Boundary-layer resistances of artificial leaves in turbulent air: I. Leaves parallel to the mean flow

Boundary-layer resistance to heat transfer from plates was studied in a wind tunnel which produced turbulence with streamwise intensity in the range 3.5 to 25% and a longitudinal integral scale of the streamwise turbulence component (L _u,x) in the range from 8 to 100 mm. It was found that heat transfer enhancement occurred due to the turbulence, and that at any given intensity, this enhancement was determined by the ratio of L _u,x to the characteristic dimension of the plate.     

Numerical Modelling of the Turbulent Flow Developing Within and Over a 3-D Building Array, Part I: A High-Resolution Reynolds-Averaged Navier—Stokes Approach

A study of the neutrally-stratified flow within and over an array of three-dimensional buildings (cubes) was undertaken using simple Reynolds-averaged Navier—Stokes (RANS) flow models. These models consist of a general solution of the ensemble-averaged, steady-state, three-dimensional Navier—Stokes equations, where the k-ε turbulence model (k is turbulence kinetic energy and ε is viscous dissipation rate) has been used to close the system of equations. Two turbulence closure models were tested, namely, the standard and Kato—Launder k-ε models. The latter model is a modified k-ε model designed specifically to overcome the stagnation point anomaly in flows past a bluff body where the standard k-ε model overpredicts the production of turbulence kinetic energy near the stagnation point. Results of a detailed comparison between a wind-tunnel experiment and the RANS flow model predictions are presented. More specifically, vertical profiles of the predicted mean streamwise velocity, mean vertical velocity, and turbulence kinetic energy at a number of streamwise locations that extend from the impingement zone upstream of the array, through the array interior, to the exit region downstream of the array are presented and compared to those measured in the wind-tunnel experiment. Generally, the numerical predictions show good agreement for the mean flow velocities. The turbulence kinetic energy was underestimated by the two different closure models. After validation, the results of the high-resolution RANS flow model predictions were used to diagnose the dispersive stress, within and above the building array. The importance of dispersive stresses, which arise from point-to-point variations in the mean flow field, relative to the spatially-averaged Reynolds stresses are assessed for the building array.     

Measurements of flow over an elongated ridge and its thermal stability dependence: The mean field

Measurements of mean wind flow and turbulence parameters have been made over Cooper's Ridge, a 115 m high elongated ridge with low surface roughness. This paper describes measurements of the streamwise and vertical variations in the mean field for a variety of atmospheric stability conditions. In near-neutral conditions, the normalised speedup over the ridge compares well with measurements from Askervein (Mickleet al., 1988). The near-neutral results are also compared to an analytical flow model based on that of Huntet al. (1988a). Measured streamwise variations show less deceleration at the foot of the hill and slightly more acceleration at the crest of the hill than does the model. In non-neutral conditions, the speedup over the ridge reduces slightly in unstable conditions and increases by up to a factor of two in stable conditions. The model is modified to allow boundary-layer stability to change the upwind wind profile and the depths of the inner and middle layers. Such a modification is shown to describe the observations of speedup well in unstable and weakly stable conditions but to overestimate the speedup in moderate to strongly stable conditions. This disagreement can be traced to the model's overestimation of the upstream scaling velocity at the height of the middle layer through its use of a stable wind profile form which has greater shear than that of the observed profiles, in possible combination with the three-dimensionality of the ridge which would allow enhanced flow around, rather than over, the feature in more stable conditions.     

Analysis of wind tunnel dispersion data over two-dimensional obstacles

An analysis of wind tunnel data of dispersion from elevated point sources over a flat floor and gently sloping, 2-D hills is performed. (The data were obtained by Khurshudyan et al., 1981.) Formulas for the mixing lengths and the Lagrangian time scales are tested, suitable for use in various dispersion models. Some expressions for the vertical first moments of the plume concentration distribution suitable for shear flow (Hunt, 1985) are also tested.Then, a normalization is suggested, based on the source mean flow and turbulence parameters, for the ground-level concentration maximum value and position along the plume centerline. Using this normalization, the maximum position is almost constant, regardless of source height variation and of whether the hill is present or not, at least for source positions upstream or over the top.The maximum values allow the determination of normalized terrain amplification factors TAF_N, which are shown to be in most cases closer to one than the corresponding TAF obtained without normalization.     

