Turbulent Kinetic Energy Dissipation in the Surface Layer

We estimated the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rate for thirty-two 1-h intervals of unstable stratification covering the stability range 0.12 ≤ −z/L ≤ 43 (z/L is the ratio of instrument height to the Obukhov length), by fitting Kolmogorov’s inertial subrange spectrum to streamwise spectra observed over a desert flat. Estimated values are compatible with the existence of local equilibrium, in that the TKE dissipation rate approximately equalled the sum of shear and buoyant production rates. Only in the neutral limit was the turbulent transport term in the TKE budget measured to be small.     

Evaluation of the Turbulent Kinetic Energy Dissipation Rate Inside Canopies by Zero- and Level-Crossing Density Methods

Inferring the vertical variation of the mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate (ε) inside dense canopies remains a basic research problem to be confronted. Using detailed laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) measurements collected within a densely arrayed rod canopy, traditional and newly proposed methods to infer ε profiles are compared. The traditional methods for estimating ε at a given layer include isotropic relationships applied to the viscous dissipation scales that are resolved by LDA measurements, higher order structure function methods, and residuals of the turbulent kinetic energy budget in which production and transport terms are all independently inferred. The newly proposed method extends earlier approaches based on zero-crossing statistics, which were shown to be promising in a number of laboratory flows. The extension to account for an arbitrary threshold (hereafter referred to as the level-crossing method) instead of zero-crossing minimizes the effects of instrument noise on the inferred ε. While none of the ε methods employed here can be titled as ‘measured’, these methods differ in their underlying assumptions and simplifications. Above the canopy, where a balance between production and dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy is expected, the agreement among all the methods is reasonably good. In the lower-to-middle layers of the canopy, all the methods agree except for those based on a structure-function inference of ε. This departure can be attributed to the lack of a well-defined inertial subrange in these layers. In the upper canopy layers, the disagreements between the methods are largest. Even the higher order structure-function methods disagree with each other when ε is inferred from third- and fifth-order moments. However, for all layers within the canopy, the proposed zero- and threshold-crossing methods agree well with estimates of ε derived from the isotropic relationship applied to the viscous dissipation range. Finally, the advantages of introducing thresholds to minimize two types of instrument noises, additive and multiplicative, are briefly discussed.     

Reconstruction of the Surface-Layer Vertical Structure from Measurements of Wind,Temperature and Humidity at Two Levels

A comparison of sensible heat flux derived from ultrasonic-anemometer measurements and profile-derived values shows strong systematic bias in the stable branch. One of the two effects, large sonic-based values combined with small profile-based values, can be explained as due to katabatic flows down the terrain slope. The other effect, large profile-based values combined with small sonic-based values, can only partially be explained as due to intermittent turbulence. The remainder occurs at small stability and indicates a possible systematic kink in ultrasonic-anemometer eddy-correlation values. Evaluation of the temperature-profile parameter θ _* contributes to further clarification by reducing the systematic bias and confirming the katabatic-flow explanation. Also, the intermittent-turbulence influence is confirmed by the θ _* evaluation, but the combination of large profile-based values with small sonic-based values does not vanish outside the more clearly defined intermittent-turbulence region. This is associated with a strongly increased occurrence of opposite-sign sonic values. Neutral profile values are frequently associated with considerably unstable sonic values of θ _*.     

Local Imbalance of Turbulent Kinetic Energy in the Surface Layer

We utilize experimental data collected in 2002 over an open field in Hanford, Washington, USA, to investigate the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget in the atmospheric surface layer. The von Kármán constant was determined from the near-neutral wind profiles to be 0.36 ± 0.02 rather than the classical value of 0.4. The TKE budget was normalized and all terms were parameterized as functions of a stability parameter z/L, where z is the distance from the ground and L is the Obukhov length. The shear production followed the Businger–Dyer relation for −2 < z/L < 1. Contrary to the traditional Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST), the shear, buoyancy and dissipation terms were found to be imbalanced due to a non-zero vertical transport over all stabilities. Motivated by this local imbalance, modified parameterizations of the dissipation and the turbulent transport were attempted and generated good agreement with the experimental data. Assuming stationarity and horizontal homogeneity, the pressure transport was estimated from the residual of the TKE budget.     

