Turbulence flux estimates of sensible and latent heat near shelterbelts during low wind conditions

A study was conducted to evaluate sensible and latent heat fluxes near shelterbelts under low wind conditions using eddy correlation. The study site was located at the Agricultural Meteorological Research Center in Mead, Nebraska during the summer of 1995. A wheat stubble and alfalfa field surrounded by a shelterbelt 12 m in height were instrumented with surface energy balance systems using eddy correlation that were located in the windward and leeward side of the shelterbelts for both fields. Estimates of sensible and latent heat fluxes were compared for the windward and leeward sides of the shelterbelt for both surfaces. Daily sensible heat fluxes tended to be larger in the open location relative to the sheltered while latent heat fluxes tended to be higher behind the shelterbelt. Overall surface energy balance closure during the study averaged 0.85 indicating reliable consistent estimates of turbulence flux using eddy correlation near shelterbelts.