Turbulent mechanisms in stratified fluids

Probability distribution of basic instabilities appearing in stratified flows and point density fluctuations have been studied. Various parameters of the mixing process have been changed in the experiments, to investigate mixing. Detailed flow visualization as well as density measurements have been used in zero-mean-flow laboratory experiments involving grid-stirred turbulent mixing across a density interface and bubble-induced mixing. The overall mixing efficiency of the processes depends on the local Richardson number as well as on the local vorticity. Parameter distributions of low and high mixedness corresponding to different instabilities are presented, showing that dipolar vortices penetrating the interface are the most efficient mixing instabilities.     

Development and Validation of a Lagrangian Probability Density Function Model of Horizontally-Homogeneous Turbulence Within and Above Plant Canopies

Second- and third-order turbulence closure models have met with mixed success when applied to the prediction of turbulent flows within and above plant canopies and model predictions are typically no better than those obtained using simpler two-equation (k-e){(k-\varepsilon)} models. This is because the local gradient diffusion approximation (a crucial model requirement) cannot represent accurately turbulent transport that is dominated by the presence of ejections and sweeps whose length scales are comparable with the canopy height. To make progress, turbulent transport must be treated without approximation, as in Lagrangian probability density function (PDF) models. This study is the first to develop and to validate a PDF model of horizontally-homogeneous canopy flow. The model relies upon a prescribed length-scale that has been used elsewhere in the modelling of turbulent flows. Model predictions compare favourably with measurements of neutrally stratified turbulent flows within and above canopies of mature corn and forested eucalypt trees.     

Role of Shear and the Inversion Strength During Sunset Turbulence Over Land: Characteristic Length Scales

The role of shear and inversion strength on the decay of convective turbulence during sunset over land is systematically studied by means of large-eddy simulations. Different decay rates have been found for the vertical and horizontal velocity fluctuations, resulting in an increase of the anisotropy for all the studied cases. Entrainment, which persists during the decay process, favours the appearance of vertical upward movements associated with a conversion from kinetic to potential energy. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of the characteristic length scale of the various turbulent variables during this process. The length scale evolution is found to depend on the wind shear characteristics, but not on the strength of the inversion. In general the length scales of the variables grow during decay because small-scale fluctuations dissipate faster than large-scale fluctuations. Only the length scale of the vertical velocity component remains nearly constant during decay. Spectral analysis of the variance budgets shows that pressure correlations are responsible for fixing this length scale, effectively compensating the strong but oscillating influence of buoyancy. In the shear cases, after an initial period of growth, the length scales start to decrease once the buoyancy-generated variance has sufficiently subsided. Also here the effect of pressure redistribution is crucial, as it transfers the spectral influence of shear to the other velocity components.     

A multi-limit formulation for the equilibrium depth of a stably stratified boundary layer

Currently no expression for the equilibrium depth of the turbulent stably-stratified boundary layer is available that accounts for the combined effects of rotation, surface buoyancy flux and static stability in the free flow. Various expressions proposed to date are reviewed in the light of what is meant by the stable boundary layer. Two major definitions are thoroughly discussed. The first emphasises turbulence and specifies the boundary layer as a continuously and vigorously turbulent layer adjacent to the surface. The second specifies the boundary layer in terms of the mean velocity profile, e.g. by the proximity of the actual velocity to the geostrophic velocity. It is shown that the expressions based on the second definition are relevant to the Ekman layer and portray the depth of the turbulence in the intermediate regimes, when the effects of static stability and rotation essentially interfere. Limiting asymptotic regimes dominated by either stratification or rotation are examined using the energy considerations. As a result, a simple equation for the depth of the equilibrium stable boundary layer is developed. It is valid throughout the range of stability conditions and remains in force in the limits of a perfectly neutral layer subjected to rotation and a rotation-free boundary layer dominated by surface buoyancy flux or stable density stratification at its outer edge. Dimensionless coefficients are estimated using data from observations and large-eddy simulations. Well-known and widely used formulae proposed earlier by Zilitinkevich and by Pollard, Rhines and Thompson are shown to be characteristic of the above interference regimes, when the effects of rotation and static stability (due to either surface buoyancy flux, or stratification at the outer edge of the boundary layer) are roughly equally important.     

