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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Boise, Idaho » Northwest Watershed Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #102084
Title: MIDDAY CLEAR-SKY ALBEDO MEASURED AT SEVEN RANGELAND SITES IN SOUTHWEST IDAHO

Author
item Hanson, Clayton

Submitted to: Journal of Range Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2001
Publication Date: 4/20/2001
Citation: Hanson, Clayton L., Midday Clear-Sky Albedo Measured at Seven Rangeland Sites in Southwest Idaho., Journal of Range Management, pp 532-534, v. 6, 2001.

Interpretive Summary: Albedo is a component of the energy budget and is used to calculate evapotranspiration (ET) in many natural resource and hydrologic models. There are few measurements of albedo over rangelands so it was measured at seven sites on the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in southwest Idaho during 1989-1993. For all sites, average albedo measured at maximum solar angle and with clear skies was 0.14 during growing season. Albedo varied from a low of 0.11 during June at the Mountain big sagebrush site to a high of 0.17 at the low-elevation, Wyoming big sagebrush site. Albedo varied little between about 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset.

Technical Abstract: Albedo is a component of the energy budget and is used to calculate evapotranspiration (ET) in many natural resource and hydrologic models. There are few measurements of albedo over rangelands so it was measured at seven sites on the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in southwest Idaho during 1989-1993. For all sites, average albedo measured at maximum solar angle and with clear skies was 0.14 during growing season. Albedo varied from a low of 0.11 during June at the Mountain big sagebrush site to a high of 0.17 at the low-elevation, Wyoming big sagebrush site. Albedo varied little between about 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset.