A simple unified theory for flow in the canopy and roughness sublayer

The mean flow profile within and above a tall canopy is well known to violate the standard boundary-layer flux–gradient relationships. Here we present a theory for the flow profile that is comprised of a canopy model coupled to a modified surface-layer model. The coupling between the two components and the modifications to the surface-layer profiles are formulated through the mixing layer analogy for the flow at a canopy top. This analogy provides an additional length scale—the vorticity thickness—upon which the flow just above the canopy, within the so-called roughness sublayer, depends. A natural form for the vertical profiles within the roughness sublayer follows that overcomes problems with many earlier forms in the literature. Predictions of the mean flow profiles are shown to match observations over a range of canopy types and stabilities. The unified theory predicts that key parameters, such as the displacement height and roughness length, have a significant dependence on the boundary-layer stability. Assuming one of these parameters a priori leads to the incorrect variation with stability of the others and incorrect predictions of the mean wind speed profile. The roughness sublayer has a greater impact on the mean wind speed in stable than unstable conditions. The presence of a roughness sublayer also allows the surface to exert a greater drag on the boundary layer for an equivalent value of the near-surface wind speed than would otherwise occur. This characteristic would alter predictions of the evolution of the boundary layer and surface states if included within numerical weather prediction models.     

DERIVATION OF FLUXES FROM PROFILES OVER A MODERATELY HOMOGENEOUS FOREST

Measurements of fluxes and profiles of wind andtemperature are performed in the roughness layer ofa moderately homogeneous forest location. Weinvestigate to what extent vertical scalar fluxescan be derived from profile measurements. Theinfluence of inhomogeneities in the upwind terrainis investigated with footprint analysis and with aninhomogeneous surface-layer model. Four methods toestimate displacement height are suggested, amongthem is a method involving the structure parameterof the vertical wind. All methods give a decrease ofdisplacement height with increasing wind speed,while roughness length is found to increase withincreasing wind speed. For near-neutral conditionsdimensionless temperature gradients are found to besubstantially lower than the surface-layer valuesfound in the literature for homogeneous terrain with lowvegetation. Dimensionless shear however iscomparable with the surface-layer value. The heightof the roughness layer is 20 times the roughnesslength. Two schemes with locally derived surfaceparameters are tested to derive friction velocityand sensible heat flux from the profilemeasurements. These site specific schemes performsatisfactorily. A third scheme based on surface parameters chosen a priorifrom the literatureperforms significantly worse especially for low windspeed and unstable cases.     

Observed Wind Profiles and Turbulence Fluxes over an ice Surface with Changing Surface Roughness

Wind profile and eddy-correlation data obtained at two sites on a melting glacier surface in Iceland during the summer of 1996 are presented. Throughout the experiment the surface roughness increased rapidly from smooth to very rough, with the largest roughness element height obtained being about 1.7 m. In a layer close to the rough surface we find that the wind speed profiles were disturbed showing horizontal inhomogeneities as in a roughness sublayer. Its height was approximately two times the height of the main roughness elements (h) at both sites throughout the experiment. From the wind profiles and eddy-correlation data we calculated corrections for the displaced zero plane as a function of time and compared these with results obtained from a drag partitioning model. In general, the agreement was reasonable considering the ranges of uncertainty but the results indicate that the increasing horizontal anisotropy of the surface probably limits the use of the model. The values obtained for the roughness lengths are in good agreement with those calculated from a simple linear model, i.e., z₀/h = 0.5 with the frontal area index. Above the roughness sublayer the wind profiles, normalised standard deviations of wind speed, and the balance of the turbulence kinetic energy budget behaved as over an ideal homogeneous surface thereby confirming similarity of the flow.     