大涡模式分辨率对海洋信风区大气边界层结构和演变模拟的影响

利用BOMEX（巴巴多斯海洋与气象学试验）的探空资料和LEM（大涡模式）,通过改变LEM水平分辨率的敏感性数值试验,对比分析不同尺度的湍涡对信风积云边界层中混合层和云层的结构、演变以及对流形式和强度的影响。结果表明,水平分辨率较高时模拟的湍涡尺度较小、混合层顶的夹卷作用较强,模拟的混合层较暖、较干,而且模拟的对流泡尺度较小、强度较大,能够模拟出较精细的边界层结构;而水平分辨率较低时则相反。模拟的湍涡尺度对海洋信风区边界层积云中液态水混合比的模拟结果影响较大:LEM模拟的湍涡尺度较小时模拟的信风积云形成的时间较早、云顶高度较高,单个云块的体积较小但数目较多,液态水含量较高;而模拟的湍涡尺度较大时则相反。虽然水平分辨率为50 m和125 m的试验都能模拟出较精细的信风边界层中混合层、云层的结构和演变特征,但是,考虑到提高分辨率在模拟过程中产生的噪音信号对结果的影响以及计算时间等问题,LEM采用125 m的水平网格距是对海洋信风边界层积云对流模拟较为理想的选择。      

Rapid vertical sampling in stably stratified turbulent shear flows

A new method for obtaining instantaneous vertical profiles of two components of velocity and temperature in thermally stratified turbulent shear flows is presented. In this report, the design and construction of the traversing system will be discussed and results to date will be presented. The method is based on rapid vertical sampling whereby probe sensors are moved vertically at a high speed such that the measurement is approximately instantaneous. The system is designed to collect many measurements for the calculation of statistics such as vertical wave number spectra, mean square vertical gradients, and Thorpe scales. Results are presented for vertical profiles of temperature and compared to vertical profiles measured by single-point Eulerian time averages. The quality of the vertical profiles is found to be good over many profiles. Some comparisons are made between vertical measurements and standard single-point Eulerian measurements for three cases of stably stratified turbulent shear flow in which the initial microscale Reynolds number, Re_λ≈30. In case 1, the mean conditions are characterized by a gradient Richardson number, Ri_g=0.015, for which the flow is “unstable”, meaning the spatially evolving turbulent kinetic energy (E_k) grows. In case 2, Ri_g=0.095, for which the evolving turbulent kinetic energy is almost constant. In case 3, the flow is highly stable, where Ri_g=0.25 and E_k decays with spatial evolution. The measurements indicate anisotropy in the small scales for all cases. In particular, it is found that the ratio grows initially to a maximum and then decays with further evolution. Maximum Thorpe displacements are measured and compared to single-point measures of the vertical scales. It is found that vertical length scales derived from single-point measurements, such as the Ozmidov scale, L_O=(ε/N³)^1/2 and the overturn scale, L_t=θ′/(dT/dz), do not represent well the wide range of overturning scales which are actually present in the turbulence.     

Maintenance of oscillations in a turbulent Ekman layer

The turbulent Ekman boundary layer is modelled by prescribing a particular behavior for the eddy viscosity and thereby making it possible to calculate velocity profiles. This flow is then examined with respect to stability. Comparisons for this system are made with the more substantial documented features of a conventional flat-plate turbulent boundary layer without rotation and the accompanying stability investigations that have been made. Unlike the results known for the nonrotating layer, it appears that viscous oscillations are possible when rotation is present. General arguments are made in terms of the physics to substantiate this finding and one conjecture is that the modelled system does not represent a fully developed or equilibrium turbulent flow.New address: Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.     

Wind-Tunnel Experiments for Gas Dispersion in an Atmospheric Boundary Layer with Large-Scale Turbulent Motion

Large-scale turbulent motions enhancing horizontal gas spread in an atmospheric boundary layer are simulated in a wind-tunnel experiment. The large-scale turbulent motions can be generated using an active grid installed at the front of the test section in the wind tunnel, when appropriate parameters for the angular deflection and the rotation speed are chosen. The power spectra of vertical velocity fluctuations are unchanged with and without the active grid because they are strongly affected by the surface. The power spectra of both streamwise and lateral velocity fluctuations with the active grid increase in the low frequency region, and are closer to the empirical relations inferred from field observations. The large-scale turbulent motions do not affect the Reynolds shear stress, but change the balance of the processes involved. The relative contributions of ejections to sweeps are suppressed by large-scale turbulent motions, indicating that the motions behave as sweep events. The lateral gas spread is enhanced by the lateral large-scale turbulent motions generated by the active grid. The large-scale motions, however, do not affect the vertical velocity fluctuations near the surface, resulting in their having a minimal effect on the vertical gas spread. The peak concentration normalized using the root-mean-squared value of concentration fluctuation is remarkably constant over most regions of the plume irrespective of the operation of the active grid.     

