Construction and Validation of an Urban Area Flow and Dispersion Model on Building Scales

This paper presents a numerical model that simulates the wind fields, turbulence fields, and dispersion of gaseous substances in urban areas on building to city block scales. A Computational Fluid Dynamics（CFD） approach using the steady-state, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes（RANS） equations with the standard k-ε turbulence model within control volumes of non-uniform cuboid shapes has been employed. Dispersion field is computed by solving an unsteady transport equation of passive scalar. Another approach based on Gaussian plume model is used to correct the turbulent Schmidt number of tracer, in order to improve the dispersion simulation. The experimental data from a wind tunnel under neutral conditions are used to validate the numerical results of velocity, turbulence, and dispersion fields. The numerical results show a reasonable agreement with the wind tunnel data. The deviation of concentration between the simulation with corrected turbulent Schmidt number and the wind tunnel experiments may arise from 1） imperfect point sources, 2） heterogeneous turbulent difusivity, and 3） the constant turbulent Schmidt assumption used in the model.     

Treatment of LBCs in 2D simulation of convection over hills

A series of idealized model simulations are analyzed to determine the sensitivity of model results to different configurations of the lateral boundary conditions (LBCs) in simulating mesoscale shallow convection over hilly terrain, In the simulations with steady thermal forcing at the model surface, a radiation condition at both boundaries is the best choice under high wind conditions, and the best results are produced when both the normal velocities and the temperature are treated with the radiation scheme in which the phase speed is the same for different variables, When the background wind speed is reasonably small, the LBC configuration with either the radiation or the zero gradient condition at both boundaries tends to make the numerical solution unstable. The choice of a constant condition at the inflow boundary and a radiation outflow boundary condition is appropriate in most cases, In the simulations with diurnal thermal forcing at the model surface, different LBC schemes are combined together to reduce spurious signals induced by the outflow boundary, A specification inflow boundary condition, in which the velocity fields at the inflow boundary are provided using the time-dependent results of a simulation with periodic LBCs over a flat domain, is tested and the results indicate that the specification condition at the inflow boundary makes it possible to use a smaller model domain to obtain reasonable results. The model horizontal domain length should be greater than a critical length, which depends on the domain depth H and the angle between gravity wave phase lines and the vertical, An estimate of minimum domain length is given by [(H-zi)/πU]√N^2L2x-4π^2u^2, where N and U are the background stability and wind speed,respectively, Lx is the typical gravity wavelength scale, and zi is the convective boundary layer (CBL)depth.     

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFSHORE EXTREME WIND LOAD PARAMETERS FOR WIND TURBINES DURING STRONG TYPHOON HAGUPIT

Observational data of the severe typhoon Hagupit are obtained by a 3-dimensional ultrasonic anemometer which is installed on a 100-meter-high meteorological tower located at an islet off the coast of Guangdong.The characteristics of the extreme wind load parameters for offshore wind turbines under the influence of extreme winds at severe typhoon intensity are analyzed.By comparing the observed data with the results derived from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard 61400-1,the applicability of the methods computing extreme wind load parameters in the IEC standard are investigated under typhoon conditions.The results are as follows.(1) The changes of both the offshore extreme gust wind speeds and the extreme wind directions render a "M" shape bi-modal distribution with peak values in the eyewall region of Hagupit.(2) There are significant differences of amplitudes of the observed extreme operating gust wind speeds and extreme wind direction from the results calculated from the IEC standard.(3) The amplitudes of both the extreme operating gust wind speeds and the extreme directions exceed the upper limits of the IEC standard for three standard classes of wind turbines,and the values calculated by IEC standard are much significantly larger than the measured ones.(4) The observed extreme operating gust wind speeds are consistent with the results calculated by the IEC standard when wind turbines are under full or partial workload or cut-off conditions,although the amplitude of extreme wind directions calculated in terms of the IEC standard is larger than that of direct measurements.Measured extreme operating gust wind speeds sometimes exceed the IEC design criteria.     

