SAC 501 Soil Physics
Modes of energy transfer in soils
Energy Balance
M.Sc., (Agri) – 2012 -13 batch
By
Dr.A. Baskar
Professor and Head
Dept. of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry
PAJANCOA & RI, Karaikal – 609 603
Critical zone (CZ)
Biogeophysics refers to the instantaneous exchanges of energy, water, and
momentum with the atmosphere. It concerns aspects of micrometeorology,
canopy physiology, soil physics, radiative transfer, and hydrology.
The four forms of heat transfer
The four main forms of energy transfer that are important are radiation;
conduction (or soil heat flux); convection (i.e. fluid transfer of sensible and latent
heat properties) and phase changes associated with water.
The four forms of heat transfer are:
conduction, where heat is transferred through
solid material from molecule to molecule (e.g. heat
passing through a metal bar);
sensible heat flux, where warmer air is
transferred from one location to another (e.g.
warm air rising because it is less dense);
radiation, where heat is transferred as
electromagnetic energy without the need for a
medium (e.g. sunlight); and
latent heat flux, where sensible heat is converted
to latent heat when water vaporizes and converts
back to sensible heat when the water molecules
condense or deposit (as ice) onto a surface.
Energy balance (Fig in next slide)
Positive and negative signs are used in transfer and balance calculations to
indicate the direction of energy flux to or from the surface.
Any radiation downward to the surface adds to the surface energy and therefore
is considered positive and given a "+" sign.
Any radiation away from the surface removes energy and it is considered
negative with a "-" sign.
For example, downward short-wave radiation from the sun and sky (RSd) is
positive, whereas short-wave radiation that is reflected upward from the surface
(RSu) is negative.
Downward long-wave radiation (RLd) is also given a positive sign since it adds
energy to the surface and upward long-wave radiation (RLu) is given a negative
sign.
Net radiation (Rn) is the "net" amount of radiant energy that is retained by the
surface (i.e. the sum of all gains and losses of radiation to and from the surface).
These relationships are illustrated for (a) daytime and (b) night-time in Figure.
Note, in the equation, that net radiation is equal to the sum of its components and
the sign indicates whether the radiation is downward (positive) or upward
(negative).
If the sum of the component parts is positive, as happens during the daytime
(Figure), then Rn is positive and more energy from radiation is gained than lost
from the surface.
If the sum of the component parts is negative, as happens during the night
(Figure), then Rn is negative and more radiation energy is lost than gained.
Sign convention for radiation during (a) daytime and (b) night-time
Short wave Short wave Long wave Long wave
Net radiation
radiation - down radiation - Up radiation - Up radiation - down
Energy balance (Fig in next slide)
Rn supplies energy that heats the air, plants and soil or evaporates water.
T
The equation in Figure below is used for the surface energy balance.
Note that energy storage in the plants, photosynthesis and respiration
are generally ignored in vertical energy fluxes in frost protection.
Assuming that all of the energy fluxes are vertical, energy from Rn is
partitioned into the components G, H and LE, so Rn is set equal to the
sum of G, H and LE (Eq. 3.1).
Rn = G + H + LEW m-2
Again, the sign of the energy flux component indicates the direction of
energy flow. Radiation adds energy to the surface, so it is positive to the
surface.
When G is positive, energy is going into the soil, and when H and LE are
positive, the energy flux is upward to the atmosphere.
Therefore, G, H and LE fluxes are positive away from the surface and
negative towards the surface.
Energy diagram showing possible sources and losses of
energy from a crop represented by the box
The symbols are:
net radiation (Rn),
sensible heat flux (H),
latent heat flux (LE),
soil heat flux or conduction (G),
sensible and latent energy advection in (F1) and out (F2),
and energy storage in the crop (DS)
Energy exchange of water due to cooling, heating and
phase changes
PROCESS ENERGY Units
Water cooling +4.1868 J g-1 °C-1
Freezing (liquid freezing at 0°C) +334.5 J g-1
Ice cooling +2.1 J g-1 °C-1
Water condensing (vapour to liquid) at 0°C +2501.0 J g-1
Water depositing (vapour to ice) at 0°C +2835.5 J g-1
Water sublimating (ice to vapour) at 0°C -2835.5 J g-1
Water evaporating (water to vapour) at 0°C -2501.0 J g-1
Ice warming -2.1 J g-1 °C-1
Fusion (ice melting at 0°C) -334.5 J g-1
Water warming -4.1868 J g-1 °C-1
The land energy balance for a surface soil layer is expressed as
dH/dt = R n -lE - SH -G
where dH/dt is the time-change of energy within the surface layer (such as temperature change,
phase change), R n is the net radiation, lE is the latent heat flux (latent energy of vaporization l
times the evapotranspiration E), SH is the sensible heat flux, and G is the ground heat flux to
deeper layers.
The land water balance for a surface soil layer is given as
dS/dt = P - E - R s - R g
where dS/dt is the time-change of water content within the layer (such as changes in
soil moisture, snow content, ice content, surface water, groundwater), P is the
precipitation, E is the evapotranspiration, R s is the surface runoff, and R g is the
drainage or groundwater runoff (percolation), depending on the soil depth.
Modes of energy transfer
In general three principal modes of energy transfer are
known:
radiation,
convection,
conduction
In soil the primary process of heat transfer is by molecular
conduction.
Radiation and convection are generally of secondary
importance.
The conduction principle of energy transfer is the
propagation of heat within a body by internal molecular
motion.
Thermal conductivity is defined as the amount of heat Q [J]
transferred through a unit area S [m2] in unit time t [s]
under unit temperature gradient.