The Effect of Coherent Structures in the Atmospheric Surface Layer on Blowing-Snow Transport

While turbulent bursts are considered critical for blowing-snow transport and initiation, the interaction of the airflow with the snow surface is not fully understood. To better characterize the coupling of turbulent structures and blowing-snow transport, observations collected in natural environments at the necessary high-resolution time scales are needed. To address this, high-frequency measurements of turbulence, blowing-snow density and particle velocity were made in the Canadian Rockies. During blowing-snow storms, modified variable-interval time averaging enabled identification of periods of near-surface blowing-snow coupling with shear-stress-producing motions in the lowest 2 m of the atmospheric surface layer. The identification of those turbulent motions responsible for blowing snow yields a better understanding of the event-driven mechanics of initiation and sustained transport. The type of coherent structures generating the Reynolds stress are just as important as the magnitude of the Reynolds stress in initiating and sustaining near-surface blowing snow. Our results suggest that blowing-snow models driven by merely the time-averaged shear stress lack physical realism in the near-surface region. The next phase of the development of blowing-snow models should incorporate parametrizations of coherent turbulent structures.     

Lagrangian statistical simulation of the turbulent motion of heavy particles

A Lagrangian stochastic model for the motion of heavy particles has been developed by coupling a stochastic model for the motion of fluid elements to the Stokes equations of motion of a particle in a turbulent flow. The effects of crossing trajectories and continuity are incorporated by generalising Csanady's (1963) ideas developed for stationary homogeneous turbulence; effects of turbulence inhomogeneity and nonstationarity are embodied in the stochastic model for the fluid motion.The model has been used particularly to examine the effects of turbulence nonstationarity through simulations of the dispersion of heavy particles in the decaying homogeneous turbulence which is obtained by Taylor-transforming grid turbulence. Significant differences from the stationary case occur, mainly as a result of the growth of the turbulent time scale with time.The importance of the source location in influencing both passive scalar and particle dispersion in grid turbulence is highlighted by the model and can be simply accounted for by nondimensionalisation using the r.m.s. turbulence velocity at the source and the mean travel time from the grid to the source as velocity and time scales, respectively. Reconciliation of the three different experiments of Snyder and Lumley (1971), Wells and Stock (1983) and Ferguson (1986) reporting heavy particle flow and dispersion statistics in wind tunnel grid turbulence has been attempted using this nondimensionalisation. A good correspondence between the various data sets was not obtained because the source in the Wells and Stock, and Ferguson experiments was located at the grid where the self-similar development of the turbulence which underlies the scaling is not appropriate.The model matches the data for the heaviest particles used by Snyder and Lumley reasonably well. For very light particles, it correctly reverts to the passive scalar limit, while the experimental data in general do not properly approach this limit.     

Simulation of Meteorological Fields Within and Above Urban and Rural Canopies with a Mesoscale Model