Wind profiles,momentum fluxes and roughness lengths at Cabauw revisited

We describe the results of an experiment focusing on wind speed and momentum fluxes in the atmospheric boundary layer up to 200 m. The measurements were conducted in 1996 at the Cabauw site in the Netherlands. Momentum fluxes are measured using the K-Gill Propeller Vane. Estimates of the roughness length are derived using various techniques from the wind speed and flux measurements, and the observed differences are explained by considering the source area of the meteorological parameters. A clear rough-to-smooth transition is found in the wind speed profiles at Cabauw. The internal boundary layer reaches the lowest k-vane (20 m) only in the south-west direction where the obstacle-free fetch is about 2 km. The internal boundary layer is also reflected in the roughness lengths derived from the wind speed profiles. The lower part of the profile (< 40 m) is not in equilibrium and no reliable roughness analysis can be given. The upper part of the profile can be linked to a large-scale roughness length. Roughness lengths derived from the horizontal wind speed variance and gustiness have large footprints and therefore represent a large-scale average roughness. The drag coefficient is more locally determined but still represents a large-scale roughness length when it is measured above the local internal boundary layer. The roughness length at inhomogeneous sites can therefore be determined best from drag coefficient measurements just above the local internal boundary layers directly, or indirectly from horizontal wind speed variance or gustiness. In addition, the momentum and heat fluxes along the tower are analysed and these show significant variation with height related to stability and possibly surface heterogeneity. It appears that the dimensionless wind speed gradients scale well with local fluxes for the variety of conditions considered, including the unstable cases.     

Estimation of sector roughness lengths and the effect on prediction of the vertical wind speed profile

An estimate of roughness length is required by some atmospheric models and is also used in the logarithmic profile to determine the increase of wind speed with height under neutral conditions. The choice of technique for determining roughness lengths is generally constrained by the available input data. Here, we compare sets of roughness lengths derived by different methods for the same site and evaluate their impact on the prediction of the vertical wind speed profile.Wind speed and direction data have been collected at four heights over a three-year period at the North Norfolk Wind Monitoring Site. Wind speed profiles were used to generate sector roughness lengths based on the logarithmic profile formula. This is the only direct way of determining roughness lengths. The simplest and cheapest method is to use maps with published tables giving roughness length estimates for different terrain types. Alternatively Wieringa (1976, 1986) and Beljaars (1987) give formulae for determining roughness lengths from wind speed gusts or standard deviations.The four sets of estimated roughness lengths vary considerably. They were used to estimate 34 m wind speeds from 12.7 m observations. The profile-derived roughnesses are used simply as a check on the prediction of the wind speed profiles. The terrain-derived roughness lengths give reasonable results. Gust-derived and standard deviation roughnesses both predict wind speeds which are lower than the observed ones. The error is greater in the case of standard deviation roughnesses. If stability corrections are applied in the prediction of the vertical wind speed profile, the results are considerably improved.     

Charnock’s Roughness Length Model and Non-dimensional Wind Profiles Over the Sea

An analysis tool for the study of wind speed profiles over the water has been developed. The profiles are analysed using a modified dimensionless wind speed and dimensionless height, assuming that the sea surface roughness can be predicted by Charnock’s roughness length model. In this form, the roughness dependency on wind speed is extracted and the variations on the wind profile are due solely to atmospheric stability. The use of the Charnock’s non-dimensional wind profile is illustrated using data collected from a meteorological mast installed in the Danish North Sea. The best fit with the observed mean non-dimensional wind profile under neutral atmospheric conditions is found using a value of 1.2 × 10⁻² for Charnock’s parameter. The stability correction on the neutral wind profile suggested by the Businger-Dyer relations was found to perform well over the sea.     