Wind Tunnel And Field Measurements Of Turbulent Flow In Forests. Part I: Uniformly Thinned Stands

Many forest management methods alterstand density uniformly. The effectsof such a change on the wind andturbulence regimes in the forest arecritical to a number of processes governingthe stability of the stand and itsmicroclimate. We measured wind speed andturbulence statistics with a Dantec tri-axialhot-film probe in model forests of variousdensities (31–333 trees m^-2), created byremoving whole trees in a regular pattern in awind tunnel, and compared them with similarmeasurements made with propeller anemometers insimilarly thinned plots (156–625 trees ha^-1)within a Sitka spruce stand in Scotland. The results agree well, in general, with measurements made inother such studies with diverse canopy types.The systematic variations with density and verticalleaf-area distribution (which differed betweenwind-tunnel and field trees) in our work can explainmuch of the variability shown in scaled profiles ofbasic turbulence statistics reported in theliterature. The wind tunnel and field results are shown to be in good agreement overalldespite the difference in vertical leaf-areadistribution. Within-canopy and isolated-treedrag coefficients in the wind tunnel showthat tree-scale shelter effects increase astree density increases. The measurements indicatethat turbulence in the canopy is dominated bylarge-scale structures with dimensions of the sameorder as the height of the canopy as found inother studies but suggest that inter-tree spacing also modulates the size of these structures. These structures are associated with the sweeps that dominatemomentum exchange in the canopy and it is thisfact that allows the tri-axial probe to operate sowell despite the relatively narrow range of anglesin which the wind vector is correctly measured. Theratio of streamwise periodicity of these structuresto vorticity thickness varies systematically withtree density in the range 2.7–5.1, which spans theexpected range of 3.5–5 found in a laboratorymixing-layer, suggesting that tree spacing imposes another relevant length scale. This test andothers show that the results are in agreement withthe idea that canopy turbulence resembles that of a mixing layer even though they disagree with, and challenge the linear relationship between, streamwise periodicity andshear length scale presented recently in theliterature. The measurements are also in goodoverall agreement with simple drag models presented recently by other researchers.     

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.     

Stability Dependence of Canopy Flows over a Flat Larch Forest

The dependence on atmospheric stability of flow characteristics adjacent to a very rough surface was investigated in a larch forest in Japan. Micrometeorological measurements of three-dimensional wind velocity and air temperature were taken at two heights above the forest, namely 1.7 and 1.2 times the mean canopy height h. Under near-neutral and stable conditions, the observed turbulence statistics suggest that the flow was likely to be that of the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) at 1.7h, and of the roughness sublayer (RSL) at 1.2h. However, in turbulence spectra, canopy-induced large coherent motions appeared clearly at both heights. Even under strongly stable conditions, the large-scale motions were retained at 1.2h, whereas they were overwhelmed by small-scale motions at 1.7h. This phenomenon was probably due to the enhanced contribution of the ASL turbulence associated with nocturnal decay of the RSL depth, because the small-scale motions appeared at frequencies close to the peak frequencies of well-known ASL spectra. This result supports the relatively recent concept that canopy flow is a superimposition of coherent motions and the ASL turbulence. The large-scale motions were retained in temperature spectra over a wider region of stability compared to streamwise wind spectra, suggesting that a canopy effect extended higher up for temperature than wind. The streamwise spacing of dominant eddies according to the plane mixing-layer analogy was only valid in a narrow range at near neutral, and it was stabilised at nearly half its value under stable conditions.     

