Stable Boundary Layer Regimes in Single-Column Models

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 2039-2054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe D. Costa ◽  
Otávio C. Acevedo ◽  
Luiz E. Medeiros ◽  
Rafael Maroneze ◽  
Franciano S. Puhales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Stable Layer ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Stability Functions ◽  
Single Column ◽  
Mean Wind Speed ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Two contrasting flow regimes exist in the stable boundary layer (SBL), as evidenced from both observational and modeling studies. In general, numerical schemes such as those used in numerical weather prediction and climate models (NWPCs) reproduce a transition between SBL regimes. However, the characteristics of such a transition depend on the turbulence parameterizations and stability functions used to represent the eddy diffusivity in the models. The main goal of the present study is to detail how the two SBL regimes occur in single-column models (SCMs) by analyzing the SBL structure and its dependence on external parameters. Two different turbulence closure orders (first order and an E–l model) and two types of stability functions (short and long tail) are considered. The control exerted by the geostrophic wind and the surface cooling rate on the model SBL regimes is addressed. The model flow presents a three-layer structure: a fully turbulent, weakly stable layer (WSL) next to the surface; a very stable layer (VSL) above that; and a laminar layer above the other two and toward the domain top. It is shown that the WSL and VSL are related to both SBL regimes, respectively. Furthermore, the numerically simulated SBL presents the two-layer structure regardless of the turbulence parameterization order and stability function used. The models also reproduce other features reported in recent observational studies: an S-shaped dependence of the thermal gradient on the mean wind speed and an independence of the vertical gradient of friction velocity δu* on the mean wind speed.

scholarly journals Horizontal-Velocity and Variance Measurements in the Stable Boundary Layer Using Doppler Lidar: Sensitivity to Averaging Procedures

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1307-1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yelena L. Pichugina ◽  
Sara C. Tucker ◽  
Robert M. Banta ◽  
W. Alan Brewer ◽  
Neil D. Kelley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
High Wind ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Mean Wind Speed ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Low Level Jet

Abstract Quantitative data on turbulence variables aloft—above the region of the atmosphere conveniently measured from towers—have been an important but difficult measurement need for advancing understanding and modeling of the stable boundary layer (SBL). Vertical profiles of streamwise velocity variances obtained from NOAA’s high-resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL), which have been shown to be approximately equal to turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) for stable conditions, are a measure of the turbulence in the SBL. In the present study, the mean horizontal wind component U and variance σ2u were computed from HRDL measurements of the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity using a method described by Banta et al., which uses an elevation (vertical slice) scanning technique. The method was tested on datasets obtained during the Lamar Low-Level Jet Project (LLLJP) carried out in early September 2003, near the town of Lamar in southeastern Colorado. This paper compares U with mean wind speed obtained from sodar and sonic anemometer measurements. The results for the mean U and mean wind speed measured by sodar and in situ instruments for all nights of LLLJP show high correlation (0.71–0.97), independent of sampling strategies and averaging procedures, and correlation coefficients consistently >0.9 for four high-wind nights, when the low-level jet speeds exceeded 15 m s−1 at some time during the night. Comparison of estimates of variance, on the other hand, proved sensitive to both the spatial and temporal averaging parameters. Several series of averaging tests are described, to find the best correlation between TKE calculated from sonic anemometer data at several tower levels and lidar measurements of horizontal-velocity variance σ2u. Because of the nonstationarity of the SBL data, the best results were obtained when the velocity data were first averaged over intervals of 1 min, and then further averaged over 3–15 consecutive 1-min intervals, with best results for the 10- and 15-min averaging periods. For these cases, correlation coefficients exceeded 0.9. As a part of the analysis, Eulerian integral time scales (τ) were estimated for the four high-wind nights. Time series of τ through each night indicated erratic behavior consistent with the nonstationarity. Histograms of τ showed a mode at 4–5 s, but frequent occurrences of larger τ values, mostly between 10 and 100 s.

scholarly journals Stable Boundary Layer Depth from High-Resolution Measurements of the Mean Wind Profile

2010 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yelena L. Pichugina ◽  
Robert M. Banta
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Type I ◽  
Profile Data ◽  
Zero Crossing ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
The Mean

