scholarly journals Modelling Wind Damage to Southeastern U.S. Trees: Effects of Wind Profile, Gaps, Neighborhood Interactions, and Wind Direction

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris J. Peterson ◽  
Jeffery B. Cannon
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Profile ◽  
Wind Damage ◽  
Area Measurement ◽  
Storm Damage ◽  
Gap Formation ◽  
Extinction Coefficients ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Direct Damage ◽  
Wind Profiles

Tree damage from a variety of types of wind events is widespread and of great ecological and economic importance. In terms of areas impacted, tropical storms have the most widespread effects on tropical and temperate forests, with southeastern U.S. forests particularly prone to tropical storm damage. This impact motivates attempts to understand the tree and forest characteristics that influence levels of damage. This study presents initial findings from a spatially explicit, individual-based mechanistic wind severity model, ForSTORM, parameterized from winching research on trees in southeastern U.S. This model allows independent control of six wind and neighborhood parameters likely to influence the patterns of wind damage, such as gap formation, the shape of the vertical wind profile, indirect damage, and support from neighbors. We arranged the subject trees in two virtual stands orientations with identical positions relative to each other, but with one virtual stand rotated 90 degrees from the other virtual stand – to explore the effect of wind coming from two alternative directions. The model reproduces several trends observed in field damage surveys, as well as analogous CWS models developed for other forests, and reveals unexpected insights. Wind profiles with higher extinction coefficients, or steeper decrease in wind speed from canopy top to lower levels, resulted in significantly higher critical wind speeds, thus reducing level of damage for a given wind speed. Three alternative formulations of wind profiles also led to significant differences in critical wind speed (CWS), although the effect of profile was less than effect of different extinction coefficients. The CWS differed little between the two alternative stand orientations. Support from neighboring trees resulted in significantly higher critical wind speeds, regardless of type of wind profile or spatial arrangement of trees. The presence or absence of gaps caused marginally significant different in CWS, while inclusion of indirect damage along with direct damage did not significantly change CWS from those caused by direct damage alone. Empirical research that could most benefit this modelling approach includes improving crown area measurement, refining drag coefficients, and development of a biomechanical framework for neighbor support.

scholarly journals Estimates of tropical cyclone geometry parameters based on best track data

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kees Nederhoff ◽  
Alessio Giardino ◽  
Maarten van Ormondt ◽  
Deepak Vatvani
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Wind Profile ◽  
Wind Fields ◽  
Engineering Applications ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Pressure Fields ◽  
Ne Pacific ◽  
Wind Profiles

Abstract. Parametric wind profiles are commonly applied in a number of engineering applications for the generation of tropical cyclone (TC) wind and pressure fields. Nevertheless, existing formulations for computing wind fields often lack the required accuracy when the TC geometry is not known. This may affect the accuracy of the computed impacts generated by these winds. In this paper, empirical stochastic relationships are derived to describe two important parameters affecting the TC geometry: radius of maximum winds (RMW) and the radius of gale force winds (∆AR35). These relationships are formulated using best track data (BTD) for all seven ocean basins (Atlantic, S/NW/NE Pacific, N/SW/SE Indian Oceans). This makes it possible to a) estimate RMW and ∆AR35 when these properties are not known and b) generate improved parametric wind fields for all oceanic basins. Validation results show how the proposed relationships allow the TC geometry to be represented with higher accuracy than when using relationships available from the literature. Outer wind speeds can be well reproduced by the commonly used Holland wind profile when calibrated using information either from best-track-data or from the proposed relationships. The scripts to compute the TC geometry and the outer wind speed are freely available via Delft Dashboard.

scholarly journals Estimates of tropical cyclone geometry parameters based on best-track data

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 2359-2370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kees Nederhoff ◽  
Alessio Giardino ◽  
Maarten van Ormondt ◽  
Deepak Vatvani
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Wind Profile ◽  
Wind Fields ◽  
Engineering Applications ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Pressure Fields ◽  
Ne Pacific ◽  
Wind Profiles

Abstract. Parametric wind profiles are commonly applied in a number of engineering applications for the generation of tropical cyclone (TC) wind and pressure fields. Nevertheless, existing formulations for computing wind fields often lack the required accuracy when the TC geometry is not known. This may affect the accuracy of the computed impacts generated by these winds. In this paper, empirical stochastic relationships are derived to describe two important parameters affecting the TC geometry: radius of maximum winds (RMW) and the radius of gale-force winds (ΔAR35). These relationships are formulated using best-track data (BTD) for all seven ocean basins (Atlantic; S, NW, and NE Pacific; and N, SW, and SE Indian oceans). This makes it possible to (a) estimate RMW and ΔAR35 when these properties are not known and (b) generate improved parametric wind fields for all oceanic basins. Validation results show how the proposed relationships allow the TC geometry to be represented with higher accuracy than when using relationships available from literature. Outer wind speeds can be reproduced well by the commonly used Holland wind profile when calibrated using information either from best-track data or from the proposed relationships. The scripts to compute the TC geometry and the outer wind speed are freely available via the following URL: https://bit.ly/2k9py1J (last access: October 2019).

