High resolution flight observations and numerical simulations: horizontal variability in the wintertime boreal boundary layer

Summary  High resolution aircraft observations made along flight tracks over inhomogeneous surface in the late wintertime boreal zone are described and compared to 2D mesoscale model simulations with surface properties defined at 2 km resolution from maps. All observations displayed the expected small-scale turbulence. On top of that, the near-surface wind speeds (but not directions) showed mesoscale variations related to local topography and roughness. Upward (but not downward) SW and LW radiative fluxes and ground temperature also displayed mesoscale variability; in SW radiation this was clearly due to local albedo changes. In the sensible heat flux there was strong horizontal variation near the surface in correlation with surface types. The above observed mesoscale along-track variations were reasonably well represented by the mesoscale model simulation. The track-averaged observed sensible and latent heat flux profiles were in rough agreement with a mixing length approach, which used the track-averaged wind, temperature and moisture profiles as input (mimicking a first-order turbulence closure scheme of a GCM). Received September 20, 1999 Revised January 21, 2000     

Experimental Study on the Wake Meandering Within a Scale Model Wind Farm Subject to a Wind-Tunnel Flow Simulating an Atmospheric Boundary Layer

The phenomenon of meandering of the wind-turbine wake comprises the motion of the wake as a whole in both horizontal and vertical directions as it is advected downstream. The oscillatory motion of the wake is a crucial factor in wind farms, because it increases the fatigue loads, and, in particular, the yaw loads on downstream turbines. To address this phenomenon, experimental investigations are carried out in a wind-tunnel flow simulating an atmospheric boundary layer with the Coriolis effect neglected. A \(3 \times 3\) scaled wind farm composed of three-bladed rotating wind-turbine models is subject to a neutral boundary layer over a slightly-rough surface, i.e. corresponding to offshore conditions. Particle-image-velocimetry measurements are performed in a horizontal plane at hub height in the wakes of the three wind turbines occupying the wind-farm centreline. These measurements allow determination of the wake centrelines, with spectral analysis indicating the characteristic wavelength of the wake-meandering phenomenon. In addition, measurements with hot-wire anemometry are performed along a vertical line in the wakes of the same wind turbines, with both techniques revealing the presence of wake meandering behind all three turbines. The spectral analysis performed with the spatial and temporal signals obtained from these two measurement techniques indicates a Strouhal number of \(\approx 0.20 - 0.22\) based on the characteristic wake-meandering frequency, the rotor diameter and the flow speed at hub height.     

西南季风爆发前后大理近地层风场及湍流通量的变化特征

利用2008年4~5月大理国家气候观象台近地面层观测系统的梯度、涡动相关通量观测资料,结合背景场环流分析,分析了西南季风爆发前后大理近地面层的风速、风向变化特征、风速廓线和垂直切变变化特征以及动量、感热和潜热通量变化特征。结果显示:西南季风爆发前,大理近地层风向以东南风为主,平均风速较大;风速日变化的双峰型特征较显著,风速的垂直切变大,动量通量数值较大且日变化特征较明显。西南季风爆发后,大理近地层西北风频率显著增加,平均风速减小;风速日变化以单锋型为主,风速垂直切变较前期显著减小,动量通量数值减小而日变化特征较不显著。西南季风开始前后大理地气热量交换都以潜热为主,西南季风开始前一旬期间,潜热通量的逐日变化特点是随时间逐渐减少,感热通量逐渐增大,二者差值逐渐减小;西南季风开始后潜热通量的逐日变化为逐渐增大而感热通量逐渐减少,二者差值逐渐增大。就月平均值的日变化而言,潜热通量峰值变化不大,雨季略低于干季的4月;感热通量4~6月的月平均逐月降低。其原因既与雨季天气的变化有关,也与下垫面状况的改变相联系。     

Aircraft Observations of the Development of Thermal Internal Boundary Layers and Scaling of the Convective Boundary Layer Over Non-Homogeneous Land Surfaces

