Wind-Speed Undulations Over Swell: Field Experiment and Interpretation

Results of field measurements of the swell-induced undulation of the wind speed taken from a Black Sea platform are presented. The wind speed and its fluctuations were measured at several heights between 1.3 and 21 m above the mean sea level under various wind and swell conditions. Parameters of the swell-induced undulations were derived from cross spectra of the wind-speed fluctuations and the sea-surface displacement. As found, the phase and the amplitude of the wind speed undulation in the layer from k _p z = 0.1 to k _p z = 3 (k _p is the swell wavenumber) are in good agreement with the theory of inviscid shear flow over a wavy surface. The main feature of the vertical profile of the swell-induced undulation is the exponential attenuation of its amplitude with height typical for the potential flow over the fast running waves. At the lowest levels the potential undulations are significantly distorted by the wind-speed variations caused by the vertical displacements of the shear airflow relative to a fixed sensor. No direct impact of swell on the mean properties of the turbulent boundary layer at k _p z > 0.1 is revealed. In particular, the mean wind-speed profile and spectra of the horizontal velocity in the inertial subrange obey Monin-Obukhov similarity theory.     

Parameterization of sheared entrainment in a well-developed CBL. Part I: Evaluation of the scheme through large-eddy simulations

The entrainment flux ratio A _e and the inversion layer (IL) thickness are two key parameters in a mixed layer model. A _e is defined as the ratio of the entrainment heat flux at the mixed layer top to the surface heat flux. The IL is the layer between the mixed layer and the free atmosphere. In this study, a parameterization of A _e is derived from the TKE budget in the firstorder model for a well-developed CBL under the condition of linearly sheared geostrophic velocity with a zero value at the surface. It is also appropriate for a CBL under the condition of geostrophic velocity remaining constant with height. LESs are conducted under the above two conditions to determine the coefficients in the parameterization scheme. Results suggest that about 43% of the shear-produced TKE in the IL is available for entrainment, while the shear-produced TKE in the mixed layer and surface layer have little effect on entrainment. Based on this scheme, a new scale of convective turbulence velocity is proposed and applied to parameterize the IL thickness. The LES outputs for the CBLs under the condition of linearly sheared geostrophic velocity with a non-zero surface value are used to verify the performance of the parameterization scheme. It is found that the parameterized A _e and IL thickness agree well with the LES outputs.     

Atmospheric boundary layer research at Cabauw

At Cabauw, The Netherlands, a 213 m high mast specifically built for meteorological research has been operational since 1973. Its site, construction, instrumentation and observation programs are reviewed. Regarding analysis of the boundary layer at Cabauw, the following subjects are discussed:

- terrain roughness;

- Monin-Obukhov theory in practice;

- the structure of stable boundary layers;

- observed evolution of fog layers;

- inversion rise and early morning entrainment;

- use of the geostrophic wind as a predictor for wind profiles;

- height variation of wind climate statistics;

- air pollution applications: long range transport and short range dispersion;

- dependence of sound wave propagation on boundary-layer structure;

- testing of weather and climate models.

     

Characteristics of Turbulent Transfer during Episodes of Heavy Haze Pollution in Beijing in Winter 2016/17

We analyzed the structure and evolution of turbulent transfer and the wind profile in the atmospheric boundary layer in relation to aerosol concentrations during an episode of heavy haze pollution from 6 December 2016 to 9 January 2017. The turbulence data were recorded at Peking University’s atmospheric science and environment observation station. The results showed a negative correlation between the wind speed and the PM_2.5 concentration. The turbulence kinetic energy was large and showed obvious diurnal variations during unpolluted (clean) weather, but was small during episodes of heavy haze pollution. Under both clean and heavy haze conditions, the relation between the non-dimensional wind components and the stability parameter z/L followed a 1/3 power law, but the normalized standard deviations of the wind speed were smaller during heavy pollution events than during clean periods under near-neutral conditions. Under unstable conditions, the normalized standard deviation of the potential temperature σ _θ /|θ_*| was related to z/L, roughly following a –1/3 power law, and the ratio during pollution days was greater than that during clean days. The three-dimensional turbulence energy spectra satisfied a –2/3 power exponent rate in the high-frequency band. In the low-frequency band, the wind velocity spectrum curve was related to the stability parameters under clear conditions, but was not related to atmospheric stratification under polluted conditions. In the dissipation stage of the heavy pollution episode, the horizontal wind speed first started to increase at high altitudes and then gradually decreased at lower altitudes. The strong upward motion during this stage was an important dynamic factor in the dissipation of the heavy haze.     

