Lake-size dependency of wind shear and convection as controls on gas exchange
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Citation
Export citationRead, J. S., Hamilton, D. P., Desai, A. R., Rose, K. C., MacIntyre, S., Lenters, J. D., & Wu, C. H. (2012). Lake-size dependency of wind shear and convection as controls on gas exchange. Geophysical Research Letters, 39(9), L09405.
Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/7415
Abstract
High-frequency physical observations from 40 temperate lakes were used to examine the relative contributions of wind shear (u∗) and convection (w∗) to turbulence in the surface mixed layer. Seasonal patterns of u∗ and w∗ were dissimilar; u∗ was often highest in the spring, while w∗ increased throughout the summer to a maximum in early fall. Convection was a larger mixed-layer turbulence source than wind shear (u∗/w∗ < 0.75) for 18 of the 40 lakes, including all 11 lakes <10 ha. As a consequence, the relative contribution of convection to the gas transfer velocity (k, estimated by the surface renewal model) was greater for small lakes. The average k was 0.54 m day⁻¹ for lakes <10 ha. Because u∗ and w∗ differ in temporal pattern and magnitude across lakes, both convection and wind shear should be considered in future formulations of lake-air gas exchange, especially for small lakes.
Date
2012Type
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Rights
This article is published in the Geophysical Research Letters. © 2012 American Geophysical Union (AGU).