This study investigates the convective boundary layer (CBL) that develops over anon-homogeneous surface under different thermal and dynamic conditions. Analysesare based on data obtained from a Russian research aircraft equipped with turbulentsensors during the GAME-Siberia experiment over Yakutsk in Siberia, from April to June 2000.Mesoscale thermal internal boundary layers (MTIBLs) that radically modified CBLdevelopment were observed under unstable atmospheric conditions. It was found thatMTIBLs strongly influenced the vertical and horizontal structures of virtual potentialtemperature, specific humidity and, most notably, the vertical sensible and latent heatfluxes. MTIBLs in the vicinity of the Lena River lowlands were confirmed by clouddistributions in satellite pictures.MTIBLs spread through the entire CBL and radically modify its structure if the CBL isunstable, and strong thermal features on the underlying surface have horizontal scalesexceeding 10 km. MTIBL detection is facilitated through the use of special parameterslinking shear stress and convective motion.The turbulent structure of the CBL with and without MTIBLs was scaled usingthe mosaic or flux aggregate approach. A non-dimensional parameterL_Rau/L_hetero (where L_Rau is Raupach's length and L_hetero is the horizontal scale of the surface heterogeneity)estimates the application limit of similarity and local similarity scaling models forthe mosaic parts over the surface. Normalized vertical profiles of wind speed, airtemperature, turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes for the mosaic parts withL_RauL_hetero < 1 could be estimated by typical scalingcurves for the homogeneous CBL. Traditional similarity scaling models for the CBLcould not be applied for the mosaic parts with L_Rau/L_hetero > 1.For some horizontally non-homogeneous CBLs, horizontal sensible heat fluxes werecomparable with the vertical fluxes. The largest horizontal sensible heat fluxes occurred at the top of the surface layer and below the top of the CBL.Formerly affiliated to the Frontier Observational Research System for Global ChangeFormerly affiliated to the Frontier Observational Research System for Global Change     

雅鲁藏布大峡谷地区近地面-大气间水热交换特征分析

利用欧洲中期天气预报中心第五代再分析数据产品,归类分析了藏东南雅鲁藏布大峡谷地区水汽输送类别.选取大峡谷地区排龙站、墨脱站两个站点2019年涡动相关系统观测数据,分析不同水汽条件下雅鲁藏布大峡谷地区不同位置近地面水热交换通量的日变化特征.结果表明:高原季风期对应大峡谷地区水汽强输送期和温湿期,高原非季风期则相反.墨脱站...     

Modelling the Interaction Between a River Surface and the Atmosphere at the Bottom of a Valley

The role of a river of small dimensions in driving the surface exchange of sensible and latent heat fluxes at the bottom of a valley is investigated using large-eddy simulation (LES). Simulations were performed using different valley topographies, river widths and large-scale wind speed and direction. In all cases, the river acted as a sink of both sensible and latent heat during daytime. Despite the general agreement concerning the flux direction above the river surface, specific differences exist between the simulations. The topography enhances the wind divergence caused by the river, and the larger negative surface fluxes above the river occur when there are no slopes, a consequence of larger wind speeds above the river. For large-scale winds aligned with the valley axis, the surface fluxes depend on the large-scale wind speed, but this dependence is reduced if the large-scale wind is perpendicular to the valley axis. There is a minimum of temperature and a maximum of specific humidity above the river surface. The scalar budgets show that sensible heat flux converges above the river, being balanced by the warm air subsidence at the centre of the valley. Latent heat fluxes, on the other hand, converge above the river surface, and they are balanced by the horizontal advection of humidity towards the river margins.     

Application of transilient turbulent theory to study interactions between the atmospheric boundary layer and forest canopies

The new Forest-Land-Atmosphere ModEl called FLAME is presented. The first-order, nonlocal turbulence closure called transilient turbulence theory (Stull, 1993) is applied to study the interactions between a forested land-surface and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The transilient scheme is used for unequal vertical grid spacing and includes the effects of drag, wake turbulence, and interference to vertical mixing by plant elements. Radiation transfer within the vegetation and the equations for the energy balance at the leaf surface have been taken from Norman (1979). Among others, the model predicts profiles of air temperature, humidity and wind velocity within the ABL, sensible and latent heat fluxes from the soil and the vegetation, the stomata and aerodynamic resistances, as well as profiles of temperature and water content in the soil. Preliminary studies carried out for a cloud free day and idealized initial conditions are presented. The canopy height is 30 m within a vertical domain of 3 km. The model is able to capture some of the effects usually observed within and above forested areas, including the relative wind speed maximum in the trunk space and the counter gradient-fluxes in the lower part of the plant stand. Of special interest is the determination of the location and magnitude of the turbulent mixing between model layers, which permits one to identify the effects of large eddies transporting momentum and scalar quantities into the canopy. A comparison between model simulations and field measurements will be presented in a future paper.     