Accurate simulation of air quality at neighbourhood scales (on order of 1-km horizontal grid spacing) requires detailed meteorological fields inside the roughness sub-layer (RSL). Since the assumptions of the roughness approach, used by most of the mesoscale models, are unsatisfactory at this scale, a detailed urban and rural canopy parameterisation, called DA-SM2-U, is developed inside the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) to simulate the meteorological fields within and above the urban and rural canopies. DA-SM2-U uses the drag-force approach to represent the dynamic and turbulent effects of the buildings and vegetation, and a modified version of the soil model SM2-U, called SM2-U(3D), to represent the thermodynamic effects of the canopy elements. The turbulence length scale is also modified inside the canopies. SM2-U(3D) assesses the sensible and latent heat fluxes from rural and urban surfaces in each of the computational layers inside the canopies by considering the shadowing effect, the radiative trapping by the street canyons, and the storage heat flux by the artificial surfaces. DA-SM2-U is tested during one simulated day above the city of Philadelphia, U.S.A. It is shown that DA-SM2-U is capable of simulating the important features observed in the urban and rural RSL, as seen in the vertical profiles of the shear stress, turbulent kinetic energy budget components, eddy diffusivity, potential air temperature, and specific humidity. Within the canopies, DA-SM2-U simulates the decrease of the wind speed inside the dense canopies, the skirting of the flow around the canopy blocks, warmer air inside the vegetation canopy than above open areas during the night and conversely during the day, and constantly warmer air inside the urban canopy. The comparison with measurements shows that the surface air temperature above rural and urban areas is better simulated by DA-SM2-U than by the `standard version' of MM5.     

大涡模式垂直分辨率在夹卷及示踪物垂直传输模拟结果分析中的作用

基于敦煌野外观测资料和大涡模式,研究了垂直方向不同尺度湍涡对夹卷及示踪物垂直传输的影响,明确了模式垂直分辨率在模拟结果分析中的作用。结果表明:垂直方向上小尺度湍涡对夹卷作用贡献更大,小尺度湍涡较多时夹卷层相对更暖,而夹卷层厚度、夹卷强度和风速变化受垂直方向湍涡尺度影响较小。当垂直分辨率为50 m时,越往夹卷层上部,上升气流和下沉气流分布较多且强度较大;分辨率为10、20和30 m时,夹卷层各高度垂直速度、位温和示踪物浓度分布较接近。另外,垂直方向湍涡尺度对示踪物垂直传输高度影响不大,而对示踪物的空间分布有一定作用。当大尺度湍涡较多且强度较强时,越有利于将高浓度的示踪物向上传输。综合考虑到模式采用较高分辨率模拟时产生的噪音及计算时间等问题,认为模式采用30 m的垂直分辨率,既能较好地模拟出夹卷层平均结构特征,又能模拟出夹卷层湍流的精细分布,是较为理想的选择。     

CFD simulation of airflow over a regular array of cubes. Part II: analysis of spatial average properties

In the first part of this study, results of a computational fluid dynamics simulation over an array of cubes have been validated against a set of wind-tunnel measurements. In Part II, such numerical results are used to investigate spatially-averaged properties of the flow and passive tracer dispersion that are of interest for high resolution urban mesoscale modelling (e.g. non resolved obstacle approaches). The results show that vertical profiles of mean horizontal wind are linear within the canopy and logarithmic above. The drag coefficient, derived from the numerical results using the classical formula for the drag force, is height dependent (it decreases with height). However, a modification of the formula is proposed (accounting for subgrid velocity scales) that makes the drag coefficient constant with height. Results also show that the dispersive fluxes are similar in magnitude to the turbulent fluxes, and that they play a very important role within the canopy. Vertical profiles of turbulent length scales (to be used in k–l closure schemes, where k is the turbulent kinetic energy and l a turbulent length scale) are also derived. Finally the distribution of the values around the mean over the reference volumes are analysed for wind and tracer concentrations.     

Nocturnal Intermittent Coupling Between the Interior of a Pine Forest and the Air Above It

A 1-year set of measurements of CO₂ and energy turbulent fluxes above and within a 25-m pine forest in southern Brazil is analyzed. The study focuses on the coupling state between two levels and its impact on flux determination by the eddy-covariance method. The turbulent series are split in their typical temporal scales using the multiresolution decomposition, a method that allows proper identification of the time scales of the turbulent events. Initially, four case studies are presented: a continually turbulent, a continually calm, a calm then turbulent, and an intermittent night. During transitions from calm to turbulent, large scalar fluxes of opposing signs occur at both levels, suggesting the transference of air accumulated in the canopy during the stagnant period both upwards and downwards. Average fluxes are shown for the entire period as a function of turbulence intensity and a canopy Richardson number, used as an indicator of the canopy coupling state. Above the canopy, CO₂ and sensible heat fluxes decrease in magnitude both at the neutral and at the very stable limit, while below the canopy they increase monotonically with the canopy Richardson number. Latent heat fluxes decrease at both levels as the canopy air becomes more stable. The average temporal scales of the turbulent fluxes at both levels approach each other in neutral conditions, indicating that the levels are coupled in that case. Average CO₂ fluxes during turbulent periods that succeed very calm ones are appreciably larger than the overall average above the canopy and smaller than the average or negative within the canopy, indicating that the transfer of air accumulated during calm portions at later turbulent intervals affects the flux average. The implications of this process for mean flux determination are discussed.     

