A wind tunnel study of turbulent flow over model hills

Detailed wind tunnel measurements have been made of mean flow and turbulence over a two-dimensional ridge and a circular hill, both having cosine-squared cross-section and maximum slope about 15 °. The measurements were made in an artificially thickened neutrally stratified boundary layer, and have been compared with results from linear models and rapid distortion theory as appropriate.Our study shows that linear theory gives generally good predictions of the mean flow on the upwind side of the hills, and especially of the flow speedup at the hill top, but that the turbulence is less well predicted. In particular, the measurements show a major increase in the vertical component of turbulence and in the shear stress on the upwind slope of both the two- and three-dimensional hills which is not predicted by either equilibrium or isotropic rapid-distortion theories, although this may be partly due to the effect of streamline curvature. Rapid-distortion theory is successful only in describing the streamwise component of turbulence in the outer region of the flow, while in the upper part of the inner region of the flow, the turbulence measurements show disagreement with both the equilibrium and the rapid-distortion theories. Our experiments also confirm that the equilibrium region is a very thin layer close to the surface, while above this region and below the outer region, there is a transitional region where all terms in the stress equation are important.The measurements over the three-dimensional hill suggest that the mean flow and turbulence are broadly similar to those over the two-dimensional ridge, but with reduced perturbation amplitudes. The major differences between the two cases are found on the upwind slope and in the wake where, respectively, horizontal divergence and convergence of the three-dimensional flow are most pronounced.     

A wind tunnel study of turbulent flow over a two-dimensional ridge

We present a wind-tunnel simulation of adiabatic atmospheric flow normal to a rough, two-dimensional ridge. The data are analyzed in physical streamline coordinates, which are described in some detail. The mean velocity speed-up on the hill top is adequately predicted by existing formulae while the behaviour of the wake flow fits into a pattern that emerges from other wind-tunnel experiments. The turbulent stresses evolve in response to the extra strain rates induced by the hill, streamline curvature and acceleration: % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4baFfea0dXde9vqpa0lb9% cq0dXdb9IqFHe9FjuP0-iq0dXdbba9pe0lb9hs0dXda91qaq-xfr-x% fj-hmeGabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaacaWG1bWaaWbaaS% qabeaaceaIYaGbaebaaaaaaa!3456!\[u^{\bar 2}\]is coupled strongly to acceleration while % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4baFfea0dXde9vqpa0lb9% cq0dXdb9IqFHe9FjuP0-iq0dXdbba9pe0lb9hs0dXda91qaq-xfr-x% fj-hmeGabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaadaqdaaqaaiaadw% hacaWG3baaaaaa!3462!\[\overline {uw}\]and % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4baFfea0dXde9vqpa0lb9% cq0dXdb9IqFHe9FjuP0-iq0dXdbba9pe0lb9hs0dXda91qaq-xfr-x% fj-hmeGabaqaciGacaGaaeqabaWaaeaaeaaakeaacaWG3bWaaWbaaS% qabeaaceaIYaGbaebaaaaaaa!3458!\[w^{\bar 2}\]follow curvature. These differing responses lead to significant phase differences between the changes in the component stresses as the hill is traversed. An analogous response is seen in the components of turbulent stress divergence, which are computed as part of streamwise momentum budgets. Only very close to the surface is turbulent stress divergence comparable to the inertial and pressure terms in the momentum budget; over most of the flow regime, the mean flow response is approximately inviscid. Finally, we compare our results with data from other wind tunnel models and from real hills.     