Turbulence structure in a deciduous forest

Three-dimensional wind velocity components were measured at two levels above and at six levels within a fully-leafed deciduous forest. Greatest shear occurs in the upper 20% of the canopy, where over 70% of the foliage is concentrated. The turbulence structure inside the canopy is characterized as non-Gaussian, intermittant and highly turbulent. This feature is supported by large turbulence intensities, skewness and kurtosis values and by the large infrequent sweeps and ejections that dominate tangential momentum transfer. Considerable day/night differences were observed in the vertical profiles of the mean streamwise wind velocity and turbulence intensities since the stability of the nocturnal boundary layer dampens turbulence above and within the canopy.     

Experiments on scalar dispersion within a model plant canopy part I: The turbulence structure

This is the first of a series of three papers describing experiments on the dispersion of trace heat from elevated line and plane sources within a model plant canopy in a wind tunnel. Here we consider the wind field and turbulence structure. The model canopy consisted of bluff elements 60 mm high and 10 mm wide in a diamond array with frontal area index 0.23; streamwise and vertical velocity components were measured with a special three-hot-wire anemometer designed for optimum performance in flows of high turbulence intensity. We found that:

1. The momentum flux due to spatial correlations between time-averaged streamwise and vertical velocity components (the dispersive flux) was negligible, at heights near and above the top of the canopy.
2. In the turbulent energy budget, turbulent transport was a major loss (of about one-third of local production) near the top of the canopy, and was the principal gain mechanism lower down. Wake production was greater than shear production throughout the canopy. Pressure transport just above the canopy, inferred by difference, appeared to be a gain in approximate balance with the turbulent transport loss.
3. In the shear stress budget, wake production was negligible. The role of turbulent transport was equivalent to that in the turbulent energy budget, though smaller.
4. Velocity spectra above and within the canopy showed the dominance of large eddies occupying much of the boundary layer and moving downstream with a height-independent convection velocity. Within the canopy, much of the vertical but relatively little of the streamwise variance occurred at frequencies characteristic of wake turbulence.
5. Quadrant analysis of the shear stress showed only a slight excess of sweeps over ejections near the top of the canopy, in contrast with previous studies. This is a result of improved measurement techniques; it suggests some reappraisal of inferences previously drawn from quadrant analysis.

     

Coherent Turbulent Structures Across a Vegetation Discontinuity

The study of turbulent flow across a vegetation discontinuity is of significant interest as such landscape features are common, and as there is no available theory to describe this regime adequately. We have simulated the three-dimensional dynamics of the airflow across a discontinuity between a forest (with a leaf area index of 4) and a clearing surface using large-eddy simulation. The properties of the bulk flow, as well as the large-scale coherent turbulent structures across the forest-to-clearing transition and the clearing-to-forest transition, are systematically explored. The vertical transport of the bulk flow upstream of the leading edge gives rise to the enhanced gust zone around the canopy top, while the transport downstream of the trailing edge leads to the formation of a recirculation zone above the clearing surface. The large-scale coherent structures across the two transitions exhibit both similarities with and differences from those upstream of the corresponding transition. For example, the ejection motion is dominant over the sweep motion in most of the region 1?<?z/h < 2 (h is the canopy height) immediately downstream of the trailing edge, much as in the forested area upstream. Also, the streamwise vortex pair, which has previously been observed within the canopy sublayer and the atmospheric boundary layer, is consistently found across both transitions. However, the inflection observed both in the mean streamwise velocity, as well as in the vertical profiles of the coherent structures in the forested area, disappears gradually across the forest-to-clearing transition. The coherence of the turbulence, quantified by the percentage of the total turbulence kinetic energy that the coherent structures capture from the flow, decreases sharply immediately downstream of the trailing edge of the forest and increases downstream of the leading edge of the forest. The effects of the ratio of the forest/clearing lengths under a given streamwise periodicity on flow statistics and coherent turbulent structures are presented as well.     

