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A one-dimensional numerical model, capable of simulating surface temperature and heat flux, is described in terms of the effective atmospheric and terrain variables. The two model parameters which are most responsible for the formation of important temperature variations in the horizontal over the urban-rural complex are the thermal inertia (thermal property) and moisture availability, the former being most responsible for shaping the nighttime temperature pattern while the latter has a greater effect during the day. The controlling substrate variables are not easily determinable by direct measurement over a surface consisting of an inhomogeneous agglomerate of elements. We present one method whereby surface temperature, a more readily obtainable quantity, can be used in conjunction with the surface model to determine by numerical or graphical inversion of the latter the effective values of moisture availability and thermal inertia and thereby provide a quantitative framework for analysis of a rough surface and for an evaluation of the surface energy budget.
Carlson et al. (Sat,) studied this question.