Flux Measurement with Conditional Sampling

Abstract

A method is proposed to measure scalar fluxes using conditional sampling. Only the mean concentrations of updraft and downdraft samples, the standard deviation of the vertical velocity, and a coefficient of proportionality, b, need to be known. The method has been simulated from existing time series of the vertical wind component, temperature, and humidity in the surface layer. It is found that b has an almost constant value of 0.6 for both scalars and over a wide stability range. This result encourages application to other scalars and suggests that the method may be used beyond the atmospheric surface layer in the lower part of the planetary boundary layer.