The Effects of the Width of an Isolated Valley on Near-Surface Turbulence

With the aim of ascertaining the effects of the widths (A) of valleys on near-surface turbulence, flows over an isolated symmetric three-dimensional valley of constant depth (H) and slopes are characterized in a large-boundary-layer wind tunnel. Starting at A = 4H, valley widths were systematically varied to A = 12H with constant increments of 2H. High-resolution laser-Doppler velocimetry measurements were made at several equivalent locations above each of the resulting valley geometries and compared with data from undisturbed flows over flat terrain. Flow separation caused by the first ridges generated inner-valley recirculation bubbles with lengths dependent on the valley widths. Secondary recirculation zones were also observed downstream from the crests of the second ridges. Results show that the width modifications exert the strongest effects on turbulence within the valleys and the vicinities of the second ridges. Above these locations, maximal magnitudes of turbulence are generally found for the larger width geometries. Furthermore, lateral turbulence overpowers the longitudinal counterparts nearest to the surface, with maximal gains occurring for the smaller widths. Our data indicate that valley widths are impactful on near-surface flows and should be considered together with other more established geometric parameters of influence.

The Influence of Slopes of Isolated Three-Dimensional Valleys on Near-Surface Turbulence

Motivated by a limited understanding of how valleys affect near-surface turbulence, characterizations of neutrally stable atmospheric-boundary-layer flows over isolated valleys are presented. In particular, the influence of the slopes of the three-dimensional ridges that form the idealized valleys are investigated. Flows over three distinct symmetric valley geometries were modelled in a large boundary-layer wind tunnel. For each valley geometry, the high-resolution measurements from the crests of each of the ridges and the midpoint between them are compared with an undisturbed moderately rough classed boundary-layer flow over flat terrain with homogeneous surface roughness. Flow separation originates above the crests of the first ridges of all geometries and generates recirculation zones. These are characterized by slope-dependent increases in three-dimensional near-surface turbulence when compared with the attached flows further upstream. The recirculation zones longitudinally extend to roughly half the valley width. Above the crests of the second ridges, the longitudinal velocity component decreases and turbulence intensity increases when compared with the flows above the crests of the first ridges. Results also exhibit significant increases of turbulence above the inner-valley regions of all geometries.

Anisotropy of Unstably Stratified Near-Surface Turbulence

Classic Monin–Obukov similarity scaling states that in a stationary, horizontally homogeneous flow, in the absence of subsidence, turbulence is dictated by the balance between shear production and buoyancy production/destruction, whose ratio is characterized by a single universal scaling parameter. An evident breakdown in scaling is observed though, through large scatter in traditional scaling relations for the horizontal velocity variances under unstable stratification, or more generally in complex flow conditions. This breakdown suggests the existence of processes other than local shear and buoyancy that modulate near-surface turbulence. Recent studies on the role of anisotropy in similarity scaling have shown that anisotropy, even if calculated locally, may encode the information about these missing processes. We therefore examine the possible processes that govern the degree of anisotropy in convective conditions. We first use the reduced turbulence-kinetic-energy budget to show that anisotropy in convective conditions cannot be uniquely described by a balance of buoyancy and shear production and dissipation, but that other terms in the budget play an important role. Subsequently, we identify a ratio of local time scales that acts as a proxy for the anisotropic state of convective turbulence. This ratio can be used to formulate a new non-dimensional group. Results show that building on this approach the role of anisotropy in scaling relations over complex terrain can be placed into a more generalized framework.