Impact of Neutral Boundary-Layer Turbulence on Wind-Turbine Wakes: A Numerical Modelling Study

The wake characteristics of a wind turbine in a turbulent boundary layer under neutral stratification are investigated systematically by means of large-eddy simulations. A methodology to maintain the turbulence of the background flow for simulations with open horizontal boundaries, without the necessity of the permanent import of turbulence data from a precursor simulation, was implemented in the geophysical flow solver EULAG. These requirements are fulfilled by applying the spectral energy distribution of a neutral boundary layer in the wind-turbine simulations. A detailed analysis of the wake response towards different turbulence levels of the background flow results in a more rapid recovery of the wake for a higher level of turbulence. A modified version of the Rankine–Froude actuator disc model and the blade element momentum method are tested as wind-turbine parametrizations resulting in a strong dependence of the near-wake wind field on the parametrization, whereas the far-wake flow is fairly insensitive to it. The wake characteristics are influenced by the two considered airfoils in the blade element momentum method up to a streamwise distance of 14D (D = rotor diameter). In addition, the swirl induced by the rotation has an impact on the velocity field of the wind turbine even in the far wake. Further, a wake response study reveals a considerable effect of different subgrid-scale closure models on the streamwise turbulent intensity.     

A wind tunnel study of turbulent flow around single and multiple windbreaks, part I: Velocity fields

This paper describes wind-tunnel experiments on the flow around single and multiple porous windbreaks (height H), sheltering a model plant canopy (height H/3). The mean wind is normal to the windbreaks, which span the width of the wind tunnel. The incident turbulent flow simulates the adiabatic atmospheric surface layer. Five configurations are examined: single breaks of three solidities (low, medium, high; solidity = 1 - porosity), and medium-solidity multiple breaks of streamwise spacing 12H and 6H. The experimental emphases are on the interactions of the windbreak flow with the underlying plant canopy; the effects of solidity; the differences in shelter between single and multiple windbreaks; and the scaling properties of the flow. Principal results are: (1) the "quiet zones" behind each windbreak are smaller in multiple than single arrays, because of the higher turbulence level in the very rough-wall internal boundary layer which develops over the multiple arrays. Nevertheless, the overall shelter effectiveness is higher for multiple arrays than single windbreaks because of the "nonlocal shelter" induced by the array as a whole. (2) The flow approaching the windbreak decelerates above the canopy but accelerates within the canopy, particularly when the windbreak solidity is high. (3) A strong mixing layer forms just downwind of the top of each windbreak, showing some of the turbulence and scaling properties of the classical mixing layer formed between uniform, coflowing streams. (4) No dramatic increase in turbulence levels in the canopy is evident at the point where the deepening mixing layer contacts the canopy (around x/H = 3) but the characteristic inflection in the canopy wind profile is eliminated at this point.     

Different Turbulent Regimes and Vertical Turbulence Structures of the Urban Nocturnal Stable Boundary Layer

Turbulence in the nocturnal boundary layer(NBL) is still not well characterized, especially over complex underlying surfaces. Herein, gradient tower data and eddy covariance data collected by the Beijing 325-m tower were used to better understand the differentiating characteristics of turbulence regimes and vertical turbulence structure of urban the NBL. As for heights above the urban canopy layer(UCL), the relationship between turbulence velocity scale(V_TKE) and wind speed(V) was con...     

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.     

Impact of Terrain Heterogeneity on Coherent Structure Properties: Numerical Approach

