Regional fluxes of momentum and sensible heat over a sub-arctic landscape during late winter

Based on measurements at Sodankyla Meteorological Observatory the regional (aggregated) momentum and sensible heat fluxes are estimated for two days over a site in Finnish Lapland during late winter. The forest covers 49% of the area. The study shows that the forest dominates and controls the regional fluxes of momentum and sensible heat in different ways.

The regional momentum flux is found to be 10-20% smaller than the measured momentum flux over the forest, and the regional sensible heat flux is estimated to be 30-50% of the values measured over a coniferous forest. The regional momentum flux is determined in two ways, both based on blending height theory.

One is a parameterised method, the other represents a numerical solution of an aggregation model. The regional sensible heat flux is determined from the theory of mixed-layer growth. At near neutral conditions the regional momentum flux can be determined independently of the regional sensible heat flux.

At unstable conditions the two models become coupled. The information that is needed by the parameterised blending height method and by the mixed-layer evolution method in order to derive the regional fluxes of momentum and sensible heat can be obtained from radiosonde profiles of wind speed and temperature.