An areal surface energy balance model

Abstract

A methodology is presented in this thesis to estimate the spatial variations of the surface energy budget based on measurements from reference stations, topographical information and surface properties derived from remotely sensed imagery. According to this methodology, a physically-based areal surface energy balance model (ASEBM) is established to carry out the areal extrapolation of the surface energy flux terms. As an application, the ASEBM has been applied to an ice cap marginal area in the central Baffin Island for selected days from August, 1991. In order to have a general idea of the climate in the study area, a brief summary of the surface climate and energy balance during the spring and summer season has been presented. Although limitations in the observational data required that some assumptions be made in this application, the results are quite encouraging.