Comparison of areally averaged turbulent fluxes over non-homogeneous terrain: Results from the EFEDA-field experiment

In June 1991 the EFEDA-field experiment (ECHIVAL Field Experiment in a Desertification-Threatened Area) was carried out in the Spanish province Castilla-La Mancha, to improve the understanding of the interactions between the soil, the vegetation and the atmosphere.Here results of energy balance studies at the Barrax site are given, one of the three intensively studied experimental sites within Castilla-La Mancha. This area is characterized by a large fraction of irrigated fields (40%) while the remaining 60% was fallow land at the end of June 1991. The energy balances over these two characteristic land-use classes totally differ. While for the irrigated fields the evapotranspiration is dominant, for the non-irrigated fields the sensible and the soil heat fluxes dominate and the latent heat flux is nearly negligible.In order to achieve areally averaged turbulent fluxes, surface, SODAR and aircraft data have been used. Comparing the surface fluxes from all three facilities, it can be found that:The sensible heat flux estimation from SODAR (_w-method) gives reliable results when a calibration of _w is done with another independent system (e.g. aircraft).Aircraft measurements in conjunction with energy budget methods yield surface fluxes of sensible heat, which are about 20% lower than the areally averaged values calculated by the surface measurements. The areally averaged latent heat fluxes from aircraft and surface measurements agree better than the sensible heat fluxes.     

Estimation of the Exchange Coefficient of Heat During Low Wind Convective Conditions

For the first time, the exchange coefficient of heat C_H has been estimated from eddy correlation of velocity and virtual temperature fluctuations using sonic anemometer measurements made at low wind speeds over the monsoon land atJodhpur (26°18' N, 73°04' E), a semi arid station. It shows strong dependence on wind speed, increasing rapidly with decreasing wind speed, and scales according to a power law C_H = 0.025U₁₀ ^-0.7 (where U₁₀ is the mean wind speed at 10-m height). A similar but more rapid increase in the drag coefficient C_Dhas already been reported in an earlier study. Low winds (<4 m s^-1) are associated with both near neutral and strong unstable situations. It is noted that C_H increases with increasing instability. The present observations best describe a low wind convective regime as revealed in the scaling behaviour of drag, sensible heat flux and the non-dimensional temperature gradient. Neutral drag and heat cofficients,corrected using Monin–Obukhov (M–O) theory, show a more uniform behaviour at low wind speeds in convective conditions, when compared with the observed coefficients discussed in a coming paper.At low wind convective conditions, M-O theory is unable to capture the observed linear dependence of drag on wind speed, unlike during forced convections. The non-dimensional shear inferred from the present data shows noticeable deviations from Businger's formulation, a forced convection similarity. Heat flux is insensitive to drag associated with weak winds superposed on true free convection. With heat flux as the primary variable, definition of new velocity scales leads to a new drag parameterization scheme at low wind speeds during convective conditionsdiscussed in a coming paper.     

On the structure of sea-breeze fronts observed near the coastline of Thumba,India

An investigation has been made of the structure of sea-breeze fronts observed at Thumba mostly during the months of December to April using data from a Doppler SODAR and in situ measurements of wind components, humidity and temperature. The study shows that the vertical wind structure observed in the SODAR height range provides a distinct signature of the passage of a front and that the intensity of the front is decided by the intensity and direction of the prevailing winds as well as the amount of rotation of the wind vector during the onset of the sea-breeze. Spectral analyses of vertical winds during the passage of the front reveal a dominant periodicity of about 6 min for strong sea-breeze fronts.     

