HR: 0800h
AN: H21H-0827 INVITED    [Abstracts]
TI: Scintillometry for Evaporation Measurements - Between Pragmatism and Perfectionism
AU: * Thiermann, V
EM: volker.thiermann@scintec.com
AF: Scintec AG, Europaplatz 3, Tubingen, 72072, Germany
AB: During the last twenty years, scintillometers have been discovered as powerful tools for the measurement of turbulent heat exchanges in meteorology and related sciences, such as hydrology and agriculture. A rapidly growing number of scintillometer installations access energy balances and determine evaporation over large spatial scales. Scientists target at refining satellite remote sensing schemes and optimizing irrigation to save valuable water resources. Short-path and long-path scintillometers are available with their distinct features, capabilities and applications. The ability of scintillometers to measure path averaged turbulence at high temporal resolution resulted in data sets delivering striking evidence of the particular advantages of the scintillation method. The theory, however, is quite complex and there are still areas of uncertainty. More experimental and theoretical efforts are required or being done to improve our knowledge about turbulence spectra near the dissipation range, about optical scattering in strong turbulence, about similarity relations and about the effect of inhomogeneities and entrainment on scintillation measurements. Instrumental design is being improved with respect to the accuracy of the physical parameters involved, the implementation of new theoretical findings and methods, as well as the optimization of user interfaces to facilitate set-up and operation. Scintillometry fascinates and has gained wide acceptance. Today, even with a long list of questions still remaining open, an overwhelming amount of impressive measurement results satisfies every pragmatic and challenges every perfectionist.
DE: 1876 Water budgets
DE: 1880 Water management (6334)
DE: 1895 Instruments and techniques: monitoring
DE: 3307 Boundary layer processes
DE: 3379 Turbulence (4490)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting