Investigating the effect of seasonal plant growth and development in three-dimensional atmospheric simulations. Part II: Atmospheric response to crop growth and development

The sensitivity of sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes, and momentum flux (tau) to interactively simulated LAI and canopy height was quantified.', During the extremely dry season of 1988, 20%- 35% changes in sensible heat and 30%- 45% changes in latent heat occurred in response to LAI changes from 5 to 1 (the values simulated in the control and interactive experiments, respectively). These changes are statistically significant (at the 0.05 level) for all the locations and years under consideration.

Relative contributions of evaporation and transpiration to the latent heat flux were also strongly affected by these LAI changes. This effect had a distinct diurnal pattern, with the strongest signal seen in midafternoon hours, and was more pronounced during the dry years (e. g., 1988 and 1989) compared to the favorably moist years (e. g., 1991, 1993).