HR: 0800h
AN: H31D-0640    [Abstracts]
TI: Estimation of Global Ground Heat Flux
AU: Bennett, W
EM: wbennett3@nycap.rr.com
AF: Division of Environmental Remediation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-7014, United States
AU: * Wang, J
EM: jfwang@mit.edu
AF: Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 15 Vassar Street, Room 48-336C, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
AU: Bras, R
EM: rlbras@mit.edu
AF: Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 15 Vassar Street, Room 48-336C, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
AB: This study investigates the feasibility of a previously published algorithm for estimating global ground heat flux (GHF). The proposed method is based on an analytical solution of the diffusion equation for heat transfer in a soil layer that has been shown to be effective at local scales. The algorithm has several advantageous properties: (1) single-level input of surface (skin) temperature, (2) time-mean GHF derived directly from time-mean temperature input, (3) reduced sensitivity to the variability in soil thermal properties and moisture, (4) insensitivity to snow depth for GHF over snow cover, and (5) computationally effective. NECP Reanalysis data is used to obtain the thermal inertia parameter needed as a function of soil type globally. These parameter estimates are comparable to values obtained from in- situ observations. GHF is then estimated globally. Results are generally consistent with reanalysis products that use two-layer soil hydrology models to obtain GHF. Where they differ, we argue that the new algorithm is more robust and trustworthy. The procedure offers potential benefits for direct assimilation of surface temperature into the reanalysis models at various time scales.
DE: 1626 Global climate models (3337, 4928)
DE: 1814 Energy budgets
DE: 1836 Hydrological cycles and budgets (1218, 1655)
DE: 1849 Numerical approximations and analysis
DE: 1865 Soils (0486)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting