Impact of Cloud Longwave Radiative Surface Forcing On Interception Loss From A Coniferous Forest Canopy
✍ Scribed by J. G. Lockwood
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1992
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 433 KB
- Volume
- 118
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0035-9009
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Downward longwave radiation at the surface is greater in a cloudy atmosphere than in a clear one. This additional longwave radiative forcing at the surface has an average daily value in Britain of around 40 W m^−2^, which is small compared to observed fine‐weather shortwave radiative fluxes. However in British rainfall events, the intensity of the incoming shortwave radiation is normally around 100 W m^−2^ or less during the day and zero at night. A numerical experiment using a multilayer model of a coniferous forest is described that suggests that during typical rainfall under British conditions the additional cloud longwave radiative forcing has a significant impact on interception loss from coniferous forest canopies. Interception loss is reduced from about 31% of rainfall, with normal cloud longwave radiative surface forcing, to about 15% with the cloud longwave forcing removed. This result is confirmed using a single‐layer model of a coniferous forest over an 80‐day period.