A three-dimensional large-eddy simulation (LES) model, which includes the effects of plant–atmosphere interactions, is used to study the effects of surface inhomogeneities on near-surface coherent structures over an open field and behind a forest canopy. These simulated conditions are representative of two wind sectors of the Site Instrumental de Recherche par Télédétection Atmosphérique (SIRTA) experimental site at the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, Palaiseau, France. Coherent structure properties deduced from wavelet transforms of the simulated near-surface vertical velocity time series are not modified by upstream terrain heterogeneities, in agreement with site measurements. This feature is related to the nature of structures detected from the vertical velocity time series. The turbulence close to the surface seems composed of both local coherent structures and large coherent structures reflecting outer-layer properties, which depend on the overall surface heterogeneity or upstream heterogeneity. It is argued that the streamwise velocity is representative of these large outer-layer structures that impinge onto the ground through a top-down mechanism as identified through the space–time correlation of the wind velocity components. In contrast, the vertical velocity is more representative of small structures resulting from the impingement of the large outer-layer structures. These small structures represent locally-generated, active turbulence, which adjusts rapidly to local surface conditions, and consequently they are only weakly dependent on upstream heterogeneities.     

Attenuation of Scalar Fluxes Measured with Spatially-displaced Sensors

Observations from the Horizontal Array Turbulence Study (HATS) field program are used to examine the attenuation of measured scalar fluxes caused by spatial separation between the vertical velocity and scalar sensors. The HATS data show that flux attenuation for streamwise, crosswind, and vertical sensor displacements are each a function of a dimensionless, stability-dependent parameter n _m multiplied by the ratio of sensor displacement to measurement height. The scalar flux decays more rapidly with crosswind displacements than for streamwise displacements and decays more rapidly for stable stratification than for unstable stratification. The cospectral flux attenuation model of Kristensen et al. agrees well with the HATS data for streamwise sensor displacements, although it is necessary to include a neglected quadrature spectrum term to explain the observation that flux attenuation is often less with the scalar sensor downwind of the anemometer than for the opposite configuration. A simpler exponential decay model provides good estimates for crosswind sensor displacements, as well as for streamwise sensor displacements with stable stratification. A model similar to that of Lee and Black correctly predicts flux attenuation for a combination of streamwise and crosswind displacements, i.e. as a function of wind direction relative to the sensor displacement. The HATS data for vertical sensor displacements extend the near-neutral results of Kristensen et al. to diabatic stratification and confirm their finding that flux attenuation is less with the scalar sensor located below the anemometer than if the scalar sensor is displaced an equal distance either horizontally or above the anemometer.     

Numerical simulation of pollutant dispersion in a small valley under conditions with supercritical Richardson numbers

The numerical drainage wind model of Wonget al. (1987) is used together with a Lagrangian particle model in the simulation of carbon monoxide (CO) dispersion within a small urban valley in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The conditions studied are those of strong static stability when vertical mixing is suppressed. These are conditions with the Richardson number exceeding its critical value (hereafter referred to as supercritical conditions). Observations showed that under such conditions, vertical turbulence is suppressed but horizontal turbulence still exists. The effects of turbulence in the dispersion and transport of pollutants under such conditions are small. However, in the present simulation, a simple turbulence parameterization based on observations is used for supercritical conditions. Some field experiments were performed and the observations are compared with model results. For a location downwind of the CO source, two peaks can be observed during the course of the drainage flow regime. The model results suggest that these represent an initial flux from the drainage flow and a second flux later from drainage wind recirculation. Another main feature of the model-predicted concentration field is zones of maximum concentration at and above the valley floor. There is a drainage wind cell on each side of the valley slope and the cells are effectively decoupled from the prevailing wind above. The present modelling results show that when the prevailing wind exists before the development of the drainage wind, it can be instrumental in transporting CO from one drainage wind cell to the other. Otherwise, the CO released within one drainage wind cell is well contained.     