Tilt errors and precipitation effects in trivane measurements of turbulent fluxes over open water

For 390 ten-minute samples of turbulent flux, made with a trivane above a lake, the vertical alignment is determined within 0.1 ° through azimuth-dependent averaging. One degree of instrumental misalignment is found to produce an average tilt error of 9 ± 4% for momentum flux, and 4 ± 2% for heat flux. The tilt error in the vertical momentum flux depends mainly ons _u/u_*, and cannot be much diminished with impunity by high-pass pre-filtering of the turbulence signals. The effects of rain on trivane measurements of vertical velocity are shown to be negligible at high wind speeds, and adaptable to correction in any case.The normalized vertical velocity variance,s _w/u_*, appears to be proportional to the square root ofz/L for unstable stratification. For a wind speed range of 2 to 15 m s^–1, the eddy correlation stresses measured at 4- and 8-m heights can be reasonably well estimated by using a constant drag coefficientC _d=1.3 X 10^-3, while cup anemometer profile measurements give an overestimate of eddy stress at high wind speeds. A good stress estimate is also obtained from the elevation variance; it is suggested that trivane measurement of this variance might be made from a mobile platform, e.g., a moderately stabilized spar buoy.     

A Simple Method of Estimating Scalar Fluxes Over Forests

A simple aerodynamic-variance method is proposed to fill gaps in continuous CO₂ flux measurements in rainy conditions, when open-path analysers do not function. The method requires turbulent conditions (friction velocity greater than 0.1 ms^–1), and uses measurements of mean wind speed, and standard deviations of temperature and CO₂ concentration fluctuations to complement, and at times replace, eddy-covariance measurements of friction velocity, sensible heat flux and CO₂ flux. Friction velocity is estimated from the mean wind speed with a flux-gradient relationship modified for the roughness sublayer. Since normalised standard deviations do not follow Monin-Obukhov similarity theory in the roughness sublayer, a simple classification scheme according to the scalar turbulence scale was used. This scheme is shown to produce sensible heat and CO₂ flux estimates that are well correlated with the measured values.     

Turbulent fluxes of momentum,heat and water vapor in the atmospheric surface layer at sea during ATEX

The vertical turbulent fluxes have been determined during the Atlantic Trade Wind Experiment (ATEX) both by direct and profile methods. The drag coefficient obtained from direct measurements was c _D = 1.39 × 10^–3. A distortion of the wind profile due to wave action could be demonstrated, this produced an increased drag coefficient estimated by the profile method. The dissipation technique using the downwind spectrum gave a lower drag coefficient of 1.26 × 10^–3, probably due to non-isotropic conditions (the ratio of vertical to downwind spectrum at high frequencies scattered considerably with an average of 1 instead of 4/3).From direct measurements, the sensible heat flux showed a poor correlation with the bulk parameter product U, contrary to the heat flux obtained from profiles. It is shown that this is due to the higher frequency part of the cospectrum, say above 0.25 Hz, which contributes more than 50 % of the total flux. Determination of the heat flux from temperature fluctuations by the dissipation method would be in agreement with the direct determination only if the corresponding Kolmogoroff constant were 2.1 instead of 0.8.For the vertical flux of water vapor obtained from profiles, the bulk transfer coefficient was 1.28 × 10^–3.This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Schwerpunktprogramm Meeresforschung and later the Sonderforschungsbereich Meeresforschung Hamburg.     

Cross‐shore variations of near‐surface wind velocity and atmospheric turbulence at the land‐sea boundary during CASP

Abstract

Airborne measurements of mean wind velocity and turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer under wintertime conditions of cold offshore advection suggest that at a height of 50 m the mean wind speed increases with offshore distance by roughly 20% over a horizontal scale of order 10 km. Similarly, the vertical gust velocity and turbulent kinetic energy decay on scales of order 3.5 km by factors of 1.5 and 3.2, respectively. The scale of cross‐shore variations in the vertical fluxes of heat and downwind momentum is also 10 km, and the momentum flux is found to be roughly constant to 300 m, whereas the heat flux decreases with height. The stability parameter, z/L (where z = 50 m and L is the local Monin‐Obukhov length), is generally small over land but may reach order one over the warm ocean. The magnitude and horizontal length scales associated with the offshore variations in wind speed and turbulence are reasonably consistent with model results for a simple roughness change, but a more sophisticated model is required to interpret the combined effects of surface roughness and heat flux contrasts between land and sea.