Abstract The depth h of the stable boundary layer (SBL) has long been an elusive measurement. In this diagnostic study the use of high-quality, high-resolution (Δz = 10 m) vertical profile data of the mean wind U(z) and streamwise variance σu2(z) is investigated to see whether mean-profile features alone can be equated with h. Three mean-profile diagnostics are identified: hJ, the height of maximum low-level-jet (LLJ) wind speed U in the SBL; h1, the height of the first zero crossing or minimum absolute value of the magnitude of the shear ∂U/∂z profile above the surface; and h2, the minimum in the curvature ∂2U/∂z2 profile. Boundary layer BL here is defined as the surface-based layer of significant turbulence, so the top of the BL was determined as the first significant minimum in the σu2(z) profile, designated as hσ. The height hσ was taken as a reference against which the three mean-profile diagnostics were tested. Mean-wind profiles smooth enough to calculate second derivatives were obtained by averaging high-resolution Doppler lidar profile data, taken during two nighttime field programs in the Great Plains, over 10-min intervals. Nights are chosen for study when the maximum wind speed in the lowest 200 m exceeded 5 m s−1 (i.e., weak-wind, very stable BLs were excluded). To evaluate the three diagnostics, data from the 14-night sample were divided into three profile shapes: Type I, a traditional LLJ structure with a distinct maximum or “nose,” Type II, a “flat” structure with constant wind speed over a significant depth, and Type III, having a layered structure to the shear and turbulence in the lower levels. For Type I profiles, the height of the jet nose hJ, which coincided with h1 and h2 in this case, agreed with the reference SBL depth to within 5%. The study had two major results: 1) among the mean-profile diagnostics for h, the curvature depth h2 gave the best results; for the entire sample, h2 agreed with hσ to within 12%; 2) considering the profile shapes, the layered Type III profiles gave the most problems. When these profiles could be identified and eliminated from the sample, regression and error statistics improved significantly: mean relative errors of 8% for hJ and h1, and errors of <5% for h2, were found for the sample of only Type I and II profiles.

scholarly journals Local Characteristics of the Nocturnal Boundary Layer in Response to External Pressure Forcing

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 3035-3047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. A. van der Linden ◽  
Peter Baas ◽  
J. Antoon van Hooft ◽  
Ivo G. S. van Hooijdonk ◽  
Fred C. Bosveld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Geostrophic Wind ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Turbulent Characteristics

AbstractGeostrophic wind speed data, derived from pressure observations, are used in combination with tower measurements to investigate the nocturnal stable boundary layer at Cabauw, the Netherlands. Since the geostrophic wind speed is not directly influenced by local nocturnal stability, it may be regarded as an external forcing parameter of the nocturnal stable boundary layer. This is in contrast to local parameters such as in situ wind speed, the Monin–Obukhov stability parameter (z/L), or the local Richardson number. To characterize the stable boundary layer, ensemble averages of clear-sky nights with similar geostrophic wind speeds are formed. In this manner, the mean dynamical behavior of near-surface turbulent characteristics and composite profiles of wind and temperature are systematically investigated. The classification is found to result in a gradual ordering of the diagnosed variables in terms of the geostrophic wind speed. In an ensemble sense the transition from the weakly stable to very stable boundary layer is more gradual than expected. Interestingly, for very weak geostrophic winds, turbulent activity is found to be negligibly small while the resulting boundary cooling stays finite. Realistic numerical simulations for those cases should therefore have a comprehensive description of other thermodynamic processes such as soil heat conduction and radiative transfer.

Experimental investigation of aerodynamic vibrations of solar wing system

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 2217-2226 ◽  
Author(s):  
YC Kim ◽  
Y Tamura ◽  
A Yoshida ◽  
T Ito ◽  
W Shan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Boundary Layer Flows ◽  
Turbulence Flow ◽  
Aeroelastic Model ◽  
Mean Wind Speed ◽  
The Mean

The general characteristics of aerodynamic vibrations of a solar wing system were investigated through wind tunnel tests using an aeroelastic model under four oncoming flows. In total, 12 solar panels were suspended by cables and orientated horizontally. Distances between panels were set constant. Tests showed that the fluctuating displacement increases proportionally to the square of the mean wind speed for all wind directions in boundary-layer flows. Larger fluctuating displacements were found for boundary-layer flows with larger power-law indices. Under low-turbulence flow, the fluctuating displacement increased proportionally to the square of the mean wind speed for wind directions between 0° and 30°, but an instability vibration was observed at high mean wind speed for wind directions larger than 40°. And when the wind direction was larger than 60°, a limited vibration was observed at low mean wind speed and the instability vibration was also observed at high mean wind speed. Fluctuating displacements under grid-generated flow showed a similar trend to that of the boundary-layer flows, although the values became much smaller.

Impact of wind speeds on turbulent transport of carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes at a tropical location in Ile - Ife, southwest Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodora Bello ◽  
Adewale Ajao ◽  
Oluwagbemiga Jegede
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Low Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Area

<p>The study investigates impact of wind speeds on the turbulent transport of CO<sub>2 </sub>fluxes for a land-surface atmosphere interface in a low-wind tropical area between May 28<sup>th</sup> and June 14<sup>th</sup>, 2010; and May 24<sup>th</sup> and June 15<sup>th</sup>, 2015. Eddy covariance technique was used to acquire turbulent mass fluxes of CO<sub>2</sub> and wind speed at the study site located inside the main campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile – Ife, Nigeria. The results showed high levels of CO<sub>2 </sub>fluxes at nighttime attributed to stable boundary layer conditions and low wind speed. Large transport and distribution of CO<sub>2 </sub>fluxes were observed in the early mornings due to strong wind speeds recorded at the study location. In addition, negative CO<sub>2 </sub>fluxes were observed during the daytime attributed to prominent convective and photosynthetic activities. The study concludes there was an inverse relationship between turbulent transport of CO<sub>2 </sub>fluxes and wind speed for daytime period while nighttime CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes showed no significant correlation.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: CO<sub>2 </sub>fluxes, Wind speed, Turbulent transport, Low-wind tropical area, Stable boundary layer</p>

scholarly journals Interactions between a Nocturnal MCS and the Stable Boundary Layer as Observed by an Airborne Compact Raman Lidar during PECAN

