Spatially integrated measurements of sensible heat flux using scintillometry

The use of large aperture scintillometry allows for the measurement of sensible heat flux over a path varying from 0.5 to 4.5 km. Scintillometer measurements aggregate surface heterogeneities by giving a single spatially-integrated value. This is analogous to the grid-point value simulated by surface parameterizations, which must incorporate all the different components of surface in order to give the lower boundary condition to atmospheric models. The compatibility in scale with mesoscale meteorological models, normally used in operational weather forecasting, makes scintillometry an important tool for model evaluation. This work presents the results from sensible heat flux measurements in central London. Implications of measurement height, stability conditions and the determination of site parameters used in the flux retrieval from raw scintillometry measurements are discussed.