“…For an ideal Gaussian joint frequency distribution (JFD) of the vertical wind speed and the mixing ratio of the scalar, b is constant (b = 0.627; Baker et al, 1992;Wyngaard and Moeng, 1992). But variations in b can be generated by just a small skewness of the JFD of w and c (Katul et al, 1996;Fotiadi et al, 2005;Ruppert et al, 2006b), the application to different trace gases (Businger and Oncley, 1990;Baker et al, 1992;Oncley et al, 1993;Pattey et al, 1993) or the use in different ecosystem compartments (Gao, 1995). b may also vary significantly during individual 30 min integration intervals (Businger and Oncley, 1990;Baker et al, 1992;Oncley et al, 1993;Pattey et al, 1993;Beverland et al, 1996;Katul et al, 1996;Bowling et al, 1999a;Ammann and Meixner, 2002;Ruppert et al, 2006b).…”