Suburban-rural energy balance comparisons in summer for Vancouver, B.C.

Abstract

Simultaneous energy balance observations at a rural and a suburban site in Vancouver, B.C. during the summer of 1983 are presented. The study is a follow-up to that conducted in 1980. Many of the 1980 results were unexpected and the present study seeks to assess their representativeness. The net radiant, turbulent sensible, and rural soil heat flux densities were measured directly. The suburban heat storage was parameterized and the turbulent latent heat flux densities were resolved as residuals in the energy balances. The 1983 average diurnal energy partitioning for both sites was typical of those quoted in the literature, suggesting that the 1980 results represent an extreme case. Suburban-rural differences showed the suburban area to have a 4% increase in net radiation, a 51% increase in turbulent sensible heat, and a 46% decrease in turbulent latent heat flux density. The values of the average daytime Bowen ratio were 0.46 and 1.28 for the rural and suburban areas, respectively. The sensible heat flux density exhibited relatively large values in the late afternoon and remained directed upward on many summer evenings. Large day-to-day variability in the relative magnitude of the suburban turbulent fluxes may have been due to synoptic influences. In this environment, the turbulent surface and mixed layers are closely coupled because of the low aerodynamic resistance over the rough surface.