On turbulent heat flux contributions to the energy balance at the Opabin Glacier, Yoho National Park, Canada.

摘要

Turbulent heat flux and its contribution to energy balance is investigated at two glaciers in the Canadian Rockies. Detailed profile measurements of wind, temperature, and humidity in the lower boundary layer above the Opabin Glacier reveal a predominantly stable boundary layer regime. Wind speeds generally increase with height and temperature profiles are predominantly logarithmic in nature, however humidity profiles do not exhibit the archetypal shape. Roughness lengths derived using the profile method are used to calculate energy balance in fifteen unique models per site. The models perform best at both sites when a constant roughness value is used; however, the median value of all found roughness lengths performs better than mean value which is typically used in current literature. Model results improve when melt is restricted to periods when surface temperature is above 0°C, and when atmospheric stability corrections are applied.