A wind tunnel study of the flow field within and around open-top chambers used for air pollution studies

The EPA Meteorological Wind Tunnel was used to examine the flow field in and around models of open-top field-plant growth chambers used to assess the effects of pollutant gases on plant growth. Baffles designed to reduce the ingress of ambient air into the chamber through the open top were tested; the mean flow and turbulence in the simulated boundary layer with and without the chambers were compared (the chamber was operated with and without the pollutant flow system on); and the effects of surrounding chambers on the concentration field were measured. Results showed that a baffle with a reduced opening vertically above the test area maintained the highest uniform concentration in the test area. The major differences between the three (no chamber and the chamber with flow on and off) mean velocity profiles occurred below z/h = 2.0 (h is chamber height) and at z/h ≤ 4.2. The three Reynolds stress profiles were similar above z/h = 2.0. Downwind of the chamber, the Reynolds stresses in the on-mode were greater than those in the off-mode above z/h = 1.1. The reverse was true below that point. Both longitudinal and vertical intensities above and downwind of the chamber were greater with the mixture flow system on rather than off, below about z/h < 1.5. Lateral variations in the mean wind indicated that the mean velocity was greater with the mixture flow system on except near the centerline where the reverse was true. The concentrations in the downwind wake resembled those for a cube. The location of a cylinder within a regular array had some effect on its internal gas concentration. Locations near the upwind and downwind edges of the array were associated with lower concentrations, although for all locations the highest internal values were always found at the lowest portion of the upwind wall. With active cylinders downwind, the gas plume emitted from a source cylinder at the windward edge of the array was forced 0.5 h higher and the centerline meandered laterally when compared with the single-cylinder case. A cylinder located at z/h = 1.0 downwind from a source cylinder received approximately 3%; of the concentration input to the source, or roughly 10%; of the actual concentration within the source cylinder.     

A wind tunnel study of turbulent dispersion over two- and three-dimensional gentle hills from upwind point sources in neutral flow

A study of turbulent dispersion over hills for upstream, elevated sources was conducted, based on wind tunnel tracer gas (CO₂) experiments over a gentle 2-D ridge and a 3-D circular hill, both having a cosine-square cross-section. The concentration measurements were made with four different source locations for each hill case (2-D or 3-D), and the study focused on dispersion parameters under the influence of the presence of the hills in order to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved.The wind tunnel measurements show that, in the case of gentle hills, the topographic impact on turbulent dispersion from upstream sources is only moderate and is more pronounced for the 3-D than for the 2-D hill. The perturbation in mean flow introduced by the hills, including streamline divergence/convergence, is shown to dominate the changes in the dispersion due to the hills in this case. The plume spread, both in the lateral and the vertical, is enhanced over the upwind hill foot and reduced over the hill top in response to the mean flow slow-down and speed-up at these places, and is further enhanced or reduced due to streamline divergence/convergence in the vertical over the hills as well as in the horizontal over the 3-D hill. These results are also compared with cases of turbulent dispersion over more steep hills (Snyder and Britter, 1987).     

A study of the roughness effects of multiple windbreaks

A wind-tunnel study of the roughness effect of a network of uniformly spaced long parallel windbreaks has been attempted. The roughness parameterZ ₀ in the well-known logarithmic profile has been obtained as a function of the ratio of the spacingL to heightH of the barriers. In one part of the study, a naturally developing boundary layer was used and the windbreaks were not spread on the entire wind-tunnel floor. Spacing ratiosL/H of 1 to 20 were treated. In the other part of the study, spires were used to thicken the boundary layers artificially and the windbreaks were spread throughout the wind-tunnel floor. In this case, spacing ratiosL/H of 1 to 30 were examined.Values of the roughness parameter obtained from the above two cases have been compared to some (though very few) previously published pertinent values.     

A wind tunnel study of air flow in waving wheat: Single-point velocity statistics

We analyse single-point velocity statistics obtained in a wind tunnel within and above a model of a waving wheat crop, consisting of nylon stalks 47 mm high and 0.25 mm wide in a square array with frontal area index 0.47. The variability of turbulence measurements in the wind tunnel is illustrated by using a set of 71 vertical traverses made in different locations, all in the horizontally-homogeneous (above-canopy) part of the boundary layer. Ensemble-averaged profiles of the statistical moments up to the fourth order and profiles of Eulerian length scales are presented and discussed. They are consistent with other similar experiments and reveal the existence of large-scale turbulent coherent structures in the flow. The drag coefficient in this canopy as well as in other reported experiments is shown to exhibit a characteristic height-dependency, for which we propose an interpretation. The velocity spectra are analysed in detail; within and just above the canopy, a scaling based on fixed length and velocity scales (canopy height and mean horizontal wind speed at canopy top) is proposed. Examination of the turbulent kinetic energy and shear stress budgets confirms the role of turbulent transport in the region around the canopy top, and indicates that pressure transport may be significant in both cases. The results obtained here show that near the top of the canopy, the turbulence properties are more reminiscent of a plane mixing layer than a wall boundary layer.     

