Wind speed measurements in upper and lower boundary layer to determine regional momentum fluxes

1999 ◽  
Vol 98-99 ◽  
pp. 145-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Hiyama ◽  
Michiaki Sugita ◽  
Hans Bergström ◽  
Meelis Mölder
2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 339-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Pérez ◽  
M. L. Sánchez ◽  
M. Á. García ◽  
B. de Torre

Abstract. A description of the lower boundary layer is vital to enhance our understanding of dispersion processes. In this paper, Radio Acoustic Sounding System sodar measurements obtained over three years were used to calculate the Brunt-Väisälä frequency and the Monin-Obukhov length. The Brunt-Väisälä frequency enabled investigation of the structure of this layer. At night, several layers were noticeable and the maximum was observed at the first level, 40 m, whereas during the day, it was present at about 320 m. The Monin-Obukhov length was calculated with the four first levels measured, 40–100 m, by an original iterative method and used to establish four stability classes: drainage, extremely stable, stable and unstable. Wind speed and temperature median profiles linked to these classes were also presented. Wind speeds were the lowest, but temperatures were the highest and inversions were intense at night in drainage situations. However, unstable situations were linked to high wind speeds and superadiabatic temperature profiles. Detrended CO2 concentrations were used to determine the goodness of the classification proposed evidencing values which under drainage at night in spring were nearly 28 ppm higher than those corresponding to unstable situations. Finally, atmosphere structure was presented for the proposed stability classes and related with wind speed profiles. Under extremely stable situations, low level jets were coupled to the surface, with median wind speeds below 8 m s−1 and cores occasionally at 120 m. However, jets were uncoupled in stable situations, wind speed medians were higher than 11 m s−1 and their core heights were around 200 m.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Brune ◽  
Jan D. Keller ◽  
Sabrina Wahl

<p>The correct spatio-temporal representation of wind speed is of large interest for the wind energy sector. Therefore, this study compares wind measurements in different heights from several locations in Central Europe with two global (ERA5, MERRA-2) and one regional reanalysis (COSMO-REA6). Employing a two-parameter Weibull distribution, the shape and scale parameters as well as mean, standard deviation and RMSE are investigated at and around common wind turbine hub height. We find that COSMO-REA6 best describes wind fields closer to the surface possibly due to its high horizontal resolution. Here, it also exhibits a good alignment with the diurnal cycle. However, for common wind turbine hub heights and above, ERA5 outperforms the other two reanalyses possibly due to its higher vertical resolution. MERRA-2 overestimates wind speed in the lower boundary layer at nearly all sites.</p><p>In the next step, a diagnostic and mass-consistent wind model is applied to the COSMO-REA6 wind field. The resolution of the wind field will be increased by a factor of 8 from originally 6 km to approximately 800 m. In addition to the vertical stability of the lower atmosphere, the orography on the finer grid and the corresponding effects are taken into account. We expect that especially in complex terrain the wind field will be corrected and thus should fit better to the observations. Channeling effects, shadowing and increased wind speed in exposed locations can be better represented. The new high-resolution wind field forms the basis for a statistical wind model to obtain post-processed wind estimates in the lower boundary layer. This approach will utilize generalized linear model and/or an artificial neural network techniques.</p>


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 1295-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Chance ◽  
D. A. Craig

Detailed water flow around larvae of Simulium vittatum Zett. (sibling IS-7) was investigated using flow tanks, aluminium flakes, pigment, still photography, cinematography, and video recordings. Angle of deflection of a larva from the vertical has a hyperbolic relationship to water velocity. Velocity profiles around larvae show that the body is in the boundary layer. Frontal area of the body decreases as velocity increases. Disturbed larvae exhibit "avoidance reaction" and pull the body into the lower boundary layer. Longitudinal twisting and yawing of the larval body places one labral fan closer to the substrate, the other near the top of the boundary layer. Models and live larvae were used to demonstrate the basic hydrodynamic phenomenon of downstream paired vortices. Body shape and feeding stance result in one of the vortices remaining in the lower boundary layer. The other rises up the downstream side of the body, passes through the lower fan, then forms a von Karman trail of detaching vortices. This vortex entrains particulate matter from the substrate, which larvae then filter. Discharge of water into this upper vortex remains constant at various velocities and only water between the substrate and top of the posterior abdomen is incorporated into it. The upper fan filters water only from the top of the boundary layer. Formation of vortices probably influences larval microdistribution and filter feeding. Larvae positioned side by side across the flow mutually influence flow between them, thus enhancing feeding. Larvae downstream of one another may use information from the von Karman trail of vortices to position themselves advantageously.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 7709-7722 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.-J. Roelofs ◽  
H. ten Brink ◽  
A. Kiendler-Scharr ◽  
G. de Leeuw ◽  
A. Mensah ◽  
...  