Comparisons between aircraft and profile‐adjusted surface measurements of wind speed indicate that Doppler biases of 1–2 m s^?1 in the aircraft data caused by surface motions must be accounted for. In addition, the wind direction measurements of the Minimet anemometer buoy deployed in CASP are found to be in error by 25 ± 5°, possibly due to a misalignment of the anemometer vane. The vertical fluxes of heat and momentum show reasonably good agreement with surface estimates based on the Minimet data.     

Estimation of abl Parameters Using the Vertical Velocity Measurements of an Acoustic Sounder

The friction velocity, the surface heat flux and the height of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) are important parameters. In this work, vertical velocity variance ( _w ² ) and wind velocity structure parameter (C _v ² ) profiles estimated by acoustic sounder measurements are used, along with similarity relations, to estimate these parameters in the unstable Atmospheric Boundary Layer and the friction velocity in the stable one. The data were collected by two acoustic sounders with different height range and resolution under various atmospheric conditions (stability) and at two experimental sites in different terrain. The C _v ² profiles are estimated using gate difference of the vertical velocity measurements and the assumption of local isotropy. The vertical velocity data are corrected for the significant effects of noisy measurements and sampling volume averaging on the _w ² and C _v ² estimations using original techniques that are presented in this work. The results of the similarity method using acoustic sounder data are compared against estimates of the corresponding atmospheric parameters obtained from direct measurements. The comparison confirms the ability of the method to provide reasonably accurate estimates of these parameters especially in the middle of the day.     

Turbulence Characteristics of the Stable Boundary Layer Over a Mid-Latitude Glacier. Part I: A Combination of Katabatic and Large-Scale Forcing

Profile and eddy-correlation (heights of 4 and 10 m) measurements performed on the Pasterze glacier (Austria) are used to study the characteristics of the stable boundary layer under conditions of katabatic and large-scale forcing. We consider cases where large-scale forcing results in a downslope (or following) ambient wind. The analysis of averaged spectra and cospectra reveals low frequency perturbations that have a large influence on the variances of temperature and horizontal wind components and also alter the cospectra of momentum and sensible heat flux. Only the spectrum of the vertical wind speed is comparable to universal spectra. The low frequency perturbations occur as brief intermittent events and result in downward entrainment of ambient air thereby producing enhanced downward sensible heat fluxes and downward as well as upward momentum fluxes with various magnitudes and timescales. After the variances were high pass filtered, the normalised standard deviations of wind speed and temperature compare favourably to findings in the literature within the range 0>z/L>0.5. For larger z/L they deviate as a result of an increased influence from low frequency perturbations and thus non-stationarity. In line with this, the turbulent kinetic energy budget (at 4 m height) indicates that production (shear) is in balance with destruction (buoyancy and dissipation) within the range 0>z/L>0.3. Non-dimensional gradients of wind speed within the range 0>z/L>0.3 have a slope of about 3.5. The scatter for the dimensionless temperature gradient is quite large, and the slope is comparable to that for wind speed gradients. For z/L>0.3 the imbalance in the turbulent kinetic energy budget grows and non-dimensional gradients for wind speed and temperature deviate considerably from accepted values as a result of increased non-stationarity. Average roughness lengths for momentum and sensible heat flux derived from wind speed and temperature profiles are respectively 1 × 10^-3 m and 6 × 10^-5 m, consistent with the literature. The ratio (z_0h/z_0m) compares to those predicted by surface renewal models. A variation of this ratio with the roughness Reynolds number is not indicated by our data.     

测风激光雷达与风廓线雷达的探测性能评估及数据融合

测风激光雷达和风廓线雷达作为L波段探空测风的有效补充,均可以提供高时空分辨率的大气风场信息,然而由于工作原理和适用条件存在明显差异,在探测性能上各有优缺点,单一设备的探测数据已不能满足精细化预报的要求。本研究使用2020年1—5月北京南郊观象台的L波段探空资料对同址观测的测风激光雷达和风廓线雷达进行了数据质量评估,结果表明测风激光雷达与探空的一致性较高,U、V分量的相关系数分别为0.97和0.98,均方根误差分别为1.1和0.95 m·s-1,然而在2 km以上数据获取率较低且偏差较大;风廓线雷达与探空相比,U、V分量的相关系数分别为0.94和0.93,均方根误差分别为2.94和2.91 m·s-1,风廓线雷达的探测距离虽然更远,但在0.5 km以下和6 km以上的测量偏差较大。考虑到两种测风雷达在不同探测高度上的性能优缺点,提出分段曲面拟合法对两者的水平风资料进行融合处理,并选取个例对融合效果进行验证,结果表明,融合后的风廓线与融合前相比,风向和风速的一致性均得到明显提升。     