A Two-Dimensional Coupled Biosphere-Atmosphere Model and Its Application

A 2-D zonally averaged, time dependent climate model is developed to study the biosphere-atmosphere interaction. A numerical scheme is specifically designed for the model to ensure the conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and water vapor. A simple parameterization of vegetation-soil layers is incorporated in this 2-D model. Using this coupled model, we study the biosphere and atmosphere interaction. Some preliminary results concerning the African drought with annual mean conditions are presented.     

An Experiment on the Prediction of the Surface Wind Speed in Chongli Based on the WRF Model: Evaluation and Calibration

In this study,the ability of the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model to generate accurate near-surface wind speed forecasts at kilometer-to subkilometer-scale resolution along race tracks(RTs)in Chongli during the wintertime is evaluated.The performance of two postprocessing methods,including the decaying-averaging(DA)and analogy-based(AN)methods,is tested to calibrate the near-surface wind speed forecasts.It is found that great uncertainties exist in the model’s raw forecasts of the near-surface wind speed in Chongli.Improvement of the forecast accuracy due to refinement of the horizontal resolution from kilometer to subkilometer scale is limited and not systematic.The RT sites tend to have large bias and centered root mean square error(CRMSE)values and also exhibit notable underestimation of high-wind speeds,notable overestimation or underestimation of the near-surface wind speed at high altitudes,and notable underestimation during daytime.These problems are not resolved by increasing the horizontal resolution and are even exacerbated,which leads to great challenges in the accurate forecasting of the near-surface wind speed in the competition areas in Chongli.The application of postprocessing methods can greatly improve the forecast accuracy of near-surface wind speed.Both methods used in this study have comparable abilities in reducing the(positive or negative)bias,while the AN method is also capable of decreasing the random error reflected by CRMSE.In particular,the large biases for high-wind speeds,wind speeds at high-altitude stations,and wind speeds during the daytime at RT stations can be evidently reduced.     

A Numerical Study on Effects of Land-Surface Heterogeneity from “Combined Approach” on Atmospheric Process Part I: Principle and Method

A method based on Giorgi (1997a, 1997b) and referred to as ‘combined approach’, which is a combination of mosaic approach and analytical-statistical-dynamical approach, is proposed. Compared with those of other approaches, the main advantage of the combined approach is that it not only can represent both interpatch and intrapatch variability, but also cost less computational time when the land surface heterogeneity is considered. Because the independent variable of probability density function (PDF) is extended to the single valued function of basic meteorological characteristic quantities, which is much more universal, the analytical expressions of the characteristic quantities, (e.g., drag coefficient, snow coverage, leaf surface aerodynamical resistance) affected by roughness length are derived, when the roughness length (and/ or the zero plane displacement) heterogeneity has been mainly taken into account with the approach. On the basis of the rule which the PDF parameters should follow, we choose a function y of the roughness length z0 as the PDF independent variable, and set different values of the two parameters width ratio αn and height ratio γ of PDF (here a linear, symmetric PDF is applied) for sensitivity experiments, from which some conclusions can be drawn, e.g., relevant characteristic terms show different sensitivities to the heterogeneous characteristic (i.e., roughness length), which suggests that we should consider the heterogeneities of the more sensitive terms in our model instead of the heterogeneities of the rest, and which also implies that when the land surface scheme is coupled into the global or regional atmospheric model, sensitivity tests against the distribution of the heterogeneous characteristic are very necessary; when the parameterαn is close to zero, little heterogeneity is represented, andαn differs with cases, which have an upper limit of about 0.6; in the reasonable range ofαn, a peak-like distribution of roughness length can be depicted by a small value ofγ, etc..     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION ON THE WIND FIELD STRUCTURE OF A MOUNTAINOUS AREA BESIDE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE LANDFALL OF TYPHOON MOLAVE

Leveraging the commercial CFD software FLUENT, the fine-scale three-dimensional wind structure over the Paiya Mountains on the Dapeng Peninsula near Shenzhen, a city on the seashore of South China Sea, during the landfall of Typhoon Molave has been simulated and analyzed. Through the study, a conceptual wind structure model for mountainous areas under strong wind condition is established and the following conclusions are obtained as follows： （1） FLUENT can reasonably simulate a three-dimensional wind structure over mountainous areas under strong wind conditions; （2） the kinetic effect of a mountain can intensify wind speed in the windward side of the mountain and the area over the mountain peak; and （3） in the leeward side of the mountain, wind speed is relatively lower with relatively stronger wind shear and turbulence.     

