Evaporative Cooling Flux Lake Calculator
Convert actual measured mass evaporation flux to signed latent heat flux; negative condensation retained, distinct from energy-budget inversion estimating evaporation.
Description
Latent heat links a measured evaporation mass flux to cooling flux.
Latent heat links a measured evaporation mass flux to cooling flux. Negative mass flux represents condensation under the declared sign.1
Enter finite signed observed mass flux and positive latent heat. Return signed W/m².
When to use Evaporative Cooling Flux Lake Calculator
Use Evaporative Cooling Flux Lake Calculator when you need to evaluate the supplied records under the calculation and evidence rules below. No evaporation is estimated from a weather or energy balance model.
Prepare the observed lake or sample measurements and explicit calibration, reference values or thresholds requested. Keep depth coverage, units, dates and sampling conditions consistent.
How to use Evaporative Cooling Flux Lake Calculator and understand its results
- Prepare the observed lake or sample measurements and explicit calibration, reference values or thresholds requested. Keep depth coverage, units, dates and sampling conditions consistent.
- Enter observedEvaporationKgM2Second, latentHeatJkg using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
- Read signedUpwardEvaporativeCoolingWm2. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
- If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type; see rules below | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| observedEvaporationKgM2Second | Observed evaporation kg m2 second | number | Required |
| latentHeatJkg | Latent heat jkg | number | Required |
Enter finite signed observed mass flux and positive latent heat. Return signed W/m².
upwardHeatFlux=massFluxKg/m²/s×latentHeatJ/kg Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| signedUpwardEvaporativeCoolingWm2 | Signed upward evaporative cooling wm2 | number |
{
"input": {
"observedEvaporationKgM2Second": 0.001,
"latentHeatJkg": 2500000
},
"output": {
"signedUpwardEvaporativeCoolingWm2": 2500
}
}Limitations and assumptions
No evaporation is estimated from a weather or energy balance model.
Numeric inputs, where present, must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use Net Surface Heat Flux Balance Calculator: A surface heat budget requires explicit flux sign conventions. Independent storage observations can expose a residual. For a complementary task, use Seasonal Heat Budget Change Calculator: Seasonal sensible-heat change compares matched fixed layer volumes before and after temperature change. Positive values indicate warming.
References
-
Evaporative Cooling Flux Lake Calculator — tool.io
Similar or alternative tools
- Net Surface Heat Flux Balance Calculator
A surface heat budget requires explicit flux sign conventions. Independent storage observations can expose a residual.
- Seasonal Heat Budget Change Calculator
Seasonal sensible-heat change compares matched fixed layer volumes before and after temperature change. Positive values indicate warming.