A wind tunnel study of air flow in waving wheat: Two-point velocity statistics

Two-point, space-time correlations of streamwise and vertical velocity were obtained from a wind tunnel simulation of an atmospheric surface layer with an underlying model wheat canopy constructed of flexible nylon stalks. Velocity data extend from 1/6 canopy height to several canopy heights, with in excess of 2000 three-dimensional vector separations of the two x-wire probes. Isocorrelation contours over anx, z slice show the streamwise velocity autocorrelation to be roughly circular, such that vertical velocities at the same horizontal position but different heights are closely in phase. Cross-correlations between the two velocity components reflect this difference to some extent. Lateral displacements of the probes revealed side lobes with correlations of reversed sign but we cannot positively link this pattern to particular vorticular structures. Integral length scales obtained directly from the spatial correlations match similar scales deduced from single-point time series with Taylor's hypothesis at 2 to 3 times the canopy height but greatly exceed such scales at lower levels, particularly within the wheat. We conclude that the reversed sign lateral lobes are important components of the correlation field and that an integral length scale for the lateral direction must be defined such that they are included. Convective velocities obtained from the time lag to optimally restore correlation lost by physical separation of the probes change only slowly with height and greatly exceed the mean wind velocity within and immediately above the canopy. Thus, mean wind velocity is not a suitable proxy for convective velocity in the application of Taylor's hypothesis in this situation. The ratio of vertical to longitudinal convective velocity for the streawise velocity signal yields a downwind tilt angle of about 39° which is probably a better estimate of the slope of the dominant fluid motions than the tilt of the major axis of the isocorrellation contours mentioned previously.     

Measurements of the upstream turbulent flow during wind tunnel simulations of agricultural field burning

Mean streamwise and vertical velocities as well as streamwise and vertical turbulence intensities were measured in a combustion wind tunnel used to collect pollutant emission data for agricultural field burning. Objectives were to compare the flow field upstream of a fire to that without a fire present and to compare the wind tunnel flow upstream of a fire to field conditions. Vertical centerline traverses with an anemometer were conducted for 32 separate wind tunnel operating configurations (wind speed, position in the tunnel, with or without fire, ceiling position, and floor condition) with one replication for each configuration (total of 64 traverses). Certain configurational changes in the wind tunnel had substantial effects on the flow field. Turbulence intensities and velocity profiles (as modeled by the log law-of-the-wall to determinez ₀ andu _* values) in the wind tunnel were comparable to those in the field as reported in the literature. Velocities and turbulence intensities were generally higher, however, with a fire present in the tunnel and all other conditions constant.     

A numerical study of the air flow within and around a single tree

A three-dimensional non-hydrostatic numerical model has been used to investigate the air flow and turbulence around a single tree.The results for velocity and turbulence distributions have been compared with available data from windtunnel experiments; the agreement is satisfactory.Simulations have been carried out for different meteorological conditions (wind speed, thermal stratification) as well as for different canopy characteristics (stem height, crown diameter, crown height, porosity).Dedicated to Prof. F. Wippermann on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

A wind tunnel boundary-layer simulation of wind flow over complex terrain: Effect of terrain and model construction

The report presents the results of a wind-tunnel study of the flow of the natural wind over complex terrain. A 1:4000 undistorted scale model of Gebbies Pass in the South Island of New Zealand was prepared and tested in the boundary-layer wind tunnel in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Canterbury.Three forms of construction, viz., terraced, contoured and roughness-added, were compared. Velocity and turbulence profiles, Reynolds stresses and spectra were measured, and correlation of results between different types of construction was calculated. The terraced form was much simpler to construct but was found to be unsatisfactory. The correlation between the contoured and roughness-added models was as high as 0.94, although the roughness-added model made a significant difference to the results in the lower 20%; of the boundary layer. The results of these tests will be compared with results from the field in a future report.     