Formulation of stability-dependent empirical relations for turbulent intensities from surface layer turbulence measurements for dispersion parameterization in a lagrangian particle dispersion model

Season- and stability-dependent turbulence intensity (σ _u /u _*, σ _v /u _*, σ _w /u _*) relationships are derived from experimental turbulence measurements following surface layer scaling and local stability at the tropical coastal site Kalpakkam, India for atmospheric dispersion parameterization. Turbulence wind components (u′, v′, w′) measured with fast response UltraSonic Anemometers during an intense observation campaign for wind field modeling called Round Robin Exercise are used to formulate the flux–profile relationships using surface layer similarity theory and Fast Fourier Transform technique. The new relationships (modified Hanna scheme) are incorporated in a Lagrangian Particle Dispersion model FLEXPART-WRF and tested by conducting simulations for a field tracer dispersion experiment at Kalpakkam. Plume dispersion analysis of a ground level hypothetical release indicated that the new turbulent intensity formulations provide slightly higher diffusivity across the plume relative to the original Hanna scheme. The new formulations for σ _u , σ _v , σ _w are found to give better agreement with observed turbulent intensities during both stable and unstable conditions under various seasonal meteorological conditions. The simulated concentrations using the two methods are compared with those obtained from a classical Gaussian model and the observed SF₆ concentration. It has been found that the new relationships provide comparatively higher diffusion across the plume relative to the model default Hanna scheme and provide downwind concentration results in better agreement with observations.     

Pollutant Dispersion in Boundary Layers Exposed to Rural-to-Urban Transitions: Varying the Spanwise Length Scale of the Roughness

Both large-eddy simulations (LES) and water-tunnel experiments, using simultaneous stereoscopic particle image velocimetry and laser-induced fluorescence, have been used to investigate pollutant dispersion mechanisms in regions where the surface changes from rural to urban roughness. The urban roughness was characterized by an array of rectangular obstacles in an in-line arrangement. The streamwise length scale of the roughness was kept constant, while the spanwise length scale was varied by varying the obstacle aspect ratio l / h between 1 and 8, where l is the spanwise dimension of the obstacles and h is the height of the obstacles. Additionally, the case of two-dimensional roughness (riblets) was considered in LES. A smooth-wall turbulent boundary layer of depth 10h was used as the approaching flow, and a line source of passive tracer was placed 2h upstream of the urban canopy. The experimental and numerical results show good agreement, while minor discrepancies are readily explained. It is found that for \(l/h=2\) the drag induced by the urban canopy is largest of all considered cases, and is caused by a large-scale secondary flow. In addition, due to the roughness transition the vertical advective pollutant flux is the main ventilation mechanism in the first three streets. Furthermore, by means of linear stochastic estimation the mean flow structure is identified that is responsible for street-canyon ventilation for the sixth street and onwards. Moreover, it is shown that the vertical length scale of this structure increases with increasing aspect ratio of the obstacles in the canopy, while the streamwise length scale does not show a similar trend.     

Classification of Vertical Wind Speed Profiles Observed Above a Sloping Forest at Nighttime Using the Bulk Richardson Number

Wind speed profiles above a forest canopy relate to scalar exchange between the forest canopy and the atmosphere. Many studies have reported that vertical wind speed profiles above a relatively flat forest can be classified by a stability index developed assuming wind flow above a flat plane. However, can such a stability index be used to classify vertical wind speed profiles observed above a sloping forest at nighttime, where drainage flow often occurs? This paper examines the use of the bulk Richardson number to classify wind speed profiles observed above a sloping forest at nighttime. Wind speed profiles above a sloping forest were classified by the bulk Richardson number Ri _B . Use of Ri _B distinguished between drainage flow, shear flow, and transitional flow from drainage flow to shear flow. These results suggest that Ri _B is useful to interpret nighttime CO₂ and energy fluxes above a sloping forest. Through clear observational evidence, we also show that the reference height should be high enough to avoid drainage-flow effects when calculating Ri _B .     