The Budget of Turbulent Kinetic Energy in the Urban Roughness Sublayer

Full-scale observations from two urban sites in Basel, Switzerland were analysed to identify the magnitude of different processes that create, relocate, and dissipate turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in the urban atmosphere. Two towers equipped with a profile of six ultrasonic anemometers each sampled the flow in the urban roughness sublayer, i.e. from street canyon base up to roughly 2.5 times the mean building height. This observational study suggests a conceptual division of the urban roughness sublayer into three layers: (1) the layer above the highest roofs, where local buoyancy production and local shear production of TKE are counterbalanced by local viscous dissipation rate and scaled turbulence statistics are close to to surface-layer values; (2) the layer around mean building height with a distinct inflexional mean wind profile, a strong shear and wake production of TKE, a more efficient turbulent exchange of momentum, and a notable export of TKE by transport processes; (3) the lower street canyon with imported TKE by transport processes and negligible local production. Averaged integral velocity variances vary significantly with height in the urban roughness sublayer and reflect the driving processes that create or relocate TKE at a particular height. The observed profiles of the terms of the TKE budget and the velocity variances show many similarities to observations within and above vegetation canopies.     

Transport of Temperature and Humidity Variance and Covariance in the Marine Surface Layer

In this paper we address the budget of potential temperature T and moisture mixing ratio q variances as well as the q-T covariance budget. We focus on the vertical transport and study the quantities contained in these terms. Estimates of transport terms are rare and to the best of our knowledge they have never been shown together in the literature. For this purpose an extensive set of humidity and temperature turbulence data from two heights in a marine environment has been analysed. We discuss and compare our results with results from earlier studies for a range of stability from near-neutral to unstable. Similarity and differences between T and q behaviour in the surface layer over water are presented.     

湍流动能闭合方法在中尺度模式中的应用

湍流动能闭合方法是近年来发展起来的用以模拟大气边界层的一种方法,本文对其做了简化,仅在边界层内使用这一方法,进一步减少计算量,使之更适用于中尺度数值模拟。对一维旺加拉（Wangara）资料进行的试验表明,这种方法保留了边界层计算的精度,又能节省机时。然后将这种方法应用于三维中尺度钟形山地形的模拟,描述了湍流动能的分布,以及湍流活动对山后回流区面积和强度的影响。     

High-Resolution Fibre-Optic Temperature Sensing: A New Tool to Study the Two-Dimensional Structure of Atmospheric Surface-Layer Flow

We present a novel approach based on fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) to measure the two-dimensional thermal structure of the surface layer at high resolution (0.25 m, ≈0.5 Hz). Air temperature observations obtained from a vertically-oriented fibre-optics array of approximate dimensions 8 m × 8 m and sonic anemometer data from two levels were collected over a short grass field located in the flat bottom of a wide valley with moderate surface heterogeneity. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the potential of the DTS technique to study small-scale processes in the surface layer over a wide range of atmospheric stability, and to analyze the space–time dynamics of transient cold-air pools in the calm boundary layer. The time response and precision of the fibre-based temperatures were adequate to resolve individual sub-metre sized turbulent and non-turbulent structures, of time scales of seconds, in the convective, neutral, and stable surface layer. Meaningful sensible heat fluxes were computed using the eddy-covariance technique when combined with vertical wind observations. We present a framework that determines the optimal environmental conditions for applying the fibre-optics technique in the surface layer and identifies areas for potentially significant improvements of the DTS performance. The top of the transient cold-air pool was highly non-stationary indicating a superposition of perturbations of different time and length scales. Vertical eddy scales in the strongly stratified transient cold-air pool derived from the DTS data agreed well with the buoyancy length scale computed using the vertical velocity variance and the Brunt–Vaisala frequency, while scales for weak stratification disagreed. The high-resolution DTS technique opens a new window into spatially sampling geophysical fluid flows including turbulent energy exchange.     

Momentum Transfer and Turbulent Kinetic Energy Budgets within a Dense Model Canopy