Turbulent Flow Properties Around a Staggered Wind Farm

The fundamental properties of turbulent flow around a perfectly staggered wind farm are investigated in a wind tunnel. The wind farm consisted of a series of 10 rows by 2–3 columns of miniature wind turbines spaced 5 and 4 rotor diameters in the streamwise and spanwise directions respectively. It was placed in a boundary-layer flow developed over a smooth surface under thermally neutral conditions. Cross-wire anemometry was used to obtain high resolution measurements of streamwise and vertical velocity components at various locations within and above the wind farm. The results show that the staggered configuration is more efficient in terms of momentum transfer from the background flow to the turbines compared to the case of an aligned wind turbine array under similar turbine separations in the streamwise and spanwise directions. This leads to improved power output of the overall wind farm. A simplified analysis suggests that the difference in power output between the two configurations is on the order of 10%. The maximum levels of turbulence intensity in the staggered wind farm were found to be very similar to that observed in the wake of a single wind turbine, differing substantially with that observed in an aligned configuration with similar spacing. The dramatic changes in momentum and turbulence characteristics in the two configurations show the importance of turbine layout in engineering design. Lateral homogenization of the turbulence statistics above the wind farm allows for the development of simple parametrizations for the adjustment of flow properties, similar to the case of a surface roughness transition. The development of an internal boundary layer was observed at the upper edge of the wind farm within which the flow statistics are affected by the superposition of the ambient flow and the flow disturbance induced by the wind turbines. The adjustment of the flow in this layer is much slower in the staggered situation (with respect to its aligned counterpart), implying a change in the momentum/power available at turbine locations. Additionally, power spectra of the streamwise and vertical velocity components indicate that the signature of each turbine-tip vortex structure persists to locations deep within the wind farm.     

Large-Eddy Simulations of Surface Heterogeneity Effects on the Convective Boundary Layer During the LITFASS-2003 Experiment

We investigate the impact of observed surface heterogeneities during the LITFASS-2003 experiment on the convective boundary layer (CBL). Large-eddy simulations (LES), driven by observed near-surface sensible and latent heat fluxes, were performed for the diurnal cycle and compare well with observations. As in former studies of idealized one- and two-dimensional heterogeneities, secondary circulations developed that are superimposed on the turbulent field and that partly take over the vertical transport of heat and moisture. The secondary circulation patterns vary between local and roll-like structures, depending on the background wind conditions. For higher background wind speeds, the flow feels an effective surface heat-flux pattern that derives from the original pattern by streamwise averaging. This effective pattern generates a roll-like secondary circulation with roll axes along the mean boundary-layer wind direction. Mainly the upstream surface conditions control the secondary circulation pattern, where the fetch increases with increasing background wind speed. Unlike the entrainment flux that appears to be slightly decreased compared to the homogeneously-heated CBL, the vertical flux of sensible heat appears not to be modified in the mixed layer, while the vertical flux of latent heat shows different responses to secondary circulations. The study illustrates that sufficient time averaging and ensemble averaging is required to separate the heterogeneity-induced signals from the raw LES turbulence data. This might be an important reason why experiments over heterogeneous terrain in the past did not give any clear evidence of heterogeneity-induced effects.     

大规模风电场建成后对风能资源影响的研究

考虑了千万千瓦级风电基地建成后风电机群对近地面层风速的影响,采用Frandsen研究了大规模风电场内部风速损失时所使用的方法,在内边界层已经充分发展成新边界层的区域内,对轮毂高度65m处风速Uh进行了计算。结果表明,风电场建成后研究区内,风速Uh与未建场时的65m风速U0相比变小,存在风速损失,该风速损失随着U0的增大而减小,与风电机的推力系数CT性质有关;大规模风电场建成后,Uh在3～20m.s-1范围内的平均风功率密度与未建场时U0在此范围内的平均风功率密度相比损失约为58.45%,这与建场地区建场前65m处风速值大小以及各风速值出现的概率有关。     