A study of internal waves in a wind tunnel

The combined use of a stratified flow wind tunnel and of periodic sampling methods in low Reynolds number flows allows the recovery of the instantaneous dynamics of internal waves. Several detailed examples are given of the thermal structure of large propagating and breaking internal waves and Kelvin-Hemholtz waves. Preliminary measurements of the stability of finite waves as a function of Richardson number are also reported.     

Boundary-layer flow over analytical two-dimensional hills: A systematic comparison of different models with wind tunnel data

Two mass consistent models (MATHEW and MINERVE) and two dynamic linearized models (MS3DJH/3R and FLOWSTAR) are used to simulate the mean flow over two-dimensional hills of analytical shape and of varying slope. The results are compared with detailed wind tunnel data (RUSHIL experiment at US EPA). Different numerical experiments have been performed, varying input data and control parameters, to test the data-processing methodology and to evaluate the minimum input data (for mass consistent models only) necessary to obtain a reliable flow field. The models behave differently according to the physical assumptions made and numerical procedure used: an assessment is then made in order to identify the proper solution for the different conditions of topography and wind data.     

Detection of turbulent coherent motions in a forest canopy part I: Wavelet analysis

Turbulence measurements performed at high frequencies yield data revealing intermittent and multi-scale processes. Analysing time series of turbulent variables thus requires extensive numerical treatment capable, for instance, of performing pattern recognition. This is particularly important in the case of the atmospheric surface layer and specifically in the vicinity of plant canopies, where largescale coherent motions play a major role in the dynamics of turbulent transport processes. In this paper, we examine the ability of the recently developedwavelet transform to extract information on turbulence structure from time series of wind velocities and scalars. It is introduced as a local transform performing a time-frequency representation of a given signal by a specific wavelet function; unlike the Fourier transform, it is well adapted to studying non-stationary signals. After the principles and the most relevant mathematical properties of wavelet functions and transform are given, we present various applications of relevance for our purpose: determination of time-scales, data reconstruction and filtering, and jump detection. Several wavelet functions are inter-compared, using simple artificially generated data presenting large-scale features similar to those observed over plant canopies. Their respective behaviour in the time-frequency domain leads us to assign a specific range of applications for each.     

A wind-tunnel study of turbulent flow close to regularly arrayed rough surfaces

Recent observations of flux-gradient anomalies in atmospheric flow close to forests, and similar rough surfaces, prompted a wind-tunnel investigation in which cross-wire anemometry was used to study the vertical development and horizontal variability of adiabatic flow over five regularly arrayed rough surfaces, encompassing a 32-fold range of roughness concentration . The roughness elements were cylinders, 6 mm in both height and diameter.Below a layer in which the velocity profile is semi-logarithmic, two surface influences upon the mean velocity field can be distinguished: wake diffusion and horizontal inhomogeneity. The wake diffusion effect causes non-dimensional vertical velocity gradients to be smaller than in the semi-logarithmic region; at least for elements with aspect ratios l/h 1, it is governed by the transverse dimension l of the roughness elements, and is observed when z > h + 1.5l (where z is height above the underlying surface, and h is the height of the roughness elements). A simple diffusivity model successfully describes the horizontally averaged velocity profiles in the region of wake influence, despite conceptual disadvantages. The horizontal inhomogeneity of the flow is negligible when z > h + D (D being the inter-element spacing), and does not entirely mask the wake diffusion effect except over very sparsely roughened surfaces ( 0.02). A criterion for negligibility of both effects, and hence for applicability of conventional turbulent diffusivity theory for momentum, is z > h + 1.5D. These results are compared with atmospheric data, and indicate that wake diffusion may well cause some underestimation of the zero-plane displacement d over typical vegetated surfaces.     

