Abstract
The general principles of the mechanisms of heat transfer are well known, but knowledge of the transition between evaporative and non-evaporative heat loss by Holstein cows in field conditions must be improved, especially for low-latitude environments. With this aim 15 Holstein cows managed in open pasture were observed in a tropical region. The latent heat loss from the body surface of the animals was measured by means of a ventilated capsule, while convective heat transfer was estimated by the theory of convection from a horizontal cylinder and by the long-wave radiation exchange based on the Stefan–Boltzmann law. When the air temperature was between 10 and 36°C the sensible heat transfer varied from 160 to –30 W m−2, while the latent heat loss by cutaneous evaporation increased from 30 to 350 W m−2. Heat loss by cutaneous evaporation accounted for 20–30% of the total heat loss when air temperatures ranged from 10 to 20°C. At air temperatures >30°C cutaneous evaporation becomes the main avenue of heat loss, accounting for approximately 85% of the total heat loss, while the rest is lost by respiratory evaporation.
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Maia, A.S.C., daSilva, R.G. & Battiston Loureiro, C.M. Sensible and latent heat loss from the body surface of Holstein cows in a tropical environment. Int J Biometeorol 50, 17–22 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-005-0267-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-005-0267-1