近水面层温、湿、风廓线和湍流交换规律

本文分析了官厅水库近水面层的温、湿、风廓线规律,指出水面的波浪状况对廓线规律有影响。给出了中性层结时水面粗糙度、动力摩擦速度及阻力系数与风速和浪高的关系。得出了适用于水面的层结订正函数。还分析了不稳定层结条件下的温度廓线规律,并对温、湿、风廓线的相似性问题进行了讨论。     

Nocturnal boundary layer height prediction from surface routine meteorological data

Summary A number of well known diagnostic equations for the determination of the height,h, of the nocturnal boundary layer. with minimum data requirements of at most surface wind speed, air temperature and total cloud cover, have been tested as to their effectiveness. The computed values have been compared with direct estimation ofh, from temperature or wind profiles of rawinsonde ascents available at 00Z (02h LST). The comparison between computed and observed values shows that best agreement is found when the nocturnal boundary layer height is determined through wind profiles. The ratio of the computed to the observed values reveals a strong dependence on stability, resulting in overestimation by the models for very low stability and underestimation for strong stability. The simple expressions involving the wind speed rather than other stability parameters resulted in a better overall fit to the observed values. A simple prognostic model is shown to provide the best estimates of the NBL height compared to both wind and temperature profile definition.With 5 Figures     

A comparative study of some mathematical models of the mean wind structure and aerodynamic drag of plant canopies

A semi-analytical method for describing the mean wind profile and shear stress within plant canopies and for estimating the roughness length and the displacement height is presented. This method incorporates density and vertical structure of the canopy and includes simple parameterizations of the roughness sublayer and shelter factor. Some of the wind profiles examined are consistent with first-order closure techniques while others are consistent with second-order closure techniques. Some profiles show a shearless region near the base of the canopy; however, none displays a secondary maximum there. Comparing several different analytical expressions for the canopy wind profile against observations suggests that one particular type of profile (an Airy function which is associated with the triangular foliage surface area density distribution) is superior to the others. Because of the numerical simplicity of the methods outlined, it is suggested that they may be profitably used in large-scale models of plant-atmosphere exchanges.     

塔中春季阴天近地层风速、温度和湿度廓线特征分析

利用塔中最新安装的80 m梯度观测塔探测系统采集的资料,详细分析了2006年4月2日1次阴天天气时塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地近地层风速、温度和湿度廓线演变特征,并与典型晴天廓线做了对比,得到以下结果:(1)阴天,夜间风速廓线风速值随高度增高而增大,但不是以对数增长,而是以比对数关系更快的速度增长;白天,风速很小,近地层10 m上下廓线分布规律各异;(2)温度廓线有夜间辐射型、早上过渡型、白天日射型及傍晚过渡型4种类型,与晴天类似;(3)比湿廓线存在一个极小值,其出现高度以上比湿随高度增加而增加,廓线呈逆湿特征,极小值出现高度以下比湿随高度减小而增加。     

基于测风塔实测台风威马逊登陆过程的强风特性分析

利用广东省徐闻县西连镇90 m测风塔在1409号超强台风威马逊登陆期间获取的具备完整的台风代表性的观测数据以及处于台风外围的广东省茂名市博贺镇100 m测风塔的观测数据,对台风威马逊的近地层强风特性进行了分析,西连测风塔结果表明:风速时程曲线呈明显的"M"型分布特征,台风中心经过测风塔前后,风向沿逆时针方向大幅偏转约170°。风速随高度增加而增大,风速廓线较好地符合对数和幂指数律;台风过境前后,各强风区的风速廓线幂指数和粗糙长度呈先减小后增大的特点;粗糙陆地下垫面的风速廓线幂指数和粗糙长度较大。湍流强度和阵风系数在前外围强风区或后外围强风区较大,在前眼壁强风区或后眼壁强风区较小,湍流强度和阵风系数随高度增加而减小,基本符合指数为负值的幂指数律;粗糙下垫面对湍流强度和阵风系数有增大的作用。外围强风区和眼壁强风区的10 min风向变率变化较为平稳,而在眼区变动较为剧烈,在眼区,当风速达到最低值或次低值时,10 min风向变率幅值达到最大值。博贺测风塔结果表明其总体上与西连测风塔台风前外围和前眼壁强风区的情形相似。     

Regional shear stress of broken forest from radiosonde wind profiles in the unstable surface layer

