Soil heat flow investigations in the Chilton Valley

• Main Author: Moran, R. J.
• Language: en
• Published: University of Canterbury. Geography 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7076

The heat flow meter method of measurement of soil heat flow is shown to be the most suitable of available techniques for the investigation of the spatial variation of soil heat flow within the Chilton Valley. A procedure for the calibration of heat flow meters is developed that permits the minimization of meter measurement errors due to the distortion of the natural soil heat flow. The most significant measurement errors are shown to be those resulting from inaccurate installation of the meters. It is shown that a major factor in determining the spatial variability of soil heat flow within a defined area in the Chilton Valley is the differential shading of the surface by the taller vegetation, and that the spatial sampling density required for the evaluation of the soil heat flow paramenter is detailed micrometeorological studies is considerably greater than that required for the evaluation of this parameter in general studies dealing with longer-term climatological averages.