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Global fields of soil moisture and land surface evapotranspiration derived from observed precipitation and surface air temperatureThe global fields of normal monthly soil moisture and land surface evapotranspiration are derived with a simple water budget model that has precipitation and potential evapotranspiration as inputs. The precipitation is observed and the potential evapotranspiration is derived from the observed surface air temperature with the empirical regression equation of Thornthwaite (1954). It is shown that at locations where the net surface radiation flux has been measured, the potential evapotranspiration given by the Thornthwaite equation is in good agreement with those obtained with the radiation-based formulations of Priestley and Taylor (1972), Penman (1948), and Budyko (1956-1974), and this provides the justification for the use of the Thornthwaite equation. After deriving the global fields of soil moisture and evapotranspiration, the assumption is made that the potential evapotranspiration given by the Thornthwaite equation and by the Priestley-Taylor equation will everywhere be about the same; the inverse of the Priestley-Taylor equation is used to obtain the normal monthly global fields of net surface radiation flux minus ground heat storage. This and the derived evapotranspiration are then used in the equation for energy conservation at the surface of the earth to obtain the global fields of normal monthly sensible heat flux from the land surface to the atmosphere.
Document ID
19930068715
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Mintz, Y.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Walker, G. K.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Applied Meteorology
Volume: 32
Issue: 8
ISSN: 0894-8763
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Accession Number
93A52712
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-26
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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