scholarly journals Validation of Dual-Doppler Wind Profiles with in situ Anemometry

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 943-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Scott Gunter ◽  
John L. Schroeder ◽  
Brian D. Hirth
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Doppler Radar ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Time Histories ◽  
Mean Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Profiles

AbstractTypical methods used to acquire wind profiles from Doppler radar measurements rely on plan position indicator (PPI) scans being performed at multiple elevation angles to utilize the velocity–azimuth display technique or to construct dual-Doppler synthesis. These techniques, as well as those employed by wind profilers, often produce wind profiles that lack the spatial or temporal resolution to resolve finescale features. If two radars perform range–height indicator (RHI) scans (constant azimuth, multiple elevations) along azimuths separated by approximately 90°, then the intersection of the coordinated RHI planes represents a vertical set of points where dual-Doppler wind syntheses are possible and wind speed and direction profiles can be retrieved. This method also allows for the generation of high-resolution wind time histories that can be compared to anemometer time histories. This study focuses on the use of the coordinated RHI scanning strategy by two high-resolution mobile Doppler radars in close proximity to a 200-m instrumented tower. In one of the first high-resolution, long-duration comparisons of dual-Doppler wind synthesis with in situ anemometry, the mean and turbulence states of the wind measured by each platform were compared in varying atmospheric conditions. Examination of mean wind speed and direction profiles in both clear-air (nonprecipitating) and precipitating environments revealed excellent agreement above approximately 50 m. Below this level, dual-Doppler wind speeds were still good but slightly overestimated as compared to the anemometer-measured wind speeds in heavy precipitation. Bulk turbulence parameters were also slightly underestimated by the dual-Doppler syntheses.

scholarly journals Evaluation of wind profiles from the NERC MST Radar, Aberystwyth, UK

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 4589-4621
Author(s):  
C. F. Lee ◽  
G. Vaughan ◽  
D. A. Hooper
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Standard Error ◽  
Random Error ◽  
Sampling Error ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Mst Radar ◽  
Wind Profiles ◽  
Aspect Sensitivity

Abstract. This study quantifies the uncertainties in winds measured by the Aberystwyth Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere (MST) radar (52.4° N, 4.0° W), before and after its renovation in March 2011. 127 radiosondes provide an independent measure of winds. Differences between radiosonde and radar-measured horizontal winds are correlated with long-term averages of vertical velocities, suggesting an influence from local mountain waves. These local influences are an important consideration when using radar winds as a measure of regional conditions, particularly for numerical weather prediction. In those applications, local effects represent a source of sampling error additional to the inherent uncertainties in the measurements themselves. The radar renovation improved the SNR of measurements, with correspondingly improved altitude coverage. It also corrected an under-estimate of horizontal wind speeds attributed to beam formation problems, due to component failure pre-renovation. The standard error in radar-measured winds averaged over half-an-hour increases with wind speed and altitude, and is 0.6–2.5 m s−1 (5–20% of wind speed) for post-renovation horizontal winds. Pre-renovation values are typically 0.4 m s−1 (0.03 m s−1) larger. The standard error in radial velocities is < 0.04 m s−1. Eight weeks of special radar operation are used to investigate the effects of echo power aspect sensitivity. Corrections for echo power aspect sensitivity remove an underestimate of horizontal wind speeds, however aspect sensitivity is azimuthally anisotropic at the scale of routine observations (≈ 1 h). This anisotropy introduces additional random error into wind profiles. For winds averaged over half-an-hour, the random error is around 3.5% above 8 km, but as large as 4.5% in the mid-troposphere.

scholarly journals Design and Implementation of a Low Power Wind Turbine Emulator Through the Induction Motor-Permanent Magnet Generator Arrangement

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (54) ◽  
pp. e10530
Author(s):  
David Felipe Bajonero-Sandoval ◽  
Jeyson Sanabria-Vargas ◽  
César Leonardo Trujillo-Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Permanent Magnet ◽  
Induction Motor ◽  
Wind Profile ◽  
Labview Software ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Wind Profiles ◽  
Permanent Magnet Generator

This paper presents the design and construction stage of a low power wind turbine emulator, which is used at the laboratory level, to reproduce different wind profiles. There are several types of wind emulators, among which the wind tunnel emulators stand out. These emulators use a motor with a propeller on their axis to obtain the desired wind speed. However, in the present work -and done from a computer- speed control is developed for a three-phase induction motor, thus driving a permanent magnet generator. The motor-generator group is controlled through a program developed in the Labview software. Also, it has the particularity of operating automatically, being able to load different speed data. Such data is associated with a particular power that takes into account the selected wind profile and can operate through manual control of the wind speed. However, this depends on the frequency given. The emulator operation is validated experimentally through two scenarios: the first one emulates the curve presented by the Eolos turbine and subsequently compares the results obtained, whereas the second one loads the wind profile of Uribía-Guajira -a region in Colombia-  achieving that the emulated wind profile can be accurately seen in the loaded wind profile.

