MOMENTUM BUDGET AND SHELTER MECHANISM OF BOUNDARY-LAYER FLOW NEAR A SHELTERBELT

We use a nonhydrostatic shelterbelt boundary-layer turbulence model with Mellor–Yamada second-order closure to evaluate quantitatively the dynamic processes of surface boundary-layer flow perturbed by shelterbelts of different densities and to understand the shelter mechanism. We first analyze the drag exerted on air by shelterbelts of different densities, a root cause of any shelter function, and the resulting wind reduction. The results show that the effectiveness of a shelter is determined not only by its total drag but also by the distribution of the drag-generated momentum deficit in the sheltered area, and that medium-dense shelterbelts have the maximum shelter effect. We also analyze the horizontal momentum budget and find that the shelter mechanism is the product of several processes. The results reveal that strong vertical mean transport and the pressure gradient also play important roles in shelter efficiency. The pressure perturbation caused by the shelter extends far downstream of the shelter, and combines with advective transport to provide the larger shelter efficiency of medium-dense shelterbelts. We finally analyze the changes of perturbed pressure, turbulence, and vertical velocity with shelterbelt density to further clarify the shelter mechanism.