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Collecting, Quantifying, and Characterizing Surface Convective Energy Fluxes on Mount Washington Summit

Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Text

Just how variable is the micro-climate of a summit in the white mountains of New Hampshire? And how sensitive are the surface energy fluxes to the construction of structures, buildings, and other forms of urbanization?

Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Research
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Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Image

We rely on the Bowen Ratio, which we calculate directly from observations from our instruments at several sites on the mountain summit. This ratio allows us to gauge the sensitivity of surface energy fluxes, in particular sensible and latent heat fluxes.

Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Research
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Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Image

Interestingly, our observational data reveals no statistically significant site to site difference in Bowen Ratio Values. There appears to be no substantial difference in the behavior of surface fluxes on the mountain summit at urbanized vs natural sites.

Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Research

However, the harsh and variable climate of Mount Washington, the home of the "Worst Weather in the World" leads to other interesting patterns in the Bowen Ratio data potentially warranting further study to better understand mountain meteorology microclimates.

Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Research
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Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Image

The culmination of our work at the Mount Washington Observatory was presented at the 99th Annual AMS meeting here.

Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Research

Collaborators

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Sarah Thunberg

Mountain Meteorology and Microclimate: Team Members
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