For data and the latest updates on the LandFlux project, see the official LandFlux and LandFlux-EVAL websites.
Description:
The GEWEX Data and Assessments Panel (GDAP) LandFLUX product provides globally distributed estimates of the turbulent fluxes of latent and sensible heat between the land surface and atmosphere on weather-to-climate variation scales. This initiative, aiming at deriving global land surface heat flux products that can be used together with other GEWEX endorsed satellite products, will allow a comprehensive observation-based analysis of the water and energy cycles.
Data Availability:
Intercomparison efforts (LandFlux-EVAL) have resulted in some published product evaluations (Jimenez et al., 2011, Mueller et al, 2011) and the generation of a multi-year global merged benchmark synthesis product based on the analyses of existing land evaporation datasets (Mueller et al., 2013). This monthly product covers the periods 1989-1995 and 1989-2005, and can be downloaded from the LandFlux-EVAL website.
Future Products:
Work is ongoing to produce a similar product to the benchmark synthesis product at daily resolution and covering 1980-2010.
Running a selection of evaporation models with forcings that seek consistency with other GEWEX products has resulted in a preliminary global latent flux product (see discussions about our preliminary v0 product at Jimenez et al, 2012 ). Current developments are focusing on a new version v1, with efforts concentrating on model evaluation (McCabe et al., 2015, Jimenez et al., 2015) and the completion of a 3-hourly 1983-2007 latent flux product (expected release by the end of the 2015). Work is also ongoing in developing a sensible flux product to complete the description of turbulent fluxes at the surface.
Relationship to Other GEWEX Products:
LandFLUX uses the NASA/GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) dataset for radiative forcing, which includes surface temperatures and atmospheric properties from ISCCP, and the GPCP precipitation product.