Papers Published

1. Giorgi, F. and Avissar, R., Representation of heterogeneity effects in Earth system modeling: experience from land surface modeling, Rev. Geophys. (USA), vol. 35 no. 4 (1997), pp. 413 - 37 [97RG01754] .
   (last updated on 2007/03/27)

   Abstract:
   The land surface is characterized by pronounced spatial heterogeneity that spans a wide range of scales. This heterogeneity affects the surface energy and water budgets, as well as the land-atmosphere exchanges of momentum, heat, water and other constituents, through a number of highly nonlinear processes. The resolution of present-day Earth (or climate) system models is still too coarse to explicitly capture the effects of surface heterogeneity, which therefore needs to be parameterized within the framework of complex and nonlinear land surface process schemes. The effects of surface heterogeneity are grouped in two categories, which the authors define as “aggregation” and “dynamical” effects. The authors review and critically discuss different approaches that have been proposed to represent aggregation and dynamical effects of surface heterogeneity and their incorporation in land surface process schemes. Some of the methodologies discussed are of general nature and therefore can be of interest for problems of subgrid scale process description in other geophysical disciplines

   Keywords:
   geophysical techniques;modelling;topography (Earth);