilizer nitrogen via N 2 O emission) using the year-round datasets. During the experimental period, the hourly and daily mean chamber fluxes ranged from 0.6 to 781.8 and from 1.2 to 468.8 μg N m −2 h −1 , respectively. The simultaneously measured daily mean EC fluxes varied between −10.8 and 912.0 μg N m −2 h −1 . The EC measurements only provided trustworthy 30-min fluxes during high-emission period (a 20-day period immediately after the irrigation that followed the nitrogen fertilization event). A reliable comparison was confined to the high-emission period and showed that the chamber fluxes were 17–20% lower than the EC fluxes. This difference may implicate the magnitude of systematic underestimation in the fluxes from chamber measurements. The annual emission from the fertilized cotton field was estimated at 1.43 kg N ha −1 yr −1 by the chamber observations and 3.15 kg N ha −1 yr −1 by the EC measurements. The EF d s calculated from the chamber and EC data were 1.04% and 1.65%, respectively. The chamber-based estimate was very close to the default value (1.0%) recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, the difference in the EF d s based on the two measurement techniques may vary greatly with changing environmental conditions and management practices. Further comparison studies are still needed to elucidate this issue.