The dependence of canopy layer turbulence on within-canopy thermal stratification

Transport properties near the Earth's surface are strongly influenced by the thermal stratification of the atmosphere. Until now, no distinction has been made between thermal stability parameters within and above a plant canopy, and it has been usual to classify canopy transport processes in terms of above-canopy stability parameters only. The question arises, however, whether such parameters adequately describe within-canopy properties because it is often the case that thermal stratification differs considerably between air layers above and below the top of the canopy. In the present study, two within-canopy thermal stratification parameters have been defined and tested to determine whether they yield additional information about canopy turbulence. It appears that a within-canopy bulk Richardson number provides useful information under low-wind nocturnal conditions. Strongly unstable conditions inside dense canopies commonly occur at night when the air layers above the canopy are very stable, resulting in a decoupling between the above- and within-canopy regions. A local within-canopy Obukhov length proved to be less useful, perhaps because the sensible heat flux within the canopy was nearly always directed upwards, regardless of the temperature gradient. A penetration length scale, defined for daytime conditions only, was of the order of the height of the canopy. This suggests that the height of the canopy is a suitable length scale for within-canopy processes.