Second-order closure models for the canopy sublayer (CSL) employ aset of closure schemes developed for `free-air' flow equations andthen add extra terms to account for canopy related processes. Muchof the current research thrust in CSL closure has focused on thesecanopy modifications. Instead of offering new closure formulationshere, we propose a new mixing length model that accounts for basicenergetic modes within the CSL. Detailed flume experiments withcylindrical rods in dense arrays to represent a rigid canopy areconducted to test the closure model. We show that when this lengthscale model is combined with standard second-order closureschemes, first and second moments, triple velocity correlations,the mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate, and the wakeproduction are all well reproduced within the CSL provided thedrag coefficient (C_D) is well parameterized. The maintheoretical novelty here is the analytical linkage betweengradient-diffusion closure schemes for the triple velocitycorrelation and non-local momentum transfer via cumulant expansionmethods. We showed that second-order closure models reproducereasonably well the relative importance of ejections and sweeps onmomentum transfer despite their local closure approximations.Hence, it is demonstrated that for simple canopy morphology (e.g.,cylindrical rods) with well-defined length scales, standard closureschemes can reproduce key flow statistics without much revision.When all these results are taken together, it appears that thepredictive skills of second-order closure models are not limitedby closure formulations; rather, they are limited by our abilityto independently connect the drag coefficient and the effectivemixing length to the canopy roughness density. With rapidadvancements in laser altimetry, the canopy roughness densitydistribution will become available for many terrestrialecosystems. Quantifying the sheltering effect, the homogeneity andisotropy of the drag coefficient, and more importantly, thecanonical mixing length, for such variable roughness density isstill lacking.     

Large-eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flow across a Forest Edge. Part II: Momentum and Turbulent Kinetic Energy Budgets

Momentum and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budgets across a forest edge have been investigated using large-eddy simulation (LES). Edge effects are observed in the rapid variation of a number of budget terms across this vegetation transition. The enhanced drag force at the forest edge is largely balanced by the pressure gradient force and by streamwise advection of upstream momentum, while vertical turbulent diffusion is relatively insignificant. For variance and TKE budgets, the most important processes at the forest edge are production due to the convergence (or divergence) of the mean flow, streamwise advection, pressure diffusion and enhanced dissipation by canopy drag. Turbulent diffusion, pressure redistribution and vertical shear production, which are characteristic processes in homogeneous canopy flow, are less important at the forest transition. We demonstrate that, in the equilibrated canopy flow, a substantial amount of TKE produced in the streamwise direction by the vertical shear of the mean flow is redistributed in the vertical direction by pressure fluctuations. This redistribution process occurs in the upper canopy layers. Part of the TKE in the vertical velocity component is transferred by turbulent and pressure diffusion to the lower canopy levels, where pressure redistribution takes place again and feeds TKE back to the streamwise direction. In this TKE cycle, the primary source terms are vertical shear production for streamwise velocity variance and pressure redistribution for vertical velocity variance. The evolution of these primary source terms downwind of the forest edge largely controls the adjustment rates of velocity variances.     

The Scaling Behaviour of a Turbulent Kinetic Energy Closure Model for Stably Stratified Conditions

We investigate the scaling behaviour of a turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) closure model for stably stratified conditions. The mixing length scale for stable stratification is proportional to the ratio of the square root of the TKE and the local Brunt–Väisälä frequency, which is a commonly applied formulation. We analyze the scaling behaviour of our model in terms of traditional Monin–Obukov Similarity Theory and local scaling. From the model equations, we derive expressions for the stable limit behaviour of the flux–gradient relations and other scaling quantities. It turns out that the scaling behaviour depends on only a few model parameters and that the results obey local scaling theory. The analytical findings are illustrated with model simulations for the second GABLS intercomparison study. We also investigate solutions for the case in which an empirical correction function is used to express the eddy diffusivity for momentum as a function of the Richardson number (i.e. an increasing turbulent Prandtl number with stability). In this case, it seems that for certain parameter combinations the model cannot generate a steady-state solution. At the same time, its scaling behaviour becomes unrealistic. This shows that the inclusion of empirical correction functions may have large and undesired consequences for the model behaviour.     

Kinetic and Available Potential Energy Transport during the Stratospheric Sudden Warming in January 2009

The local features of transient kinetic energy and available potential energy were investigated using ECMWF(European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) Interim Reanalysis data for the stratospheric sudden warming(SSW) event of January 2009.The Western Europe high plays important roles in the propagation of the energy from North America to Eurasian.When the Western Europe high appeared and shifted eastward,energy conversions increased and energy propagated from North America to Eurasian as a form of interaction energy flow.The baroclinic conversion between transient-eddy kinetic energy(Ke) and transient-eddy available potential energy(Ae) and the horizontal advection of geopotential height were approximately one order of magnitude less than Ke and Ae generation terms.So,these terms were less important to this SSW event.     