A wind tunnel study of flows over idealised urban surfaces with roughness sublayer corrections

Variation of soil moisture during active and weak phases of summer monsoon JJAS (June, July, August, and September) is very important for sustenance of the crop and subsequent crop yield. As in situ observations of soil moisture are few or not available, researchers use data derived from remote sensing satellites or global reanalysis. This study documents the intercomparison of soil moisture from remotely sensed and reanalyses during dry spells within monsoon seasons in central India and central Myanmar. Soil moisture data from the European Space Agency (ESA)—Climate Change Initiative (CCI) has been treated as observed data and was compared against soil moisture data from the ECMWF reanalysis-Interim (ERA-I) and the climate forecast system reanalysis (CFSR) for the period of 2002–2011. The ESA soil moisture correlates rather well with observed gridded rainfall. The ESA data indicates that soil moisture increases over India from west to east and from north to south during monsoon season. The ERA-I overestimates the soil moisture over India, while the CFSR soil moisture agrees well with the remotely sensed observation (ESA). Over Myanmar, both the reanalysis overestimate soil moisture values and the ERA-I soil moisture does not show much variability from year to year. Day-to-day variations of soil moisture in central India and central Myanmar during weak monsoon conditions indicate that, because of the rainfall deficiency, the observed (ESA) and the CFSR soil moisture values are reduced up to 0.1 m³/m³ compared to climatological values of more than 0.35 m³/m³. This reduction is not seen in the ERA-I data. Therefore, soil moisture from the CFSR is closer to the ESA observed soil moisture than that from the ERA-I during weak phases of monsoon in the study region.

     

大气平衡态的动力特征 I:多平衡态的共面和非共面性质

本文设计了一个有地形、强迫源和摩擦耗散的球面正压低阶模型来研究大气平衡态的动力特征。在相空间中,存在各平衡态共存的非线性作用曲面、角动量平面和强迫耗散球面。多平衡态的共面特征反映着大气运动的全局行为。指出大气运动的非线性特征只为多平衡态的存在提供可能性,但不提供必然性。动能和位涡拟能的分析表明,不同平衡态处在不同的能级,具有不同的拟能态,在相空间上位于不同的能量球面上。了解各态间的动力差异有助于理解大气运动向定常态收敛和产生振荡的物理原因。这将在第Ⅱ部份深入讨论。     

非均匀风场与急流强迫的水体涡旋动力特征模拟

通过数值模拟有限区域水气界面由强迫作用驱动形成的水体涡旋及环流动力结构特征,分析非均匀风场、水体急流、两者叠加以及环境边界和地转偏向力等因子的综合影响,探讨此类水体涡旋结构和动力特征。风应力驱动的水体涡旋尺度大,相对深厚,正涡旋具有下凹表面,负涡旋具有上凸表面。水体急流驱动的涡旋形成在急流两侧,对应急流所在深度及厚度尺度相对较小,也较浅,但流速与强度均大于风场驱动的涡旋环流。地形阻挡起着引导涡旋环流走向的作用;同时在北半球地转偏向力对急流侧向负涡旋形成和强度增强更为有利。此外正涡旋对应的辐合辐散势函数强于负涡旋,有利于正涡旋区垂直上升运动强于负涡旋中垂直下沉运动。非均匀风场及水体急流两种强迫叠加作用下,涡旋数量增加、尺度减小,底层的流场形态及强度与表层差异增大。形成的水体涡旋结构呈现多种形态：深厚的整层一致;浅薄的仅维持在上层,或上下层环流相反等。风应力驱动的涡旋以正压性为主,水体急流驱动的涡旋因急流的垂直强切变而具有强的斜压性,在正斜压动能的转换中,正压性涡旋区有斜压动能向正压动能转换,斜压性涡旋区有正压动能向斜压动能转换,均有利于这两个区域正负涡旋的维持。     

Molecular dissipation of turbulent fluctuations in the convective mixed layer part I: Height variations of dissipation rates