Cold air outbreaks along a non-frozen sea channel: effects of wind on snow bands

Wintertime cold air outbreaks along a non-frozen sea channel or a long lake can become destructive if the related bands of heavy snowfall hit onto land. The forcing for such bands is studied with a 2D numerical model set across an east–west sea channel at 60^oN (‘Gulf of Finland’), varying the basic geostrophic wind V _g. Without any V _g opposite coastal land breezes emerge with convergence. This results in a quasi-steady rising motion w _max ~ 7.5 cm/s at 600 m in the middle of the gulf, which can force a snow band. During weak V _g, the rising motion is reduced but least so for winds from 60^o to 80^o (~ENE), when modest alongshore bands could exist near the downstream (Estonian) coast. During V _g of 4–6 m/s from any direction, the land breezes and rising motions are reduced more effectively, so snow bands are not expected during moderate basic flow. In contrast, during a strong V _g of 20–25 m/s from 110^o to 120^o (~ESE) the land breeze perturbations are intense with w _max up to 15–18 cm/s. The induced alongshore bands of heavy snowfall are located in these cases at the sea but quite close to the downstream (Finnish) coast. They can suddenly make a landfall if the basic wind turns clockwise.     

Aerodynamic Roughness Length of Fresh Snow

This study presents the results from a series of wind-tunnel experiments designed to investigate the aerodynamic roughness length z ₀ of fresh snow under no-drift conditions. A two-component hot-film anemometer was employed to obtain vertical profiles of velocity statistics in a zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer for flow over naturally deposited snow surfaces. The roughness of these snow surfaces was measured by means of digital photography to capture characteristic length scales that can be related to z ₀. Our results show that, under aerodynamically rough conditions, the mean value of the roughness length for fresh snow is \({\langle{z}_{0}\rangle= 0.24}\) mm with a standard deviation σ(z ₀) = 0.05 mm. In this study, we show that variations in z ₀ are associated with variations in the roughness geometry. The roughness measurements suggest that the estimated values of z ₀ are consistent with the presence of irregular roughness structures that develop during snowfalls that mimic ballistic deposition processes.     

Interaction between the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers

The two-layer system of an atmosphere over water bodies is reduced to a single-layer problem. Values of the interfacial quantities, such as the friction velocity, the surface velocity, the angles, and , between the surface shear stress and the geostrophic wind velocity and the surface wind velocity, respectively, and the surface roughness, all of which depend upon external parameters, such as the geostrophic wind and stratifications, are obtained. The geostrophic drag coefficient C _d, the geostrophic wind coefficient C _f, and the angles , and , of the turbulent flow at the sea-air interface are functions of a dimensionless number, mfG/kg, with S ₁ and S ₂ as two free stratification parameters. The surface roughness is uniquely determined from the geostrophic wind rather than from the wind profile in the boundary layer.Formerly Visiting Research Associate, Applied Physics Branch, Earth Observations Division, NASA-Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas.     

Field Experiments and Numerical Modeling of Wind Speed and Surface Waves in Medium-size Inland Reservoirs

An attempt is made to apply the modern methods of surface wave simulation developed for oceanic conditions to the modeling of waves in medium-size inland reservoirs (10–100 km). The results of field measurements of wind speed and waves are described, and on their basis the parameterization C _D (U ₁₀) is proposed. WAVEWATCH III spectral wave model was adapted to the conditions of a medium-size inl and reservoir. The simulated data are compared with the field data. The use of the new parameterization C _D (U ₁₀) allowed reducing the values of the wind wave growth rate that improved consistency in data from the field experiment and numerical modeling concerning the height of significant waves. Further steps towards improving the quality of prediction of the adapted WAVEWATCH III model are discussed.     

