COMPONENTS OF SURFACE-ENERGY BALANCE IN A TEMPERATE GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM

Eddy correlation measurements were made of fluxes of moisture, heat and momentum at a tallgrass prairie site near Manhattan, Kansas, U.S.A. during the First ISLSCPISLSCP: International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (for details, see Sellers et al., 1988). Field Experiment (FIFE) in 1987. The study site is dominated by three C4 grass species: big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). The stomatal conductance and leaf water potential of these grass species were also measured. In this paper, daily and seasonal variations in the components of the surface energy balance are examined. The aerodynamic and canopy surface conductances for the prairie vegetation are also evaluated. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.