Observing and Simulating Wind-Turbine Wakes During the Evening Transition

Wind-turbine-wake evolution during the evening transition introduces variability to wind-farm power production at a time of day typically characterized by high electricity demand. During the evening transition, the atmosphere evolves from an unstable to a stable regime, and vertical stratification of the wind profile develops as the residual planetary boundary layer decouples from the surface layer. The evolution of wind-turbine wakes during the evening transition is examined from two perspectives: wake observations from single turbines, and simulations of multiple turbine wakes using the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Throughout the evening transition, the wake’s wind-speed deficit and turbulence enhancement are confined within the rotor layer when the atmospheric stability changes from unstable to stable. The height variations of maximum upwind-downwind differences of wind speed and turbulence intensity gradually decrease during the evening transition. After verifying the WRF-model-simulated upwind wind speed, wind direction and turbulent kinetic energy profiles with observations, the wind-farm-scale wake evolution during the evening transition is investigated using the WRF-model wind-farm parametrization scheme. As the evening progresses, due to the presence of the wind farm, the modelled hub-height wind-speed deficit monotonically increases, the relative turbulence enhancement at hub height grows by 50%, and the downwind surface sensible heat flux increases, reducing surface cooling. Overall, the intensifying wakes from upwind turbines respond to the evolving atmospheric boundary layer during the evening transition, and undermine the power production of downwind turbines in the evening.     

How Well Can We Measure the Vertical Wind Speed? Implications for Fluxes of Energy and Mass

Sonic anemometers are capable of measuring the wind speed in all three dimensions at high frequencies (10–50 Hz), and are relied upon to estimate eddy-covariance-based fluxes of mass and energy over a wide variety of surfaces and ecosystems. In this study, wind-velocity measurement errors from a three-dimensional sonic anemometer with a non-orthogonal transducer orientation were estimated for over 100 combinations of angle-of-attack and wind direction using a novel technique to measure the true angle-of-attack and wind speed within the turbulent atmospheric surface layer. Corrections to the vertical wind speed varied from −5 to 37% for all angles-of-attack and wind directions examined. When applied to eddy-covariance data from three NOAA flux sites, the wind-velocity corrections increased the magnitude of CO₂ fluxes, sensible heat fluxes, and latent heat fluxes by ≈11%, with the actual magnitude of flux corrections dependent upon sonic anemometer, surface type, and scalar. A sonic anemometer that uses vertically aligned transducers to measure the vertical wind speed was also tested at four angles-of-attack, and corrections to the vertical wind speed measured using this anemometer were within ±1% of zero. Sensible heat fluxes over a forest canopy measured using this anemometer were 15% greater than sensible heat fluxes measured using a sonic anemometer with a non-orthogonal transducer orientation. These results indicate that sensors with a non-orthogonal transducer orientation, which includes the majority of the research-grade three-dimensional sonic anemometers currently in use, should be redesigned to minimize sine errors by measuring the vertical wind speed using one pair of vertically aligned transducers.     

SURFACE OBSERVATIONS IN THE TROPICAL CYCLONE ENVIRONMENT OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

In this paper,the observational data from Marine and Meteorological Observation Platform(MMOP)at Bohe,Maoming and buoys located in Shanwei and Maoming are used to study the characteristics of air-sea temperature and specific humidity difference and the relationship between wind and wave with the tropical cyclones over the South China Sea(SCS).The heat and momentum fluxes from eddy covariance measurement(EC)are compared with these fluxes calculated by the COARE 3.0 algorithm for Typhoon Koppu.The results show that at the developing and weakening stages of Koppu,both these differences between the sea surface and the near-surface atmosphere from the MMOP are negative,and data from the buoys also indicate that the differences are negative between the sea surface and near-surface atmosphere on the right rear portion of tropical cyclones(TCs)Molave and Chanthu.However,the differences are positive on the left front portion of Molave and Chanthu.These positive differences suggest that the heat flux is transferred from the ocean to the atmosphere,thus intensifying and maintaining the two TCs.The negative differences indicate that the ocean removes heat fluxes from the atmosphere,thus weakening the TCs.The wind-wave curves of TCs Molave and Chanthu show that significant wave height increases linearly with 2-min wind speed at 10-m height when the wind speed is less than 25 m/s,but when the wind speed is greater than 25 m/s,the significant wave height increases slightly with the wind speed.By comparing the observed sensible heat,latent heat,and friction velocity from EC with these variables from COARE 3.0 algorithm,a great bias between the observed and calculated sensible heat and latent heat fluxes is revealed,and the observed friction velocity is found to be almost the same as the calculated friction velocity.     

