Solving Earth Science Problem: Surface Energy Balance

[suedenation]

I've no idea how to start this question, please take a look.
I just pick some of the data from the table.
Thanks very much.

Daily cycle in the surface energy balance
The surface energy balance states that
Q¤ = QH + QE + QG
where QH is sensible heat, QE is latent heat and QG is ground heat flux.
I'm required to
a) give a brief interpretation1
b) compute these 24 hour totals2
– transfer of sensible heat to the atmosphere in [Jm¡2]
– transfer of latent heat to the atmosphere in [Jm¡2]
– transfer of water to the atmosphere expressed in [kgm¡2]
– equivalent loss of stored soil liquid water expressed in [mmm¡2] (note: the conversion factor is the density of liquid water, i.e. 1000 kgm¡3)

Table: Daily cycle in hourly-averaged energy balance components over grassland in Alberta. 1 July 2003. (All fluxes in W m¡2)
hour Q¤ QG QH QE
1 -77 -17 -117 23
2 -68 -17 -67 11
. . . . .
. . . . .
24 -66 -15 -101 19
etc.

 

[Bystander]

Step one is to communicate the meanings of "G, H, E" which are presumably subscripts of Q --- saves people "guessing" notations. Step two is take a stab at "part b;" once you've got "b" in hand, "a" is trivial. Dunno why they asked things in the backward order, but that's what's left you with "no idea."

 

[Blueshift5]

a) The surface energy balance is the balance between incoming and outgoing energy at the Earth's surface. It is represented by the equation Q¤ = QH + QE + QG, where QH is the transfer of sensible heat to the atmosphere, QE is the transfer of latent heat to the atmosphere, and QG is the transfer of ground heat flux. This balance is important in understanding the Earth's climate and can be affected by various factors such as land cover, topography, and atmospheric conditions.

b) To compute the 24-hour totals for each component, we can use the given data from the table. To calculate the transfer of sensible heat, we can sum up the values for QH for each hour and convert it to Joules per square meter. Similarly, for the transfer of latent heat, we can sum up the values for QE and convert it to Joules per square meter. The transfer of water to the atmosphere can be calculated by summing up the values for QE and converting it to kilograms per square meter. Finally, the equivalent loss of stored soil liquid water can be calculated by summing up the values for QG, converting it to millimeters and then multiplying it by the density of liquid water (1000 kg/m3).

For example, to calculate the transfer of sensible heat for the 24-hour period, we would add -117, -67, -29, etc. and then convert the total to Joules per square meter. Similarly, to calculate the transfer of latent heat, we would add 23, 11, 9, etc. and convert the total to Joules per square meter. To calculate the transfer of water to the atmosphere, we would add 23, 11, 9, etc. and then convert the total to kilograms per square meter. And finally, to calculate the equivalent loss of stored soil liquid water, we would add -17, -17, -17, etc., convert the total to millimeters, and then multiply it by the density of liquid water (1000 kg/m3). This would give us the total amount of water lost from the soil in terms of millimeters for the 24-hour period.