Surface influence upon vertical profiles in the nocturnal boundary layer

Near-surface wind profiles in the nocturnal boundary layer, depth h, above relatively flat, tree-covered terrain are described in the context of the analysis of Garratt (1980) for the unstable atmospheric boundary layer. The observations at two sites imply a surface-based transition layer, of depth z _*, within which the observed non-dimensional profiles Φ _M ⁰ are a modified form of the inertial sub-layer relation \(\Phi _M \left( {{z \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {z L}} \right. \kern-0em} L}} \right) = \left( {{{1 + 5_Z } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{1 + 5_Z } L}} \right. \kern-0em} L}} \right)\) according to $$\Phi _M^{\text{0}} \simeq \left( {{{1 + 5z} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{1 + 5z} L}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} L}} \right)\exp \left[ { - 0.7\left( {{{1 - z} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{1 - z} z}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} z}_ * } \right)} \right]$$ , where z is height above the zero-plane displacement and L is the Monin-Obukhov length. At both sites the depth z _* is significantly smaller than the appropriate neutral value (z _*N ) found from the previous analysis, as might be expected in the presence of a buoyant sink for turbulent kinetic energy.     

Multivariate drought frequency estimation using copula method in Southwest China

This study reveals the impacts of climatic variable trends on drought severity in Xinjiang, China. Four drought indices, including the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (sc-PDSI), Erinç’s index (I _m), Sahin’s index (I _sh), and UNEP aridity index (AI), were used to compare drought severity. The ensemble empirical mode decomposition and the modified Mann-Kendall trend test were applied to analyze the nonlinear components and trends of the climatic variable and drought indices. Four and six climatic scenarios were generated in sc-PDSI, I _m, I _sh, and AI with different combinations of the observed and detrended climatic variables, respectively. In Xinjiang, generally increasing trends in minimal, average, and maximal air temperature (T _min, T _ave, T _max) and precipitation (P) were found, whereas a decreasing trend in wind speed at 2 m height (U ₂) was observed. There were significantly increasing trends in all of the four studied drought indices. Drought relief was more obvious in northern Xinjiang than in southern Xinjiang. The strong influences of increased P on drought relief and the weak influences of increased T _min, T _ave, and T _max on drought aggravation were shown by comparing four drought indices under different climate scenarios. Decreased U ₂ had a weak influence on drought, as shown by the AI in different climate scenarios. The weak influences of T and U ₂ were considered to be masked by the strong influences of P on droughts. Droughts were expected to be more severe if P did not increase, but were likely milder without an increase in air temperature and with a decrease in U ₂.     

The Temperature–Humidity Covariance in the Marine Surface Layer: A One-dimensional Analytical Model

An analytical model that predicts how much of the temperature–humidity covariance within the marine atmospheric surface layer (ASL) originates just above the ASL and just near the surface is proposed and tested using observations from the Risø Air Sea Experiment (RASEX). The model is based on a simplified budget for the two-scalar covariance that retains three basic terms: production, dissipation, and vertical transport. Standard second-order closure formulations are employed for the triple moments and the dissipation terms, and the canonical mixing length for the closure model is assumed linear with height (z) from the surface. Despite the poor performance of the gradient–diffusion closure in reproducing the measured triple moment, the overall covariance model was shown to be sufficiently robust to these assumptions. One of the main findings from the analytical treatment is the origin of the asymmetry in how the top and bottom boundary conditions affect the two-scalar covariance in the ASL. The analytical model reveals that ‘bottom-up’ boundary-condition variations scale with \(z^{-\sqrt{a}}\) , while ‘top-down’ variations scale with \(z^{\sqrt{a}}\) , where a is a constant that can be derived from similarity and closure constants. The genesis of this asymmetry stems from the flux-transport term but is modulated by the dissipation, and persists even in the absence of any inhomogeneity in the local production function. It is shown that the local production function acts to adjust the relative proportions of these two boundary conditions with weights that vary with the Obukhov length. The findings here do not provide ‘finality’ to the discussions on the covariance between humidity and temperature or the role of entrainment in modulating the turbulence within the ASL. Rather, they are intended to guide new hypotheses about interpretations of existing field data and identify needs for future field and numerical experiments.     