Mean wind speed profiles were measured by tracking radiosondes in the unstable atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over the forested Landes region in southwestern France. New Monin-Obukhov stability correction functions, recently proposed following an, analysis by Kader and Yaglom, as well as the Businger-Dyer stability formulation were tested, with wind speeds in the surface sublayer to calculate the regional shear stress. These profile-derived shear stresses were compared with eddy correlation measurements gathered above a mature forest stand, at a location roughly, 4.5 km from the radiosonde launch site. The shear stress values obtained by means of the newly proposed stability function were in slightly better agreement with the eddy correlation values than those obtained by means of a Businger-Dyer type stability function. The general robustness of the profile method can be attributed in part to prior knowledge of the regional surface roughness (z ₀=1.2 m) and the momentum displacement height (d ₀=6.0 m), which were determined from neutral wind profile analysis. The 100 m drag coefficient for the unstable conditions above this broken forest surface was found to beu _* ² /V ₁₀₀ ² =0.0173.     

Derivation of the aerodynamic roughness parameters for a Sahelian savannah site using the eddy correlation technique

Vertical exchange of heat, moisture and momentum above the earth's surface depends strongly on the turbulence generated by surface roughness. This roughness is best specified through the roughness length and the zero plane displacement. The ratio of windspeed to friction velocity was measured at four heights using the eddy correlation technique at a fallow savannah site in the Sahel. The change in this ratio with height was used to derive the zero plane displacement and the roughness length of the surface, together with an estimate of the error in each parameter. These were estimated as 0.93 ± 0.35 m and 0.17 ± 0.01 m, respectively. The method appears to be a more robust alternative to wind profile derivation.     

系留气艇探测风速的误差订正及其应用评估

使用系留气艇探空系统在常州、苏州、南京市区对边界层风速、温度、湿度廓线进行了观测,原始数据表明探测结果存在明显的系统误差。本文主要讨论风速订正问题,分析发现风速误差与高度和风速有关,据此提出了依据高度和依据风速的两种订正方案。对比结果表明:两种方案都能有效修正系留气艇测量风速的系统误差,高度订正方案表现更好。本文还用订正后的系留气艇探测结果与苏州市气象局的风廓线雷达资料进行对比,结果显示风廓线雷达探测结果在500 m以下系统偏小。     

华东沿海地带台风风廓线特征的观测个例分析

利用2007年的“韦帕”、2009年的“莫拉克”、2010年的“凡亚比”和2011年的“梅花”四个台风的GPS探空数据,本文对华东近海和沿海地带的台风风廓线特征进行分析。首先求出梯度风速及其对应的高度,在此基础上利用指数律和对数律对风廓线进行拟合,并对幂指数、10米高度的地表风速和梯度风速的风速比,以及由对数律定义的常通量层高度等参数进行计算,并对梯度风高度和常通量层高度进行比较。结果表明:登陆台风沿海地带风廓线的梯度风高度和常通量层高度有明显差异。本文还对登陆台风平均风廓线的各参数进行了计算,并对梯度风高度以下风廓线偏离对数律的原因进行了讨论。     

Wind Profile Diagnosis from Surface Routine Meteorological Data Over a Coastal Area

A simple algorithm is proposed in order to transform routine surface wind speed observations near the coast to a wind at the height of the equilibrium planetary boundary layer as well as to any other height over a relatively flat coastal region. The model is based on the well known internal boundary layer (IBL) concept, Monin-Obukhov similarity theory and the resistance law, and describes the effects of the roughness transition from sea to land as well as the effect of stability on the shape of the profiles and the IBL growth. The required input weather data are no more than surface wind speed, air temperature and total cloud cover. Satisfactory agreement was found between measurements at Hellinikon airport and estimations made with the scheme. The introduction of a transition layer above the IBL did not improve the agreement to any significant extent. Mean values of the estimated wind differed by less than 1 m s ^-1 from the observed ones, a difference within the accuracy of the reported rawinsonde values. The rms error varied in the range of 17–22% of the observed average value, giving the best agreement under unstable conditions. The correlation coefficient between the observed and the estimated values of the wind, at the height of the equilibrium planetary boundary layer, ranged between 0.74 and 0.90.     