城市边界层动量和保守物通量的特征

利用2005年1-5月北京325 m气象塔47 m高度的湍流脉动资料(风速、温度、水汽和CO2),对城市边界层冠层内的湍流运动统计特征(相似关系、高阶矩、通量和谱等)进行了分析。其中,谱分析的结果表明,城市冠层内稳定度对湍流谱的影响比较小,而水平风速的影响比较大。因此,速度和温度的相似关系在夜间稳定条件下也成立。但是,由于水汽和CO2还受其他因素的影响,相似关系并不适用。更高阶矩的研究表明它们的陡峭度与偏斜度之间存在平方关系。而水汽和CO2之间也存在差异,它们的通量日变化特征明显不同,CO2通量的日变化更能体现人类活动的影响。同时,感热通量、潜热通量和CO2通量存在季节变化,尤其是潜热通量季节差异很大。     

Measurement of the Sensible Eddy Heat Flux Based on Spatial Averaging of Continuous Ground-Based Observations

Using the standard eddy-covariance (EC) method to quantify mass and energy exchange at a single location usually results in an underestimation of vertical eddy fluxes at the surface. In order to better understand the reasons for this underestimation, an experimental set-up is presented that is based on spatial averaging of air temperature data from a network of ground-based sensors over agricultural land. For eight days during the 34-day observational period in May and June 2007, additional contributions to the sensible heat flux of more than 50Wm⁻² were measured in the lower surface layer by applying the spatial EC method as opposed to the standard temporal EC method. Smaller but still significant additional sensible heat fluxes were detected for four more days. The additional energy is probably transported in organised convective structures resulting in a mean vertical wind velocity unequal to zero at the tower location. The results show that convective transport contributes significantly to the surface energy budget for measurement heights as low as 2–3 m. Since these structures may be quasi-stationary, they can hardly be captured by a single-location measurement. The spatial EC set-up presented here is capable of quantifying contributions to the sensible heat flux from structures up to the scale of our spatial sensor network, which covered an area 3.5 × 3.5 km. For future experiments aiming at closing the energy balance, the spatial EC method should be employed to measure both the sensible and latent heat fluxes. Experimental determination of the horizontal advection of sensible and latent heat should also be considered, since such transport must occur due to convergence and divergence related to convection.     

鄱阳湖区风电场风电功率预报研究

风力发电作为一种无污染可再生的能源,已逐渐成为许多国家能源战略可持续发展的重要组成部分。风电场风能预报是风力发电开发中的关键技术问题。为研究鄱阳湖区风力发电预报技术,采用中尺度模式WRF和微尺度模块CALMET对鄱阳湖区长岭风电场进行了200 m水平分辨率风能预报,并根据长岭机组理论功率曲线表和实测数据拟合出理论和实际发电机组功率曲线模型及平均有功功率与发电量模型。根据WRF+CALMET模式预报风速及建立的发电机组功率曲线模型和平均有功功率与发电量模型,预报了长岭风电场发电量。结果表明:长岭风电场23座风机逐小时风速预报值与观测值相关系数为0.42~0.61,均方根误差为2.59~3.68,相对误差为-13.7%~17.4%;对整个风场,预报风速与观测风速的相关系数为0.55,均方根误差为2.8,相对误差为-4.79%。实测发电量值高于预报值,平均偏大39.7 kW,相对误差为-12.6%,预报值与实测值相关性较好,相关系数达到0.52。总体来说,根据中尺度数值模式预报的风速结合风功率、发电量模型预测出的发电量与实测值较为接近,但各月差异性较大。     

Improved Representation of Land-surface Heterogeneity in a Non-hydrostatic Numerical Weather Prediction Model