Abstract. In May 2008, the measurement campaign IMPACT for observation of atmospheric aerosol and cloud properties was conducted in Cabauw, The Netherlands. With a nudged version of the coupled aerosol-climate model ECHAM5-HAM we simulate the size distribution and chemical composition of the aerosol and the associated aerosol optical thickness (AOT) for the campaign period. Synoptic scale meteorology is represented realistically through nudging of the vorticity, the divergence, the temperature and the surface pressure. Simulated concentrations of aerosol sulfate and organics at the surface are generally within a factor of two from observed values. The monthly averaged AOT from the model is 0.33, about 20% larger than observed. For selected periods of the month with relatively dry and moist conditions discrepancies are approximately −30% and +15%, respectively. Discrepancies during the dry period are partly caused by inaccurate representation of boundary layer (BL) dynamics by the model affecting the simulated AOT. The model simulates too strong exchange between the BL and the free troposphere, resulting in weaker concentration gradients at the BL top than observed for aerosol and humidity, while upward mixing from the surface layers into the BL appears to be underestimated. The results indicate that beside aerosol sulfate and organics also aerosol ammonium and nitrate significantly contribute to aerosol water uptake. The simulated day-to-day variability of AOT follows synoptic scale advection of humidity rather than particle concentration. Even for relatively dry conditions AOT appears to be strongly influenced by the diurnal cycle of RH in the lower boundary layer, further enhanced by uptake and release of nitric acid and ammonia by aerosol water.


Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Jane M. Bopape ◽  
Robert S. Plant ◽  
Omduth Coceal

Large-eddy simulations are performed using the U.K. Met Office Large Eddy Model to study the effects of resolution on turbulent structures in a convective boundary layer. A standard Smagorinsky subgrid scheme is used. As the grid length is increased, the diagnosed height of the boundary layer increases, and the horizontally- and temporally-averaged temperature near the surface and in the inversion layer increase. At the highest resolution, quadrant analysis shows that the majority of events in the lower boundary layer are associated with cold descending air, followed by warm ascending air. The largest contribution to the total heat flux is made by warm ascending air, with associated strong thermals. At lower resolutions, the contribution to the heat flux from cold descending air is increased, and that from cold ascending air is reduced in the lower boundary layer; around the inversion layer, however, the contribution from cold ascending air is increased. Calculations of the heating rate show that the differences in cold ascending air are responsible for the warm bias below the boundary layer top in the low resolution simulations. Correlation length and time scales for coherent resolved structures increase with increasing grid coarseness. The results overall suggest that differences in the simulations are due to weaker mixing between thermals and their environment at lower resolutions. Some simple numerical experiments are performed to increase the mixing in the lower resolution simulations and to investigate backscatter. Such simulations are successful at reducing the contribution of cold ascending air to the heat flux just below the inversion, although the effects in the lower boundary layer are weaker.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1121-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Löhnert ◽  
O. Maier

Abstract. The motivation of this study is to verify theoretical expectations placed on ground-based microwave radiometer (MWR) techniques and to confirm whether they are suitable for supporting key missions of national weather services, such as timely and accurate weather advisories and warnings. We evaluate reliability and accuracy of atmospheric temperature profiles retrieved continuously by the microwave profiler system HATPRO (Humidity And Temperature PROfiler) operated at the aerological station of Payerne (MeteoSwiss) in the time period August 2006–December 2009. Assessment is performed by comparing temperatures from the radiometer against temperature measurements from a radiosonde accounting for a total of 2107 quality-controlled all-season cases. In the evaluated time period, the MWR delivered reliable temperature profiles in 86% of all-weather conditions on a temporal resolution of 12–13 min. Random differences between MWR and radiosonde are down to 0.5 K in the lower boundary layer and increase to 1.7 K at 4 km height. The differences observed between MWR and radiosonde in the lower boundary layer are similar to the differences observed between the radiosonde and another in-situ sensor located on a close-by 30 m tower. Temperature retrievals from above 4 km contain less than 5% of the total information content of the measurements, which makes clear that this technique is mainly suited for continuous observations in the boundary layer. Systematic temperature differences are also observed throughout the retrieved profile and can account for up to ±0.5 K. These errors are due to offsets in the measurements of the microwave radiances that have been corrected for in data post-processing and lead to nearly bias-free overall temperature retrievals. Different reasons for the radiance offsets are discussed, but cannot be unambiguously determined retrospectively. Monitoring and, if necessary, corrections for radiance offsets as well as a real-time rigorous automated data quality control are mandatory for microwave profiler systems that are designated for operational temperature profiling. In the analysis of a subset of different atmospheric situations, it is shown that lifted inversions and data quality during precipitation present the largest challenges for operational MWR temperature profiling.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 7435-7469 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Löhnert ◽  
O. Maier