Flux Footprints in the Convective Boundary Layer: Large-Eddy Simulation and Lagrangian Stochastic Modelling

We investigated the flux footprints of receptors at different heights in the convective boundary layer (CBL). The footprints were derived using a forward Lagrangian stochastic (LS) method coupled with the turbulent fields from a large-eddy simulation model. Crosswind-integrated flux footprints shown as a function of upstream distances and sensor heights in the CBL were derived and compared using two LS particle simulation methods: an instantaneous area release and a crosswind linear continuous release. We found that for almost all sensor heights in the CBL, a major positive flux footprint zone was located close to the sensor upstream, while a weak negative footprint zone was located further upstream, with the transition band in non-dimensional upwind distances −X between approximately 1.5 and 2.0. Two-dimensional (2D) flux footprints for a point sensor were also simulated. For a sensor height of 0.158 z _i, where z _i is the CBL depth, we found that a major positive flux footprint zone followed a weak negative zone in the upstream direction. Two even weaker positive zones were also present on either side of the footprint axis, where the latter was rotated slightly from the geostrophic wind direction. Using CBL scaling, the 2D footprint result was normalized to show the source areas and was applied to real parameters obtained using aircraft-based measurements. With a mean wind speed in the CBL of U = 5.1 m s⁻¹, convective velocity of w _* = 1.37 m s⁻¹, CBL depth of z _i = 1,000 m, and flight track height of 159 m above the surface, the total flux footprint contribution zone was estimated to range from about 0.1 to 4.5 km upstream, in the case where the wind was perpendicular to the flight track. When the wind was parallel to the flight track, the total footprint contribution zone covered approximately 0.5 km on one side and 0.8 km on the other side of the flight track.     

The Turbulent Lagrangian Time Scale in Forest Canopies Constrained by Fluxes,Concentrations and Source Distributions

One-dimensional Lagrangian dispersion models, frequently used to relate in-canopy source/sink distributions of energy, water and trace gases to vertical concentration profiles, require estimates of the standard deviation of the vertical wind speed, which can be measured, and the Lagrangian time scale, T _L , which cannot. In this work we use non-linear parameter estimation to determine the vertical profile of the Lagrangian time scale that simultaneously optimises agreement between modelled and measured vertical profiles of temperature, water vapour and carbon dioxide concentrations within a 40-m tall temperate Eucalyptus forest in south-eastern Australia. Modelled temperature and concentration profiles are generated using Lagrangian dispersion theory combined with source/sink distributions of sensible heat, water vapour and CO₂. These distributions are derived from a multilayer Soil-Vegetation-Atmospheric-Transfer model subject to multiple constraints: (1) daytime eddy flux measurements of sensible heat, latent heat, and CO₂ above the canopy, (2) in-canopy lidar measurements of leaf area density distribution, and (3) chamber measurements of CO₂ ground fluxes. The resulting estimate of Lagrangian time scale within the canopy under near-neutral conditions is about 1.7 times higher than previous estimates and decreases towards zero at the ground. It represents an advance over previous estimates of T _L , which are largely unconstrained by measurements.     

