Wm. Angevine et al., REMOTE-SENSING OF VERTICAL VELOCITY VARIANCE AND SURFACE HEAT-FLUX INA CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY-LAYER, Journal of applied meteorology, 33(8), 1994, pp. 977-983
The vertical velocity variance in the convective atmospheric boundary
layer is estimated from measurements made with a 915-MHz boundary laye
r wind-profiling radar. The vertical velocity variance estimates are u
sed to infer the surface virtual heat flux through a relationship with
the convective velocity scale w. The flux estimates are compared wit
h in situ surface flux measurements and estimates extrapolated to the
surface from direct eddy correlation measurements made with a profiler
and radio acoustic sounding system. The measurements were made during
the Rural Oxidants in the Southern Environment II Experiment in June
1992. The experiment area is primarily pine forest, and the dominant w
eather conditions were hot with light winds. The profiler variance mea
surements are compatible with theory and earlier observations. Both re
mote radar methods of estimating surface virtual heat flux agree with
in situ measurements to within the sampling uncertainty.