Net radiation at a surface — an expression of incoming less outgoing radiation — must be divided between energy that goes to sensible heat flow and to latent heat flow. The Bowen ratio (β) is used to express the partitioning of net radiation at a surface. Thus:
Theoretically, in the absence of an atmosphere, β can vary from infinity (for a dry surface with no evaporation) to zero (for a wet surface with no sensible heat loss). Practically, measurements of surfaces with an atmosphere do not experience such extremes. Typical values are β=0.1 for world oceans and β=5.8 for desert-semidesert areas.
The derivation of values needed to determine the Bowen ratio has been outlined by Lockwood (1979), who notes that both the sensible and latent heat fluxes (C and LE, respectively) can be expressed in almost symmetrical form:
where ρ is the density of moist air; C p is the specific heat of air at constant pressure; K V and K H are the eddy diffusivities for water vapor and heat, respectively, e/z...
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Bibliography
Lockwood, J.G., 1979. Causes of Climate. New York: Halsted Press.
Oke, T.R., 1987. Boundary Layer Climates. New York: Wiley.
Robinson, P.J., and Henderson-Sellers, A., 1999. Contemporary Climatology. Harlow: Longman.
Cross-references
Energy Budget Climatology
Evapotranspiration
Latent Heat
Sensible Heat
Water Budget Analysis
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Oliver, J.E. (2005). Bowen Ratio. In: Oliver, J.E. (eds) Encyclopedia of World Climatology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht . https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3266-8_33
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