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 (9) ◽  
pp. 3169-3189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo Lin ◽  
Bart Geerts ◽  
Zhien Wang ◽  
Coltin Grasmick ◽  
Xiaoqin Jing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Layer Structure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Raman Lidar ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Cold Pools ◽  
Outflow Boundary ◽  
The University ◽  
Frontal Boundary

Abstract Small-scale variations within the low-level outflow and inflow of an MCS can either support or deter the upscale growth and maintenance of the MCS. However, these small-scale variations, in particular in the thermodynamics (temperature and humidity), remain poorly understood, due to a lack of detailed measurements. The compact Raman lidar (CRL) deployed on the University of Wyoming King Air aircraft directly sampled temperature and water vapor profiles at unprecedented vertical and along-track resolutions along the southern margin of a series of mature nocturnal MCSs traveling along a frontal boundary on 1 July 2015 during the Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) campaign. Here, the capability of the airborne CRL to document interactions between the MCS inflow and outflow currents is illustrated. The CRL reveals the well-defined boundary of a cooler current. This is interpreted as the frontal boundary sharpened by convectively induced cold pools, in particular by the outflow boundary of the downstream MCS. In one CRL transect, the frontal/outflow boundary appeared as a distinct two-layer structure of moisture and aerosols formed by moist stable boundary layer air advected above the boundary. The second transect, one hour later, reveals a single sloping boundary. In both cases, the lofting of the moist stably stratified air over the boundary favors MCS maintenance, through enhanced elevated CAPE and reduced CIN. The CRL data are sufficiently resolved to reveal Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) billows and the vertical structure of the outflow boundary, which in this case behaved as a density current rather than an undular bore.

scholarly journals The Characteristics of Numerically Simulated Supercell Storms Situated over Statically Stable Boundary Layers

2011 ◽  
Vol 139 (10) ◽  
pp. 3139-3162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Nowotarski ◽  
Paul M. Markowski ◽  
Yvette P. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Stable Boundary Layer ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Stable Layer ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Stable Boundary Layers ◽  
Stable Boundary ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Supercell Thunderstorms

Abstract This paper uses idealized numerical simulations to investigate the dynamical influences of stable boundary layers on the morphology of supercell thunderstorms, especially the development of low-level rotation. Simulations are initialized in a horizontally homogeneous environment with a surface-based stable layer similar to that found within a nocturnal boundary layer or a mesoscale cold pool. The depth and lapse rate of the imposed stable boundary layer, which together control the convective inhibition (CIN), are varied in a suite of experiments. When compared with a control simulation having little surface-based CIN, each supercell simulated in an environment having a stable boundary layer develops weaker rotation, updrafts, and downdrafts at low levels; in general, low-level vertical vorticity and vertical velocity magnitude decrease as initial CIN increases (changes in CIN are due only to variations in the imposed stable boundary layer). Though the presence of a stable boundary layer decreases low-level updraft strength, all supercells except those initiated over the most stable boundary layers had at least some updraft parcels with near-surface origins. Furthermore, the existence of a stable boundary layer only prohibits downdraft parcels from reaching the lowest grid level in the most stable cases. Trajectory and circulation analyses indicate that weaker near-surface rotation in the stable-layer scenarios is a result of the decreased generation of circulation coupled with decreased convergence of the near-surface circulation by weaker low-level updrafts. These results may also suggest a reason why tornadogenesis is less likely to occur in so-called elevated supercell thunderstorms than in surface-based supercells.

Prediction of Atmospheric Turbulence Characteristics for Surface Boundary Layer using Empirical Spectral Methods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yagya Dutta Dwivedi ◽  
Vasishta Bhargava Nukala ◽  
Satya Prasad Maddula ◽  
Kiran Nair
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Atmospheric Turbulence ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Power Spectral ◽  
Mean Wind Speed

Abstract Atmospheric turbulence is an unsteady phenomenon found in nature and plays significance role in predicting natural events and life prediction of structures. In this work, turbulence in surface boundary layer has been studied through empirical methods. Computer simulation of Von Karman, Kaimal methods were evaluated for different surface roughness and for low (1%), medium (10%) and high (50%) turbulence intensities. Instantaneous values of one minute time series for longitudinal turbulent wind at mean wind speed of 12 m/s using both spectra showed strong correlation in validation trends. Influence of integral length scales on turbulence kinetic energy production at different heights is illustrated. Time series for mean wind speed of 12 m/s with surface roughness value of 0.05 m have shown that variance for longitudinal, lateral and vertical velocity components were different and found to be anisotropic. Wind speed power spectral density from Davenport and Simiu profiles have also been calculated at surface roughness of 0.05 m and compared with k−1 and k−3 slopes for Kolmogorov k−5/3 law in inertial sub-range and k−7 in viscous dissipation range. At high frequencies, logarithmic slope of Kolmogorov −5/3rd law agreed well with Davenport, Harris, Simiu and Solari spectra than at low frequencies.

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