A Common Wind Damage Pattern in Relation to the Classical Tornado

1957 ◽  
Vol 38 (1.1) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
George W. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Pressure ◽  
Wind Damage ◽  
Total Force ◽  
Total Speed ◽  
Damage Pattern ◽  
Damage Area ◽  
Maximum Wind ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
The Right

A wind damage pattern in which no major damage has been accomplished by winds blowing toward the direction from which the storm came can result from a classical tornado if the speed of translation is high enough relative to the maximum wind speed. A distinct rotary damage pattern indicates that the speed of translation is a less important component of the total speed. One might consider a wind damage pattern in which there is,An increase in damage intensity from right to left,No major damage accomplished to the left of the line of most extreme damage, andEvidence indicating that the damage in the major damage area was accomplished by winds blowing with the direction of translation of the storm, to be a point in favor of cyclonic rotation. If the build-up were from left to right, with the break-off to the right of the line of most extreme damage, the point would be in favor of anti-cyclonic rotation. The wind speed-wind pressure relationship is discussed briefly, and tables and graphs showing the wind speeds and pressures at points on opposite sides of a tornado, for assigned values of the speeds of rotation and translation, are included. A table estimating the total force on a wall resulting from assumed wind speeds is also presented.

scholarly journals Estimation of the high-resolution variability of extreme wind speeds for a better management of wind damage risks to forest-based bioeconomy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ari K. Venäläinen ◽  
Mikko O. Laapas ◽  
Pentti I. Pirinen ◽  
Matti Horttanainen ◽  
Reijo Hyvönen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Maximum Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Damage ◽  
Return Level ◽  
Maximum Wind ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Coarse Spatial Resolution ◽  
Elevation Data ◽  
Topographic Variation

Abstract. The bioeconomy has an increasing role to play in climate change mitigation and the sustainable development of national economies. In a forested country, such as Finland, over 50 % of its current bioeconomy relies on the sustainable management and utilization of forest resources. Wind storms are a major risk that forests are exposed to and high spatial resolution analysis of the most vulnerable locations can produce risk assessment of forest management planning. Coarse spatial resolution estimates of the return levels of maximum wind speed based, e.g., on reanalysed meteorological data or climate scenarios can be downscaled to forest stand levels with the help of land cover and terrain elevation data. In this paper, we examine the feasibility of the wind multiplier approach for downscaling of maximum wind speed, using 20 meter spatial resolution CORINE-land use dataset and high resolution digital elevation data. A coarse spatial resolution estimate of the 10-year return level of maximum wind speed was obtained from the ERA-Interim reanalysed data. These data were downscaled to 26 meteorological station locations to represent very diverse environments: Open Baltic Sea islands, agricultural land, forested areas, and Northern Finland treeless fells. Applying a comparison, the downscaled 10-year return levels explained 77 % of the observed variation among the stations examined. In addition, the spatial variation of wind multiplier downscaled 10-year return level wind was compared with the WAsP- model simulated wind. The heterogeneous test area was situated in Northern Finland, and it was found that the major features of the spatial variation were similar, but in the details, there were relatively large differences. However, for areas representing a typical Finnish forested landscape with no major topographic variation, both of the methods produced very similar results. Further fine-tuning of wind multipliers could improve the downscaling for the locations with large topographic variation. However, the current results already indicate that the wind multiplier method offers a pragmatic and computationally feasible tool for identifying at a high spatial resolution those locations having the highest forest wind damage risks. It can also be used to provide the necessary wind climate information for wind damage risk model calculations, thus making it possible to estimate the probability of predicted threshold wind speeds for wind damage and consequently the probability (and amount) of wind damage for certain forest stand configurations.