Abstract. The motivation of this study is to verify theoretical expectations placed on ground-based radiometer techniques and to confirm whether they are suitable for supporting key missions of national weather services, such as timely and accurate weather advisories and warnings. We evaluate reliability and accuracy of atmospheric temperature profiles retrieved continuously by a HATPRO (Humidity And Temperature PROfiler) system operated at the aerological station of Payerne (MeteoSwiss) in the time period August 2006–December 2009. Assessment is performed by comparing temperatures from the radiometer against temperature measurements from a radiosonde accounting for a total of 2088 quality-controlled all-season cases. In the evaluated time period, HATPRO delivered reliable temperature profiles in 88% of all-weather conditions with a temporal resolution of 15 min. Random differences between HATPRO and radiosonde are down to 0.5 K in the lower boundary layer and rise up to 1.7 K at 4 km height. The differences observed between HATPRO and radiosonde in the lower boundary layer are similar to the differences observed between the radiosonde and another in-situ sensor located on a close-by 30 m tower. Temperature retrievals from above 4 km contain less than 5% of the total information content of the measurements, which makes clear that this technique is mainly suited for continuous observations in the boundary layer. Systematic temperature differences are also observed throughout the retrieved profile and can account for up to ±0.5 K. These errors are due to offsets in the measurements of the microwave radiances that have been corrected for in data post-processing and lead to nearly bias-free overall temperature retrievals. Different reasons for the radiance offsets are discussed, but cannot be unambiguously determined retrospectively. Monitoring and, if necessary, corrections for radiance offsets as well as a real-time rigorous automated data quality control are mandatory for microwave profiler systems that are designated for operational temperature profiling. In the analysis of day/night differences, it is shown that systematic differences between radiosonde and HATPRO decrease throughout the boundary layer if 2 m surface temperature measurements are included in the retrieval.


2017 ◽  
Vol 812 ◽  
pp. 890-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Oruba ◽  
P. A. Davidson ◽  
E. Dormy

We consider rotating convection in a shallow, cylindrical domain. We examine the conditions under which the resulting vortex develops an eye at its core; that is, a region where the poloidal flow reverses and the angular momentum is low. For simplicity, we restrict ourselves to steady, axisymmetric flows in a Boussinesq fluid. Our numerical experiments show that, in such systems, an eye forms as a passive response to the development of a so-called eyewall, a conical annulus of intense, negative azimuthal vorticity that can form near the axis and separates the eye from the primary vortex. We also observe that the vorticity in the eyewall comes from the lower boundary layer, and relies on the fact the poloidal flow strips negative vorticity out of the boundary layer and carries it up into the fluid above as it turns upward near the axis. This process is effective only if the Reynolds number is sufficiently high for the advection of vorticity to dominate over diffusion. Finally we observe that, in the vicinity of the eye and the eyewall, the buoyancy and Coriolis forces are negligible, and so although these forces are crucial to driving and shaping the primary vortex, they play no direct role in eye formation in a Boussinesq fluid.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongkuo Zhao ◽  
Ruiquan Gao ◽  
Jun A. Zhang ◽  
Yong Zhu ◽  
Chunxia Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract This study analyzed the atmospheric boundary layer characteristics based on the multiple level observations by a 350-m height tower during the landfall of Super Typhoon Mangkhut (1822). Mean wind profiles showed logarithmic wind profiles at different wind speed ranges suggesting nearly constant flux layers. The height of the constant layer increased with the wind speed and deceased with the radial distance from the storm centre. This behaviour was supported by flux observations. Momentum fluxes and turbulent kinetic energy increased with the wind speed at all flux measurement levels. The drag coefficient (surface roughness) estimated was nearly a constant with a value of 8´10-3 (0.09 m). Both the estimated eddy diffusivity and mixing length varied with height. The eddy diffusivity also varied with the wind speed. Our results supported that the eddy diffusivity is larger over land than over ocean in a same wind speed range.


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