An overview of the results of the FIFE-87 and FIFE-89 campaigns

Results of a major land surface-atmosphere exchange study, the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE) are summarized. Findings result from nearly 80 days of field measurements over a 15 kilometer square area involving 30 science teams, seven remote sensing aircraft, and 5 satellites which acquired over 1200 low resolution and 35 high spatial resolution satellite images, maps of remotely sensed temperature, vegetation index and soil moisture, surface flux measurements from more than 20 ground stations and airborne sensors, and transects of vegetation, soil moisture and soil chemistry. Relationships between in situ, airborne, and spaceborne remote measurements and the problem of scaling will be discussed. Energy balance comparisons among sites were made. Diurnal measurements of latent heat fluxes indicated a strong correlation between the evaporative fraction at midday and the daytime average value.