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An evaluation of the thermal properties and albedo of a macrotidal flat

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Title An evaluation of the thermal properties and albedo of a macrotidal flat
Names Kim, Tae-Wan (creator)
Cho, Yang-Ki (creator)
Dever, Edward P. (creator)
Date Issued 2007-12-19 (iso8601)
Note copyrighted by American Geophysical Union
Abstract The thermal properties of sediment and the albedo are critical in calculating the heat
flux of a tidal flat. However, they are not well known because of the difficulties of
sampling and observing tidal flats. We use extensive field observations of a macrotidal flat
on the western coast of Korea to determine its sediment heat capacity and albedo. The
estimated heat capacity of the upper 0.1 m is 3.65 x 106 J m¯³ K¯¹ with a water content
of 70%. Heat capacity decreases with depth to 2.96 x 106 J m¯³ K¯¹ at 0.4 m depth.
Estimated thermal diffusivities are 0.47–0.63 x 10¯⁶ m² s¯¹ and 0.38–0.64 x 10¯⁶ m²
s¯¹ in spring and summer, respectively. The calculated albedo is a strong function of
the solar altitude and the atmospheric transmittance. Atmospheric transmittance is
especially important to the albedo when the solar altitude is low. Seasonal mean albedos
are 0.13 and 0.15 in spring and summer, respectively. The heat capacity and albedo values
obtained above were verified by using them to make independent heat flux estimates
at other stations. Estimates based on heat capacity were correlated to albedo-based heat
flux estimates with an r² greater than 0.7.
Genre Article
Identifier Cho, Y-G., Dever, E. P., and Kim, T-W., (2007). An evaluation of the thermal properties and albedo of a macrotidal flat. J. Geophys. Res., 112, C12009.

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