Comprehensive modeling of monthly mean soil temperature using multivariate adaptive regression splines and support vector machine

Soil temperature (T _s) and its thermal regime are the most important factors in plant growth, biological activities, and water movement in soil. Due to scarcity of the T _s data, estimation of soil temperature is an important issue in different fields of sciences. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the accuracy of multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and support vector machine (SVM) methods for estimating the T _s. For this aim, the monthly mean data of the T _s (at depths of 5, 10, 50, and 100 cm) and meteorological parameters of 30 synoptic stations in Iran were utilized. To develop the MARS and SVM models, various combinations of minimum, maximum, and mean air temperatures (T _min, T _max, T); actual and maximum possible sunshine duration; sunshine duration ratio (n, N, n/N); actual, net, and extraterrestrial solar radiation data (R _s, R _n, R _a); precipitation (P); relative humidity (RH); wind speed at 2 m height (u ₂); and water vapor pressure (V_p) were used as input variables. Three error statistics including root-mean-square-error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and determination coefficient (R ²) were used to check the performance of MARS and SVM models. The results indicated that the MARS was superior to the SVM at different depths. In the test and validation phases, the most accurate estimations for the MARS were obtained at the depth of 10 cm for T _max, T _min, T inputs (RMSE = 0.71 °C, MAE = 0.54 °C, and R ² = 0.995) and for RH, V _p, P, and u ₂ inputs (RMSE = 0.80 °C, MAE = 0.61 °C, and R ² = 0.996), respectively.     

Development and Validation of an Evaporation Duct Model.Part Ⅰ:Model Establishment and Sensitivity Experiments

Based on the Coupled Ocean-Atmospheric Response Experiment（COARE）bulk algorithm and the Naval Postgraduate School（NPS）model,a universal evaporation duct（UED）model that can flexibly accommodate the latest improvements in component（such as stability function,velocity roughness,and scalar roughness）schemes for different stratification and wind conditions,is proposed in this paper.With the UED model,the sensitivity of the model-derived evaporation duct height（EDH）to stability function（Ψ）,ocean wave effect under moderate to high wind speeds,and scalar roughness length parameterization,is investigated,and relative contributions of these factors are compared.The results show that the stability function is a key factor influencing the simulated EDH values.Under unstable conditions,the EDH values from stability functions of Fairall et al.（1996）and Hu and Zhang（1992）are generally higher than those from others;while under stable conditions,unreasonably high EDHs can be avoided by use of the stability functions of Hu and Zhang（1992）and Grachev et al.（2007）.Under moderate to high wind speeds,the increase in velocity roughness length z₀ due to consideration of the true ocean wave effect acts to reduce modeled EDH values;this trend is more pronounced under stable conditions.Although the scalar roughness length parameterization has a minor effect on the model-derived EDH,a positive correlation is found between the scalar roughness length z_0qand the model-derived EDH.     

Simplification and Validation of a Spectral-Tensor Model for Turbulence Including Atmospheric Stability

A spectral-tensor model of non-neutral, atmospheric-boundary-layer turbulence is evaluated using Eulerian statistics from single-point measurements of the wind speed and temperature at heights up to 100 m, assuming constant vertical gradients of mean wind speed and temperature. The model has been previously described in terms of the dissipation rate \(\epsilon \), the length scale of energy-containing eddies \(\mathcal {L}\), a turbulence anisotropy parameter \(\varGamma \), the Richardson number Ri, and the normalized rate of destruction of temperature variance \(\eta _\theta \equiv \epsilon _\theta /\epsilon \). Here, the latter two parameters are collapsed into a single atmospheric stability parameter z / L using Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, where z is the height above the Earth’s surface, and L is the Obukhov length corresponding to \(\{Ri,\eta _\theta \}\). Model outputs of the one-dimensional velocity spectra, as well as cospectra of the streamwise and/or vertical velocity components, and/or temperature, and cross-spectra for the spatial separation of all three velocity components and temperature, are compared with measurements. As a function of the four model parameters, spectra and cospectra are reproduced quite well, but horizontal temperature fluxes are slightly underestimated in stable conditions. In moderately unstable stratification, our model reproduces spectra only up to a scale \(\sim \) 1 km. The model also overestimates coherences for vertical separations, but is less severe in unstable than in stable cases.     

