Determination of Land Surface Heat Fluxes at Different Temporal Scales over the Tibetan Plateau

Surface energy budget components (such as net radiation flux, sensible heat flux, latent heat flux and soil heat flux) at multiple temporal scales have significant meaning for understanding the energy and water cycle over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). In the framework of ESA-MOST Dragon Programme 4, the surface energy balance system (SEBS) was tested and used to derive surface heat fluxes at different temporal scales over the TP by a combination use of geostationary satellite (FY-2C) data, polar orbiting satellite (SPOT/VGT, Terra/MODIS) data and ITPCAS forcing data. The validation results show there is a good agreement between derived heat fluxes and in situ measurements from Third Pole Environment Observation and Research Platform (TPEORP), which means the feasibility to derive surface heat fluxes over heterogeneous landscapes by a combination use of geostationary and polar orbiting satellite data in SEBS. The diurnal, seasonal and inter-annual variation characteristics were also clearly identified through analyses of derived turbulent fluxes.