Wind regime in the lower atmosphere over Moscow from the long-term acoustic sounding data

Presented are the results of the sounding of the lower atmospheric 500-meter layer for the period of 2004–2012 carried out at the Meteorological Observatory of the Moscow State University (MSU) with the MODOS Doppler acoustic radar (sodar) produced by METEK (Germany). Discussed is the methodological basis of the sodar wind data analysis. It is demonstrated that in the air layer up to 200 m the maximum values in the annual course of the wind speed are observed more often in autumn and winter, and the minimum values, in summer; this is associated with the fact that during the cold period of the year Moscow is often located in the zones of intense gradient currents. The diurnal course of the wind speed is characterized by the daytime maximum and night-time minimum in the layer up to 40–60 m from the surface; it is poorly pronounced and characterized by the minimum in the morning in the layer of 80–120 m; and the daytime minimum and night-time maximum are observed above 140–160 m. The layer from 80 to 120 m approximately corresponds to the height of the wind rotation. The amplitude of diurnal variations of the wind speed increases from 0.3 m/s at the height of 7 m and 0.6 m/s at the height of 15 m, to 4.5 m/s at the height of 400 m; however, its secondary minimum (0.5 m/s) associated with the rotation height is registered at the altitude of 80 m. The statistical relationship between the wind speed and surface air temperature is direct during the cold season, inverse during the warm season, and is absent in April and October. The average maximum wind speed over Moscow for ten minutes in the layer up to 500 m from the surface reaches 30–35 m/s in some cases if two conditions concur: the capital is located on the periphery of vast pressure formations (usually of deep cyclones) and the local low-level jet stream is present in the wind profile.     

深圳356米气象塔观测数据的质量控制方法和空气动力学参数研究

气象高塔数据资料弥足珍贵, 对其进行质量控制将为后续科学研究和业务工作的开展提供便利; 此外, 利用塔基观测资料计算空气动力学参数有助于校正模式空气动力学参数理论值。对2017-2018年深圳356 m气象梯度观测塔共13层的每10 s风速、风向、相对湿度、温度探测资料进行数据质量控制, 基于莫宁-奥布霍夫相似理论和数据质量控制后的气象梯度观测塔近地层(10 m、20 m、40 m、50 m和80 m) 1分钟平均的风温资料, 利用最小二乘法拟合迭代计算了近中性条件下深圳气象梯度观测塔下垫面空气动力学粗糙度(z₀)和零平面位移(d)。结果表明:深圳气象梯度观测塔的气象探测资料数据质量很高, 连续两年平均数据缺失率为1.28%, 数据错误率为0.01%。近中性边界层条件下, 深圳气象梯度观测塔下垫面空气动力学粗糙度均值为0.35 m, 零平面位移均值为5.33 m, 结果合理可信。研究表明空气动力学参数受下垫面非均匀性、植株柔软性、气流来向、风速等的共同影响。      

EVALUATION OF SURFACE-LAYER WIND PROFILES WITH HEIFE OBSERVATIONS

In this paper the mean wind speed profiles in the atmospheric surfacelayer over oasis, sand, and Gobi desert surfaces in the HEIhe river FieldExperiment (HEIFE) area are discussed for various stability conditions. Themathematical representation of mean wind speed profiles obtained fromdifferent sources are used to estimate the mean wind speeds, and the resultsare compared with observed wind speed data obtained at 20 m meteorologicaltowers over different ground surfaces. It is found that for unstable and neutral conditions, a compositeexponential profile and flux-profile relationship can be used to describe thewind speed profile in the atmospheric surface layer over homogeneoussurfaces, the composite exponential profile giving a relatively high accuracyin the estimation of wind speed profiles. For stable conditions, thecomposite exponential profile also can be used to estimate the wind speedprofile, but for very stable conditions, the accuracy is not good. For thoseconditions, flux-profile equations can give estimates of the wind speedprofile with relatively high accuracy.