Comparing the eddy covariance and gradient methods for measuring water and heat fluxes in paddy fields

Rice is distributed worldwide; thus, quantitative analyses of water and heat fluxes between the land and air in paddy fields are vital for understanding basin-scale water cycles. In this study, eddy covariance and meteorological gradient systems on a 20-meter flux tower in the Jianghan Plain, Yangtze River Basin, China, were used to measure turbulent and meteorological parameters in paddy fields in 2021. Three micrometeorological methods, namely the eddy covariance (EC), Bowen Ratio-Energy Balance (BREB), and aerodynamic (AERO) methods, were used to calculate the latent heat flux (LE) and sensible heat flux (H); BREB and AERO are collectively referred to as gradient methods. The effects of measurement heights, growth stage, and weather conditions on the consistency among them were analyzed. The difference in meteorological measurement heights affected the results of gradient methods. Among the five height combinations, the error in the 2 and 4 m combination was the smallest, and the coefficients of determination of LEEC–LEBREB/AERO and HEC–HBREB/AERO reached 0.96 and 0.84, respectively. The stratification of the near-surface layer was formed due to the heterogeneous underlying surface of the experimental area, and the instrument needed to be installed within the range between roughness layer and new equilibrium layer. The height difference of gradient methods can be amplified within this range to avoid the influence of instrument resolution. The difference among methods was affected by growth stage, and weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, rainy days and different wind speed class). Both factors influenced atmospheric stability, and the error was the maximum in neutral stratification. This study provides a reference for the selection of flux calculation methods and error analyses for paddy fields in humid areas.