Full-scale measurements of the wind regime over a saddle,and correlation with wind-tunnel tests

The Gebbies Pass region consists of a saddle at a height of approximately 300 m, bounded by two ranges of hills approximately 500 m high. A survey technique which yielded mean wind speeds at a height of 10 m in this region is shown to provide excellent reproducibility for data collected 6 months apart. The survey results are also shown to correlate extremely well with those obtained from a 1:4000 scale model analysed in a Planetary Boundary Layer wind tunnel.Wind structure information obtained upstream of the saddle and at its crest is presented and compared with the wind tunnel model and other studies where possible. The velocity profile was measured up to 160 m at the crest and was found to be almost vertical; however, there was a noticeable jet at the 15 m height, which was not apparent on the model. Measurements at 10 m height showed a velocity increase of 40–60% at the crest compared to the approach terrain velocity at the same height above ground level. The longitudinal r.m.s. turbulence component _u was found to increase at the saddle but still resulted in reduced turbulence intensity values relative to the upstream situation. The longitudinal component of the energy spectrum at the upwind site was in excellent agreement with the theoretical model proposed by Kaimal et al. (1972). However, at the saddle crest the theoretical spectrum was too high and required further modification to fit the measured data. It is proposed that a terrain factor be used to make the necessary adjustment since the theoretical spectra are strictly only valid for flat homogeneous terrain.     

Organised Motion in a Tall Spruce Canopy: Temporal Scales,Structure Spacing and Terrain Effects

This study investigates the organised motion near the canopy-atmosphere interface of a moderately dense spruce forest in heterogeneous, complex terrain. Wind direction is used to assess differences in topography and surface properties. Observations were obtained at several heights above and within the canopy using sonic anemometers and fast-response gas analysers over the course of several weeks. Analysed variables include the three-dimensional wind vector, the sonic temperature, and the concentration of carbon dioxide. Wavelet analysis was used to extract the organised motion from time series and to derive its temporal scales. Spectral Fourier analysis was deployed to compute power spectra and phase spectra. Profiles of temporal scales of ramp-like coherent structures in the vertical and longitudinal wind components showed a reversed variation with height and were of similar size within the canopy. Temporal scales of scalar fields were comparable to those of the longitudinal wind component suggesting that the lateral scalar transport dominates. The existence of a – 1 power law in the longitudinal power spectra was confirmed for a few cases only, with a majority showing a clear 5/3 decay. The variation of effective scales of organised motion in the longitudinal velocity and temperature were found to vary with atmospheric stability, suggesting that both Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and attached eddies dominate the flow with increasing convectional forcing. The canopy mixing-layer analogy was observed to be applicable for ramp-like coherent structures in the vertical wind component for selected wind directions only. Departures from the prediction of m = Λ _w L _s ⁻¹ = 8–10 (where Λ _w is the streamwise spacing of coherent structures in the vertical wind w and L _s is a canopy shear length scale) were caused by smaller shear length scales associated with large-scale changes in the terrain as well as the vertical structure of the canopy. The occurrence of linear gravity waves was related to a rise in local topography and can therefore be referred to as mountain-type gravity waves. Temporal scales of wave motion and ramp-like coherent structures were observed to be comparable.     

A wind tunnel study of air flow in waving wheat: Single-point velocity statistics

We analyse single-point velocity statistics obtained in a wind tunnel within and above a model of a waving wheat crop, consisting of nylon stalks 47 mm high and 0.25 mm wide in a square array with frontal area index 0.47. The variability of turbulence measurements in the wind tunnel is illustrated by using a set of 71 vertical traverses made in different locations, all in the horizontally-homogeneous (above-canopy) part of the boundary layer. Ensemble-averaged profiles of the statistical moments up to the fourth order and profiles of Eulerian length scales are presented and discussed. They are consistent with other similar experiments and reveal the existence of large-scale turbulent coherent structures in the flow. The drag coefficient in this canopy as well as in other reported experiments is shown to exhibit a characteristic height-dependency, for which we propose an interpretation. The velocity spectra are analysed in detail; within and just above the canopy, a scaling based on fixed length and velocity scales (canopy height and mean horizontal wind speed at canopy top) is proposed. Examination of the turbulent kinetic energy and shear stress budgets confirms the role of turbulent transport in the region around the canopy top, and indicates that pressure transport may be significant in both cases. The results obtained here show that near the top of the canopy, the turbulence properties are more reminiscent of a plane mixing layer than a wall boundary layer.