Can an energy balance model provide additional constraints on how to close the energy imbalance?

► The energy imbalance is an outstanding problem in micrometeorology. ► We hypothesize that an energy balance model provides further insights into the energy imbalance. ► We used eddy covariance energy flux and auxiliary data from three sites in three differing biomes. ► The energy balance model does not contain enough information to constrain the energy imbalance. ► Our approach though provides a sensible way for quality control of energy flux data.