The Characteristics of Turbulence Structure and Transfer over the Middle Area of the Tibetan Plateau

In this paper, turbulent data obtained from the Damxung site during the Secondary Tibetan Plateau Science Experiment (TIPEX) in 1998 are used to study the characteristics of the turbulent spectra, turbulence transport, and the dissipation rates of turbulent kinetic energy, temperature variance, and humidity variance in the middle area of the Tibetan Plateau. The turbulent spectra of wind velocity, potential temperature, and humidity satisfy the-2/3 power law in the high frequency range. Horizontal transportation of heat and water vapor is negligible compared with vertical transportation under strong unstable conditions, and as the stability parameter z/L increases (where z is the observational height, and L is the Monin Obukhov length), horizontal transportation becomes dominant under near-neutral, neutral, and stable conditions. The non-dimensional temperature and humidity variances are 20% less than the temperature and humidity gradient variances. These deficits appear to increase as the absolute stability parameter increases. Moreover, the effects of turbulence transportation and pressure variance exist throughout the entire stability region.     

IMPROVED FORECASTING OF COLD AIR OUTBREAKS OVER SOUTHERN CHINA THROUGH OROGRAPHIC GRAVITY WAVE DRAG PARAMETERIZATION

The parameterization of gravity wave drag induced by sub-grid scale orography(GWDO), which has been used in the regional model based on the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System for Tropical Mesoscale Model(GRAPES_TMM), is extended to include the effect of mountain flow blocking drag(MBD). The extended scheme is evaluated against non-GWDO parameterization, including a cold air outbreak over southern China and a monthly verification in February 2012. The experiment results show that the GWDO and MBD parameterization both improves the forecasting of the cold air outbreaks over southern China, as well as alleviations of system bias of GRAPES_TMM.(1) The extended scheme alleviates the strong southerly wind and high surface temperature simulation during the cold air outbreak, especially over northern Guangxi and Guangdong(NGG) province, where local high surface temperature simulation reduces nearly 5 degree.(2) The MBD parameterization improves southerly wind simulations over NGG, as well as surface temperature forecasts improvement over Guangxi, Guizhou province and southern Yunnan-Guizhou plateau(YUP), and low level southerly wind simulation improvement over intertidal zone over south China.(3) The formation of MBD is mainly in the mountain area(Wuyi, Daba mountain, east of YUP) and coastal area. The MBD over plateau, which is mainly formed at the west of 105°E, is stronger and thicker than that over Nanling mountain.(4) The improvement of GWDO and MBD parameterization is stable in model physics. MBD parameterization demonstrates more overall improvements in the forecasts than GWDO, and the larger of the model forecast error is, the greater improvements of MBD contribute to. Overall, the extended GWDO scheme successfully improves the simulations of meteorological elements forecasting during cold air outbreaks.     

HEAT SOURCE-INFLUENCED FINITE AMPLITUDE ULTRALONG WAVE

Discussed in this paper is finite amplitude ultralong wave under the influence of heat sources.The conditions arefirst investigated for the existence of periodic and solitary ultralong waves of finite amplitude in the Burger model withthe aid of Hamilton function and variation of total energy and then the wave analytical expression is formulated bymeans of the functional approximation and the Hamilton function as the motion invariant in nature.Results show thatthe finite amplitude ultralong wave influenced by heat sources is unlikely to generate a solitary wave solution and im-poses no constraints on horizontal divergence as opposed to the case with the effect of heat sources available.     

