Sensible Heat and Latent Heat Flux Estimates in a Tall and Dense Forest Canopy under Unstable Conditions

A method to estimate the sensible heat flux (H) for unstable atmospheric condition requiring measurements taken in half-hourly basis as input and involving land surface temperature (LST), HLST, was tested over a tall dense aspen stand. The avoids need zero-plane displacement roughness length momentum. net radiation (Rn) latent (λE) dominated energy balance (SEB). Therefore, λE estimated applying residual using HLST input, λER-LST. sum of H determined with eddy covariance (EC) led imbalance 20% Rn. Thus, reference comparisons were forcing SEB EC Bowen ratio (BREB method). For clear sky days, performed close HBREB. it showed potential framework remote sensing because requirements are similar current methods widely used. cloudy scattered HBREB nearly matched accumulated hear flux. Regardless time cloudiness, λER-LST λEBREB. all data, both not biased showed, respectively, mean absolute relative error 24.5% 12.5% an index agreement 68.5% 80%.