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This volume is a compilation of lecture materials from the Advanced Short Course on Agricultural, Forest and Micro Meteorology, which was held during October 8-12, 2001 in Bologna, Italy. A similar course - Advanced Short Course on Biometeorology and Micrometeorology - was previously held during June 26-July l, 1995 in Alghero, Italy. The second short course was organized by Federica Rossi, National Research Council, Institute of Biometeorology (CNR-IBIMET), Laboratory of Agrometeorology and Ecophysiology, Bologna, Italy, Pierpaolo Duce, National Research Council, Institute of Biometeorology (CNR-IBIMET), Laboratory of Agroecosystem Monitoring, Sassari, Italy, and Donatella Spalla, University of Sassari, Department of Economics and Tree Systems (DESA), Italy. Instructors for the Course were John Finnigan, from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Atmospheric Research Division, Canberra, Australia, and Kyaw Tha Paw U, Roger H. Shaw, and Richard L. Snyder from the University of California, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, Davis, California, U.S.A. There were 68 participants from 14 different countries including Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America and they represented a broad range of background, interest, and training in biometeorology.
The purposes of the course were to synthesize ideas and stimulate new research on important issues in biometeorology, to provide an intensive and comprehensive review of current agricultural, forest, and micrometeorological theory and practice, and to encourage future collaboration. Participants were given a solid foundation on the fundamentals including measurements, interpretation, modelling, and application of micrometeorological and biometeorological concepts. Lecturers prepared manuscripts on each topic and a complete set of papers was distributed to participants prior to the course.
The first and perhaps most important product from the course was an opportunity far microclimate and vegetation scientists to interact, exchange ideas, and lay the foundation far future collaboration. Developing new bridges between the disciplines including: exchanges of students, sabbatical visits, and solidification of collaborations were effectively stimulated by the course. The second product was a series of papers, published as lecture notes in this volume. The papers were prepared with two main objectives in mind: (1) to introduce the participants to the physical concepts and techniques that are essential far the scientific investigation of exchange processes between agricultural and forest surfaces and the atmosphere and (2) to compile and organize informationto evaluate our current state of knowledge. Therefore, we hope that this volume will be useful to many people who were not able to attend the course.
The course volume is separated into four parts with several topics in each part. In Part One, there are six chapters pertaining to physics of the atmospheric boundary layer including lectures on: (1) definitions of the atmospheric boundary layer, (2) energy balance of crops and forests, (3) atmospheric stability, (4) turbulence and diffusion, (5) intermittency, coherency and organization of turbulence, and (6) boundary layers aver complex terrain. Part Two is about plant canopy micrometeorology with six chapters on the topics: (1) electromagnetic radiation, (2) aerodynamic effects on the microclimate, (3) perturbed flows aver canopies, (4) plant physiology effects on energy balance, (5) carbon dioxide exchanges between canopies and the atmosphere, and (6) soil-plant-atmosphere models. In Part Three, sensors and fiux measurements are reported in six lectures about: (1) static and dynamic characteristics of measurements, (2) vector wind sensors, (3) temperature, radiation, and humidity measurements, (4) open and closed path infrared gas analyzers, (5) micrometeorological methods to measure fiuxes, and (6) aerodynamic approaches to measure exchange of mass, energy and momentum. Finally, in Part Four, biometeorological applications afe discussed in four lectures on the topics: (1) reference evapotranspiration, (2) crop coefficients far estimating crop evapotranspiration, (3) degree-days or heat units, and (4) the physics of freeze protection.
A concerted effort by a large number of people led to completion of the course and this volume. Every reader of this volume will soon discover the huge effort exerted by each of the lecturers. We can only add that we bave greatly enjoyed working with them in preparing far the course and we found the course lectures a gratifying and stimulating experience. It is a pleasure to acknowledge the care and effort afforded the course and the publication of this book by the CNR and University of Sassari staff, in particular Silvia Loreti and Anna Rita Valli (CNR-IBlMET, Bologna) and Corrado Asunis and Costantino Sirca (DESA, University of Sassari) for being so helpful and efficient in managing the organizing secretariat. We would like to thanks Matteo De Vincenzi (CNR-IBlMET, Sassari) for correcting the proofs of this volume.
Finally, we wish to thank Fabrizio Benincasa, Chair of the Laboratory of Agroecosystem Monitoring, Sassari, Italy, Graziella Cristoferi, Chair of the Laboratory of Agrometeorology and Ecophysiology, Bologna, Italy, and Pietro Deidda, Chair of the Department of Economics and Tree Systems, University of Sassari, far their continuous and enthusiastic encouragement to this initiative.
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