On the extension of the wind profile over homogeneous terrain beyond the surface boundary layer

Analysis of profiles of meteorological measurements from a 160 m high mast at the National Test Site for wind turbines at Høvsøre (Denmark) and at a 250 m high TV tower at Hamburg (Germany) shows that the wind profile based on surface-layer theory and Monin-Obukhov scaling is valid up to a height of 50–80 m. At higher levels deviations from the measurements progressively occur. For applied use an extension to the wind profile in the surface layer is formulated for the entire boundary layer, with emphasis on the lowest 200–300 m and considering only wind speeds above 3 m s^?1 at 10 m height. The friction velocity is taken to decrease linearly through the boundary layer. The wind profile length scale is composed of three component length scales. In the surface layer the first length scale is taken to increase linearly with height with a stability correction following Monin-Obukhov similarity. Above the surface layer the second length scale (L _MBL ) becomes independent of height but not of stability, and at the top of the boundary layer the third length scale is assumed to be negligible. A simple model for the combined length scale that controls the wind profile and its stability dependence is formulated by inverse summation. Based on these assumptions the wind profile for the entire boundary layer is derived. A parameterization of L _MBL is formulated using the geostrophic drag law, which relates friction velocity and geostrophic wind. The empirical parameterization of the resistance law functions A and B in the geostrophic drag law is uncertain, making it impractical. Therefore an expression for the length scale, L _MBL , for applied use is suggested, based on measurements from the two sites.     

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.     

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 .     

Velocity Adjustment and Passive Scalar Diffusion in and Above an Urban Canopy in Response to Various Approach Flows

We used wind-tunnel experiments to investigate velocity-field adjustment and scalar diffusion behaviour in and above urban canopies located downwind of various roughness elements. Staggered arrays of rectangular blocks of various heights H and plan area ratios λ_p were used to model the urban canopies. The velocity field in the roughness sublayer (height \({z \lesssim 2H}\)) reached equilibrium at distances proportional to \({\sqrt{L_{\rm c}H}}\) where L _c is the canopy-drag length scale determined as a function of λ_p and the block side length L. A distance of about \({20\sqrt{L_{\rm c}H}}\) was required for adjustment at z = H/2 (in the canopy), and a distance of about \({10\sqrt{L_{\rm c}H}}\) was required at z = 2H (near the top of the roughness sublayer). Diffusion experiments from a ground emission source revealed that differences in upwind roughness conditions had negligible effects on the plume growth near the source (up to a few multiples of L from the source) if the source was located at a fetch F larger than about \({10\sqrt{L_{\rm c}H}}\) from the upwind edge of the canopy. However, at locations farther downwind (more than several multiples of L from the source), upwind conditions had considerable effects on the plume growth. For a representative urban canopy, it was shown that a much larger fetch than required for velocity-field adjustment in the roughness sublayer was necessary to eliminate the effects of upwind conditions on plume widths at 24L downwind from the source.     

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.     

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.     

Analysis of photosynthetically active radiation and applied parameterization model for estimating of PAR in the North China Plain

As photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) variability and PAR estimating methods play an important role in climate change and ecological process research, PAR variation trends and broadband global solar radiation (R _s ) ratios (PAR/R _s ) in the North China Plain (NCP) are examined using in situ PAR and R _s observed data for 2005 to 2011. The annual average PAR value found in the NCP is 22.9 mol m^?2 d^?1. The highest and lowest values were recorded at Changwu and Luancheng sites, respectively. The highest PAR/R _s value was found in Jiaozhouwan due to large water vapor volumes present in this area. PAR/R _s levels have increased in the NCP due to a decrease in fine aerosols and increase in water vapor concentration. From these analysis results, a parameterization model that can be applied to all sky conditions was checked. Empirical estimation model comparisons for obtaining PAR values indicate that model was least accurate when R _s was used independently. When the model included R _s, the clearness index (K _s) and the solar zenith angle, the model estimated PAR values with acceptable accuracy. A parameterization model was constructed by considering K _s and attenuation factors of PAR under clear weather conditions (ρ _clear). The improved parameterization model more accurately predicts values for local sites and for various observation sites.     

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.     

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.     

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.