Landscape-level variation in forest response to hurricane disturbance across a storm track

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 2942-2950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Posy E. Busby ◽  
Glenn Motzkin ◽  
Emery R. Boose
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
New England ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Wind Damage ◽  
Forest Damage ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Minimal Growth ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Hurricane Wind ◽  
Study Sites

Hurricane wind speeds at a given site are related to the intensity of the storm and the distance and direction from the storm center. As a result, forest damage is expected to vary predictably with respect to location relative to the storm track. To determine whether patterns of forest response along the track of a major hurricane in coastal New England were consistent with the expected patterns of wind damage, we investigated tree growth responses to the storm in several study sites that are similar with respect to site conditions, vegetation, and disturbance history. Growth responses to a severe hurricane in 1944 varied predictably among study sites with respect to distance from the storm track. Sites closest to the storm track experienced lesser wind damage and exhibited minimal growth responses, whereas sites farther east of the storm track and closer to the area of maximum estimated wind speed were characterized by greater wind damage and growth changes. Variation in estimated wind speed among our study sites (5–10 m/s) is not much greater than anticipated increases in hurricane intensity predicted under future climate scenarios (3–7 m/s). Thus, our results suggest that the magnitude of anticipated increases in wind speeds associated with Atlantic hurricanes may be sufficient to cause changes in forest response.

scholarly journals Estimation of the high-spatial-resolution variability in extreme wind speeds for forestry applications

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ari Venäläinen ◽  
Mikko Laapas ◽  
Pentti Pirinen ◽  
Matti Horttanainen ◽  
Reijo Hyvönen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
Maximum Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Damage ◽  
Return Level ◽  
Mapping Technique ◽  
Maximum Wind ◽  
Wind Speeds

Abstract. The bioeconomy has an increasing role to play in climate change mitigation and the sustainable development of national economies. In Finland, a forested country, over 50 % of the current bioeconomy relies on the sustainable management and utilization of forest resources. Wind storms are a major risk that forests are exposed to and high-spatial-resolution analysis of the most vulnerable locations can produce risk assessment of forest management planning. In this paper, we examine the feasibility of the wind multiplier approach for downscaling of maximum wind speed, using 20 m spatial resolution CORINE land-use dataset and high-resolution digital elevation data. A coarse spatial resolution estimate of the 10-year return level of maximum wind speed was obtained from the ERA-Interim reanalyzed data. Using a geospatial re-mapping technique the data were downscaled to 26 meteorological station locations to represent very diverse environments. Applying a comparison, we find that the downscaled 10-year return levels represent 66 % of the observed variation among the stations examined. In addition, the spatial variation in wind-multiplier-downscaled 10-year return level wind was compared with the WAsP model-simulated wind. The heterogeneous test area was situated in northern Finland, and it was found that the major features of the spatial variation were similar, but in some locations, there were relatively large differences. The results indicate that the wind multiplier method offers a pragmatic and computationally feasible tool for identifying at a high spatial resolution those locations with the highest forest wind damage risks. It can also be used to provide the necessary wind climate information for wind damage risk model calculations, thus making it possible to estimate the probability of predicted threshold wind speeds for wind damage and consequently the probability (and amount) of wind damage for certain forest stand configurations.

scholarly journals Evaluation of wind profiles from the NERC MST radar, Aberystwyth, UK

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 3113-3126 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. Lee ◽  
G. Vaughan ◽  
D. A. Hooper
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Sampling Error ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Mountain Waves ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Mst Radar ◽  
Wind Profiles ◽  
Aspect Sensitivity

Abstract. This study quantifies the uncertainties in winds measured by the Aberystwyth Mesosphere–Stratosphere–Troposphere (MST) radar (52.4° N, 4.0° W), before and after its renovation in March 2011. A total of 127 radiosondes provide an independent measure of winds. Differences between radiosonde and radar-measured horizontal winds are correlated with long-term averages of vertical velocities, suggesting an influence from local mountain waves. These local influences are an important consideration when using radar winds as a measure of regional conditions, particularly for numerical weather prediction. For those applications, local effects represent a source of sampling error additional to the inherent uncertainties in the measurements themselves. The radar renovation improved the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of measurements, with a corresponding improvement in altitude coverage. It also corrected an underestimate of horizontal wind speeds attributed to beam formation problems, due to pre-renovation component failure. The root mean square error (RMSE) in radar-measured horizontal wind components, averaged over half an hour, increases with wind speed and altitude, and is 0.8–2.5 m s−1 (6–12% of wind speed) for post-renovation winds. Pre-renovation values are typically 0.1 m s−1 larger. The RMSE in radial velocities is <0.04 m s−1. Eight weeks of special radar operation are used to investigate the effects of echo power aspect sensitivity. Corrections for echo power aspect sensitivity remove an underestimate of horizontal wind speeds; however aspect sensitivity is azimuthally anisotropic at the scale of routine observations (≈1 h). This anisotropy introduces random error into wind profiles. For winds averaged over half an hour, the RMSE is around 3.5% above 8 km, but as large as 4.5% in the mid-troposphere.

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