Airborne surveys of the atmospheric boundary layer above the marginal ice zone on the Newfoundland shelf

Abstract

Airborne measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) above the marginal ice zone (MIZ) on the Newfoundland Shelf reveal strong lateral variations in mean wind, temperature and the vertical fluxes of heat and momentum under conditions of cold, off‐ice wind. Flux measurements in (and near) the surface layer indicate that the neutral 10‐m drag coefficient depends on ice concentration, ranging from 2 × 10^‐3 at 10% coverage to 5 × 10^‐3 at 90%. Furthermore, cross‐ice‐edge transects consistently show increasing wind speed, temperature and heat flux in the off‐ice direction, but the momentum flux may either increase or decrease, depending on the relative importance of surface buoyancy flux and roughness. For the conditions encountered in this experiment, it appears surface wave maturity does not have a significant influence on the drag coefficient in fetch‐limited regimes near the ice edge.     

Surface Energy Balance Measurements Above an Exurban Residential Neighbourhood of Kansas City,Missouri

Previous measurements of urban energy balances generally have been limited to densely built, central city sites and older suburban locations with mature tree canopies that are higher than the height of the buildings. In contrast, few data are available for the extensive, open vegetated types typical of low-density residential areas that have been newly converted from rural land use. We made direct measurements of surface energy fluxes using the eddy-covariance technique at Greenwood, a recently developed exurban neighbourhood near Kansas City, Missouri, USA, during an intensive field campaign in August 2004. Energy partitioning was dominated by the latent heat flux under both cloudy and near clear-sky conditions. The mean daytime Bowen ratio (β) values were 0.46, 0.48, and 0.47 respectively for the cloudy, near clear-sky and all-sky conditions. Net radiation (R _n ) increased rapidly from dawn (−34 and −58W m⁻²) during the night to reach a maximum (423 and 630W m⁻²) after midday for cloudy and near clear-sky conditions respectively. Mean daytime values were 253 and 370W m⁻², respectively for the cloudy and near clear-sky conditions, while mean daily values were 114 for cloudy and 171W m⁻² for near clear-sky conditions, respectively. Midday surface albedo values were 0.25 and 0.24 for the cloudy and near clear-sky conditions, respectively. The site exhibited an angular dependence on the solar elevation angle, in contrast to previous observations over urban and suburban areas, but similar to vegetated surfaces. The latent heat flux (Q _E ), sensible heat flux (Q _H ), and the residual heat storage ΔQ _s terms accounted for between 46–58%, 21–23%, and 18–31% of R _n , respectively, for all-sky conditions and time averages. The observed albedo, R _n , and Q _E values are higher than the values that have been reported for suburban areas with high summer evapotranspiration rates in North America. These results suggest that the rapidly growing residential areas at the exurban fringe of large metropolitan areas have a surface energy balance that is more similar to the rural areas from which they were developed than it is to the older suburbs and city centres that make up the urban fabric to which they are being joined.     

Estimates of sensible heat flux from observations of temperature fluctuations

Comparisons between sensible heat flux measured using eddy correlation instrumentation and estimated using the temperature fluctuation method are presented for four types of surface in West Africa. Agreement between measured and estimated values is good. Regression of estimated on measured sensible heat flux gave a mean slope of 0.98 with a mean r ² of 0.94 for bare soil, mature millet, fallow savannah and tiger bush. Estimates of heat flux from temperature fluctuations measured by an instrument mounted beneath a tethered balloon are also shown to be in close agreement with eddy correlation measurements made at the surface (regression slope = 0.98, r ² = 0.84). The results provide evidence that the ratio /_×is indeed a universal function of z/L for all the surface types considered.     

The scintillation method tested over a dry vineyard area

Measurements of a scintillometer device mounted at 4 m above a dry vineyard area in La Mancha, Spain, are used to obtain an average sensible heat flux densityH. Averaging is over a rectangular area determined by the distance between the scintillometer light source and receptor (875 m) and some upwind distance governed by the horizontal wind speed perpendicular to that line. Using similarity relations obtained from La Crau, a good correspondence betweenH measured with the scintillometer and an eddy-correlation device in the centre of a vineyard is obtained. The friction velocityu _* was either measured directly using a sonic anemometer or obtained indirectly from two wind speeds and known values of the roughness length z_o and displacementd. The free convection formulation underestimates the sensible heat flux by about 30%. This is due to a significant contribution of mechanically generated turbulence to the total turbulent transport, which was caused by relatively strong winds and rough terrain.     