Influence of Mass and Radius of Ice Crystals on Hydrometeors,Internal Energy,and Kinetic Energy:A Numeric Model Study

Two cloud-scale experiments with two different ice-phase schemes were carried out for a precipitation event that occurred in eastern China in 2005.The results were analyzed to examine the influences of the change of ice-particle mass and radius on hydrometeors,internal energy,and kinetic energy,as well as the primary factors responsible.It was found that the ice content increases notably and the snow content decreases due to the change.This is the consequence of the modulation of cloud microphysical processes.In particular,the Bergeron process and the accretion of snow and cloud ice are markedly influenced.The differences of internal energy and kinetic energy between the two experiments are caused by adjustments to pressure-flux divergence,the coupling of temperature and divergence,and gravitational work,and the reason is that these three factors result in differences of local changes of internal and kinetic energy.     

Discussion and Applications of Slab Models of the Convective Boundary Layer based on Turbulent Kinetic Energy Budget Parameterisations

Some of the most widely used slab model formulations for applications in the convective boundary layer are analysed and discussed. Three main classes are identified based on different approximations of the turbulent kinetic energy equation. The models appear to be quite insensitive to the initial values for boundary-layer height, and temperature discontinuity at the boundary-layer top. The slab models are applied to a case of sea-land transition from the literature, and a case of convective boundary layer time evolution over a homogeneous terrain at San Pietro Capofiume (Bologna, Italy). The different parameterisations turn out to be almost equivalent for the cases studied. The models generally underpredict the value for the height, while all give very good estimates for the mean mixed-layer temperature.     

A Budget Analysis of the Variances of Temperature and Moisture in Precipitating Shallow Cumulus Convection

Large-eddy simulations of an evolving cloud field are used to investigate the contribution of microphysical processes to the evolution of the variance of total water and liquid water potential temperature in the boundary layer. While the first hours of such simulations show a transient behaviour and have to be analyzed with caution, the final portion of the simulation provides a quasi-equilibrium situation. This allows investigation of the budgets of the variances of total water and liquid water potential temperature and quantification of the contribution of several source and sink terms. Accretion is found to act as a strong sink for the variances, while the contributions from the processes of evaporation and autoconversion are small. A simple parametrization for the sink term connected to accretion is suggested and tested with a different set of simulations.     

On the Time Evolution of the Turbulent Kinetic Energy Spectrum for Decaying Turbulence in the Convective Boundary Layer

Our focus is the time evolution of the turbulent kinetic energy for decaying turbulence in the convective boundary layer. The theoretical model with buoyancy and inertial transfer terms has been extended by a source term due to mechanical energy and validated against large-eddy simulation data. The mechanical effects in a boundary layer of height z _i at a convective surface-layer height z = 0.05z _i are significant in the time evolution of the vertical component of the spectrum, i.e. they enhance the decay time scale by more than an order of magnitude. Our findings suggest that shear effects seem to feedback to eddies with smaller wavenumbers, preserving the original shape of the spectrum, and preventing the spectrum from shifting towards shorter wavelengths. This occurs in the case where thermal effects only are considered.     

Momentum and Turbulent Kinetic Energy Budgets Within the Park Avenue Street Canyon During the Joint Urban 2003 Field Campaign

Very few attempts have so far been made to quantify the momentum and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budgets within real urban canopies. In this study, sonic anemometer data obtained during the Joint Urban 2003 field campaign in Oklahoma City, U.S.A. were used for calculating the momentum and TKE budgets within a real-world urban street canyon. Sonic anemometers were deployed on multiple towers in the lower half of the canyon. Gradients in all three principal directions were included in the analyses. The storage and buoyancy terms were found to have negligible contributions to both the momentum and TKE budgets. The momentum budgets were generally found to be more complex than a simple balance of two physical processes. The horizontal terms were found to have significant and sometimes dominant contributions to the momentum and TKE budgets.     

西藏地区气温、降水及相对湿度的趋势分析

采用非参数统计检验方法（Mann-Kendall法）对西藏地区25个气象站1960—2001年的气温、降水和相对湿度3个气候要素的长期变化趋势进行了分析。结果表明：近42年来西藏地区气候表现出向暖湿型发展的趋势,即有气温逐渐升高、降雨量和相对湿度逐渐增加的趋势;西藏地区的暖湿现象主要发生在秋季,春季增幅小于秋季,夏季表现出一定的暖干趋势;冬季为明显增温,但湿度变化不明显。42年来西藏地区年平均气温、降水和相对湿度的Kendall倾斜度值分别为0.31℃/10a、0.96mm/a和0.3%/10a。通过非参数检验分析可知,秋、冬两季气温的上升趋势相对较强,尤其是冬季增温最为显著;夏季降水呈减少趋势,其余季节均表现出不同程度的上升趋势;夏季存在减湿现象,而春、秋两季则表现出较明显的增湿现象。