During the Limagne and Beauce experiments, the INAG-IGN Aerocommander FL 280 aircraft made extensive ‘in situ’ measurements of turbulent fluctuations in diurnally evolving convective boundary layers. In this paper, these measurements were used to investigate characteristics of the molecular dissipation of turbulent fluctuations through the mixed layer and well into the overlying stable layer. The dimensionless dissipation rates of turbulent kinetic energy, temperature and humidity variances, and temperature-humidity covariance (ψ, ψ_θ, ψ _qand ψ _θq) were computed and their height variations analysed. The behaviour of the dissipation rate ψ was found to differ significantly from those observed for the other rates. In the lowest region of the mixed layer, ψ does not obey the local free convection prediction. Instead, it follows practically a relationship similar to the one established in the surface layer by Wyngaard et al. (1971). The dissipation rate ψ remains fairly constant in the bulk of the mixed layer (0.3 ≤ z/Z _i≤ 0.8) and shows a very rapid decrease above the inversion. These results confirm those reported previously from the Minnesota and Ashchurch data by Kaimal et al. (1976), Caughey and Palmer (1979), etc. The height variations for the other dissipation rates were found to obey, as expected, the (z/Z _i)^-4/3 decrease predicted under the local free convection similarity hypothesis in the lowest region of the mixed layer. This region extends to the height z/Z _i- 0.4, 0.1, and 0.3, respectively, for ψ_θ, ψ_q, and ψ_θq. Above these levels, the dissipation rates ψ_θ and ψ_q show, on average, a slight increase to reach peak-values near the mixed-layer top, while the ‘dissipation’ rate ψ _θqchanges sign from positive to negative around the height z/Z _i, - 0.7. These characteristics confirm the fact that the structures of temperature and humidity fluctuations are considerably affected by their entrainment-induced fluctuations. Therefore, an attempt has been made to non-dimensionalize the dissipation rates near the mixed-layer top with the interfacial scaling factors.     

A wind tunnel study of mean and fluctuating concentrations in a plume dispersing over a two-dimensional hill

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the behaviour of the statistics of concentration fluctuations in a passive plume dispersing over a two-dimensional hill of moderate steepness. Recently developed high frequency response Flame Ionization Detector (FID) technology with a frequency response in excess of 200 Hz was utilized to obtain an extensive set of measurements of the mean and fluctuating plume concentrations. Plumes dispersing over flat terrain and over a hill with a maximum slope of 0.3 were studied. For both cases, extensive turbulent flow measurements were also carried out.The measured mean plume concentration profiles were of a generally Gaussian form and showed the expected effects of surface reflection for the flat terrain and hill. Plume intermittency and concentration fluctuation intensity were calculated at all measurement locations. Conditional and unconditional plume concentration statistics were calculated. The conditional (in-plume) concentrations and intensities were more uniform with height than for the unconditional ones.     

Variability of seasonal-mean fields arising from intraseasonal variability: part 1, methodology

We propose a method for studying the influence of intraseasonal variability on the interannual variability of seasonal mean fields. The method, using monthly mean data, provides estimates of the interannual variance and covariance, in the seasonal mean field, associated with intraseasonal variability. These estimates can be used to derive patterns of interannual variability associated with meteorological phenomena that vary significantly within a season, such as atmospheric blocking, or intraseasonal oscillations. By removing this intraseasonal component from the total interannual variance/covariance, one can define a slow component of interannual variability that is closely related to very slowly varying (interannual/supra-annual) external forcings and internal dynamics. Together these patterns may help in our understanding of the source of climate predictive skill, and also the influence of intraseasonal variability on interannual variability. To show the efficacy of our methodology, we have tested it on synthetic data, using Monte Carlo simulations of the 500-hPa geopotential heights for boreal winter over the North Pacific/North American region. The synthetic data has been constructed in such a way that the intraseasonal and slow components of interannual variability are known a priori. It is demonstrated that our methodology can effectively separate the spatial patterns of both components of variability. The methodology is also applied to diagnose meteorological phenomena that play major roles in the variability and predictability of DJF New Zealand temperatures.