An experimental investigation of a wind-generated suspension of particulate matter from a tailings disposal area

A wind tunnel investigation of the wind erosion of uranium mine-tailings material typical of a northern Ontario site has been carried out. The aim of the study was to measure the effects of various parameters, including mean and turbulent wind characteristics of the boundary layer and surface moisture content, upon the erosion process. The analysis of experimental data has yielded a mathematical model for predicting the net vertical mass fluxes. The results show that the dry vertical flux is proportional to u _* ^2.3and the wet flux to u _* ^5.0 Partical size analysis was also carried out.     

Estimation of the sensible heat flux of a semi-arid area using surface radiative temperature measurements

In the framework of an international field program for the study of semi-arid areas, observations were done in the region called La Crau in southern France. In this paper, the use of the surface radiative temperature for the determination of the sensible heat flux is addressed. We found that, once proper values of the roughness length of momentum (z ₀) and heat (z ₀h) are set, the sensible heat flux can be reliably predicted with a one-layer resistance model using standard observations of wind speed and air temperature, together with the surface temperature. The latter quantity has to be known with a precision better than ±2°C. From our observations, the value of the parameterB ^–1k ^–1 In (z ₀ z ₀h) was found to be 9.2, which falls between values quoted by Brutsaert (1982) for grass and bluff bodies.     

Acoustic echo-sounding techniques and their application to gravity-wave,turbulence, and stability studies

This paper is a brief summary of recent experimental studies conducted by the WPL staff in order to: (a) compare acoustic echo strengths with those predicted from measured turbulence intensities and scatter theory; (b) develop optimum experimental geometries for Doppler work, and (c) use the acoustic echo-sounder as a quantitative tool in studies of gravity wave dynamics in, and immediately above, the stable planetary boundary layer. We find that the observed acoustic echo strengths are roughly an order of magnitude greater than those predicted theoretically. This discrepancy might be in part due to partial reflection although the comparison is somewhat clouded by uncertainties in our knowledge of the equipment characteristics, propagation losses, etc. Comparisons between Doppler and in situ wind measurements give confidence in the Doppler results, but further experimentation and comparisons are needed. Preliminary use of acoustic Doppler data in a case study of gravity-wave dynamics in the planetary boundary layer has yielded boundary-layer wind speed and direction profiles which give insight into the mechanisms responsible for the wave generation. The Doppler data yield estimates of the wave associated momentum fluxes (a few dyn cm^–2) as well. The results derived from the acoustic techniques are quite encouraging, but thus far remain unsubstantiated by independent wind and flux measurements.     

Thermal effect of the sea breeze on the structure of the boundary layer and the heat budget over land

The daytime boundary-layer heating process and the air-land heat budget were investigated over the coastal sea-breeze region by means of observations over the Sendai plain in Japan during the summer. In this area, the onset of the sea breeze begins at the coast around 0900 LST, intruding about 35 km inland by late afternoon. The cold sea breeze creates a temperature difference of over 10°C between the coastal and inland areas in the afternoon. On the other hand, warm air advection due to the combination of the counter-sea breeze and land-to-sea synoptic wind occurs in the layer above the cold sea breeze in the coastal region. Owing to this local warm air advection, there is no significant difference in the daytime heating rate over the entire atmospheric boundary layer between the coastal and inland areas. The sensible heat flux from the land surface gradually decreases as distance from the coastline increases, being mainly attributed to the cold sea breeze. The daytime mean cold air advection due to the sea breeze is estimated asQ _adv ^local =–29 W m^–2 averaged over the sea breeze region (035 km from the coastline). This value is 17% of the surface sensible heat fluxH over the same region. The results of a two-dimensional numerical model show that the value ofQ _adv ^local /H is strongly affected by the upper-level synoptic wind direction. The absolute value ofQ _adv ^local /H becomes smaller when the synoptic wind has the opposite direction of the sea breeze. This condition occurred during the observations used in the present study.