Momentum- and Heat-Flux Parametrization at Dome C,Antarctica: A Sensitivity Study

An extensive meteorological observational dataset at Dome C, East Antarctic Plateau, enabled estimation of the sensitivity of surface momentum and sensible heat fluxes to aerodynamic roughness length and atmospheric stability in this region. Our study reveals that (1) because of the preferential orientation of snow micro-reliefs (sastrugi), the aerodynamic roughness length \(z_{0}\) varies by more than two orders of magnitude depending on the wind direction; consequently, estimating the turbulent fluxes with a realistic but constant \(z_{0}\) of 1 mm leads to a mean friction velocity bias of \(24\,\%\) in near-neutral conditions; (2) the dependence of the ratio of the roughness length for heat \(z_{0t}\) to \(z_{0}\) on the roughness Reynolds number is shown to be in reasonable agreement with previous models; (3) the wide range of atmospheric stability at Dome C makes the flux very sensitive to the choice of the stability functions; stability function models presumed to be suitable for stable conditions were evaluated and shown to generally underestimate the dimensionless vertical temperature gradient; as these models differ increasingly with increases in the stability parameter z / L, heat flux and friction velocity relative differences reached \(100\,\%\) when \(z/L > 1\); (4) the shallowness of the stable boundary layer is responsible for significant sensitivity to the height of the observed temperature and wind data used to estimate the fluxes. Consistent flux results were obtained with atmospheric measurements at heights up to 2 m. Our sensitivity study revealed the need to include a dynamical parametrization of roughness length over Antarctica in climate models and to develop new parametrizations of the surface fluxes in very stable conditions, accounting, for instance, for the divergence in both radiative and turbulent fluxes in the first few metres of the boundary layer.     

Seasonal inhomogeneity of soot particles over the central Indo-Gangetic Plains,India: Influence of meteorology

Black carbon (BC) particles play a unique and important role in earth’s climate system. BC was measured (in-situ) in the central part of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) at Varanasi, which is a highly populated and polluted region due to its topography and extensive emission sources. The annual mean BC mass concentration was 8.92 ± 7.0 µg m ^-3, with 34% of samples exceeding the average value. Seasonally, BC was highest during the post-monsoon and winter periods (approximately 18 µg m ^-3) and lower in the premonsoon/ monsoon seasons (approximately 6 µg m ^-3). The highest frequency (approximately 46%) observed for BC mass was in the interval from 5 to 10 µg m ^-3. However, during the post-monsoon season, the most common values (approximately 23%) were between 20 and 25 µg m ^-3. The nighttime concentrations of BC were approximately twice as much as the daytime values because of lower boundary layer heights at nighttime. The Ångström exponent was significantly positively correlated (0.55) with ground-level BC concentrations, indicating the impact of BC on the columnar aerosol properties. The estimated mean absorption Ångström exponent was 1.02 ± 0.08 µg m ^-3, indicating that the major source of BC was from fossil fuel combustion. Significant negative correlations between BC mass and meteorological parameters indicate a pronounced effect of atmospheric dynamics on the BC mass in this region. The highest mean BC mass concentration (18.1 ± 6.9 µg m ^-3) as a function of wind speed was under calm wind conditions (38% of the time).     

A compact form for the analytic description of temperature dependence of saturation vapor pressure over plane surfaces of water and ice

A possibility is studied of extending the range of action of the simple three-parameter formula (ITS-90 scale) proposed in the previous work of the author [2] for the dependence of saturation vapor pressure E on temperature T within the range of 250 to 490 K. The results demonstrated that the dependence ln[E(T)/E(T _bas)] = (T - T _bas)[A - B(T - T _bas) + C(T - T _bas)²]/T with four sets of coefficients A, B, and C obtained using one base temperature Tbas equal to the temperature of triple point of water T _t = 273.16 K and two additional base values T _bas2 = 473.16 K and T _bas3 = 623.16 K makes it possible to approximate rather accurately the initial experimental and computed data in the temperature range from the point of homogeneous freezing of 235 K to the critical temperature of 647 K for liquid water and from 193 K to T _t for ice. A procedure used for obtaining the inverse function T(E) by solving the third-degree algebraic equation is validated. A hypothesis is proposed for the physical substantiation of additional base points in the form of “a noticeable appearance of dimers at the point T _bas2 and their 100% concentration at the temperature T _bas3.”