This study focuses on the relevance of accurate surface parameters, in particular soil moisture, and of parameterizations for heterogeneous land surfaces, for the prediction of sensible and latent heat fluxes by a mesoscale weather forecast model with horizontal grid resolution of 7 km. The analysis is based on model integrations for a 30-day period, which are compared both to flux measurements obtained from the LITFASS-2003 field experiment and to high-resolution-model (1-km grid spacing) results. At first, the relevance of improved parameter sets and input data compared to usual operational practice for an accurate prediction of near-surface fluxes is shown and discussed. It is demonstrated that an observation-based land-surface assimilation scheme leads to an improved soil moisture analysis, which is shown to be essential for the realistic simulation of surface fluxes. Secondly, the implementation of two efficient parameterization strategies for subgrid-scale variability of the surface, the mosaic and the tile approach, is presented. Using these methods, the simulations are in better agreement with measurements than simulations with simple aggregation methods that use effective surface parameters. Integrations with the mosaic approach reproduce high resolution simulations very well and more accurately than simulations with the tile method. Finally, the high resolution simulations are analyzed to justify and discuss the approximations underlying both methods.     

Roll Vortices and Boundary-Layer Development during a Cold Air Outbreak

The development of the boundary layer during a cold air outbreak in the FramStrait is documented by aircraft measurements. The convection was organisedinto roll vortices with aspect ratios increasing from 2.9 near the ice edgeto more than 6 at 100 km further downstream. This increase coincides with anincrease of the latent heat release in the cloud layer. The stability parameter-zi/L varies from about zero at the ice edge to 30 at a distance of 200 kmdownstream over open water where the satellite picture still shows cloudstreets. The increase is mainly due to the deepening of the boundary layer.The turbulent vertical sensible and latent heat fluxes near the surface amountto 400 W m^-2 within a 300 km off-ice zone. 25% of the upward heat fluxin the subcloud layer is carried out by organised roll motions. Experimentswith a 2-dimensional non-hydrostatic model show a similar roll aspect ratio inthe first 50 km, but further downstream where condensational heating is moreimportant the modelled roll wavelengths are distinctly smaller than the observedones.     

Wind-Tunnel Simulation of the Wake of a Large Wind Turbine in a Stable Boundary Layer: Part 2, the Wake Flow

Measurements have been made in the wake of a model wind turbine in both a neutral and a stable atmospheric boundary layer, in the EnFlo stratified-flow wind tunnel, between 0.5 and 10 rotor diameters from the turbine, as part of an investigation of wakes in offshore winds. In the stable case the velocity deficit decreased more slowly than in the neutral case, partly because the boundary-layer turbulence levels are lower and the consequentially reduced level of mixing, an ‘indirect’ effect of stratification. A correlation for velocity deficit showed the effect of stratification to be the same over the whole of the measured extent, following a polynomial form from about five diameters. After about this distance (for the present stratification) the vertical growth of the wake became almost completely suppressed, though with an increased lateral growth; the wake in effect became ‘squashed’, with peaks of quantities occurring at a lower height, a ‘direct’ effect of stratification. Generally, the Reynolds stresses were lower in magnitude, though the effect of stratification was larger in the streamwise fluctuation than on the vertical fluctuations. The vertical heat flux did not change much from the undisturbed level in the first part of the wake, but became much larger in the later part, from about five diameters onwards, and exceeded the surface level at a point above hub height.     

风电场不同高度的50年一遇最大和极大风速估算

风电场50年一遇最大和极大风速是决定风电机组极限载荷的关键指标, 也是风电项目开发中机组选型和经济评估的关键指标之一。该文重点从气象学角度, 结合我国风电项目开发的实际情况, 提出5 d最大10 min平均风速取样法, 用Ⅰ型极值概率分布来估算风电场不同高度50年一遇最大风速; 以附近气象站长期的历年最大风速及与风电项目内测风塔同期的逐日最大风速资料, 修正所得结果。再以实测到的大风速段的最大阵风系数, 推算风电场不同高度50年一遇的极大风速。并利用内蒙古巴彦淖尔市乌兰伊力更风电场300 MW项目1年的实测风资料及内蒙古乌拉特中旗气象站的测风资料, 估算乌兰伊力更风电场内不同高度上50年一遇的最大和极大风速。