Simulation of the Temperature, Humidity and Evaporation Profiles in a Leaf Canopy

Abstract

The proposed model synthesizes profiles of temperature, humidity and evaporation in a canopy of leaves from meteorological conditions at canopy top, from the temperature and humidity at the soil surface, from a leaf dimension, from the vertical distribution of leaf area and stomatal resistance, and from observations or extinction coefficients for ventilation and radiation within the canopy under steady-state conditions. The exchange of sensible and latent heat in a canopy stratum is required to be equal to the absorption of radiation by the leaves in that stratum. Further, the difference between strata in their potential for sensible and latent heat exchange is related both to leaf temperature and to the fluxes and diffusive resistances between the leaves. Leaf temperatures, evaporation and sensible heat exchange, and air temperatures within the canopy that meet these requirements were calculated by successive approximation. The microclimate and evaporation of a red clover and of a barley canopy were simulated, and changes in evaporation from a canopy following moderate changes in stomatal resistance were explained by the model.