The Eddy Covariance Method

Abstract

The eddy covariance method for measuring exchanges of heat, mass, and momentum between a flat, horizontally homogeneous surface and the overlying atmosphere was proposed by Montgomery (1948), Swinbank (1951), and Obukhov 1951). Under these conditions, net transport between the surface and atmosphere is one-dimensional and the vertical flux density can be calculated by the covariance between turbulent fluctuations of the vertical wind and the quantity of interest.