Baroclinic adjustment in coarse‐resolution numerical ocean models

Abstract

The propagation of baroclinic Kelvin and Rossby waves in a fairly coarse‐resolution numerical reduced‐gravity ocean model is investigated using simple geostrophic adjustment experiments in a box‐like domain. Numerical experiments using three different horizontal resolutions (4° × 5°,2° × 2.5° and l° × 1.25°) with properly scaled eddy viscosity coefficients show that the phase speed of the model Kelvin waves is almost exactly proportional to the grid resolution, but is virtually independent of the model viscosity. These results are consistent with the findings of Hsieh et al. (1983) and Wajsowicz and Gill (1986). It is also shown that the two relevant parameters that govern the propagation and decay of these waves, namely the grid‐resolution parameter Δ = Δx/a (where Δx is the grid size and a is the baroclinic Rossby radius, viz. a = C/f, with C being the phase speed of inviscid internal gravity waves in a continuum) and the viscosity parameterΔ = A_mλ/2πfa³ (where A_m is the eddy viscosity coefficient and λ is the alongshore wavelength) can be replaced with Δ only. This is because in Munk (1950)‐type models, the viscosity parameter Δ scales with Δ³. For Δ³ >1, the Kelvin wave phase speed is c_K ΔC/Δ and the alongshore decay length scale is of the order of the perimeter of the basin, viz., 0(10⁴) km.

In contrast to the case for Kelvin waves, the phase speed of the model Rossby waves is not that much different from its value in a continuum and depends only weakly on the model resolution. This is in good agreement with the theoretical results of Wajsowicz (1986). On the other hand, the model Rossby waves are severely damped, within a distance of the order of a wavelength, by the large eddy viscosity of the model. We therefore extrapolate that for a proper simulanon of Kelvin and Rossby waves in this type of numerical ocean model, we need a grid size smaller than 1° × 1°, and a higher‐order turbulent closure scheme that will reduce the eddy viscosity coefficient.     

地形湍流拖曳力参数化及在GRAPES中的应用

分辨率的限制使得不能被模式识别的地形称为次网格尺度地形,次网格尺度地形在热力和动力方面对实际大气有着不可忽略的作用,其效应只能通过参数化的形式回馈给模式。分辨率的提高使得与较小尺度地形相联系的地形湍流拖曳力凸显其重要性。数值模式中地形湍流拖曳力的参数化对完善模式物理过程和改善模式近地层预报效果具有积极意义,其方法包括有效粗糙度法和直接参数化法,而GRAPES模式中并未以任何方法考虑次网格尺度地形的影响。该文通过单柱模式比较了有效粗糙度法和直接参数化法的优劣, 发现后者在有些方面优于前者。最后,将应用于实际的一个直接参数化方案接入GRAPES中尺度模式中,进行个例模拟,并与NCEP再分析资料进行对比,结果表明:考虑地形湍流拖曳力方案对模式预报具有改进作用,尤其对局地低层风场具有积极影响。     

Fluctuations of line integrated concentrations across plume diffusion in grid generated turbulence and in shear flows

The fluctuations of the instantaneous values of line integrated concentrations across plumes from point sources diffusing in turbulent shear flows, and in grid generated turbulence, have been studied experimentally using a fast response system which measured the attenuation of the intensity of an infrared beam crossing the plume. Analysis of the measurements show that the dimensionless statistical properties of the fluctuations at different distances from the source at each flow are approximately similar, in the sense that they depend primarily on the relative off-center location of the line of integration and almost independent of the distance from the source and the nature of the turbulence in the flows, as long as the characteristic length of the mean plume is not large compared to the size of the large eddies. The characteristic time of the fluctuations, on the other hand, was found to grow with the distance from the source and the autocorrelations of the fluctuations, particularly in the case of a plume diffusing in grid generated turbulence, were it found to be proportional to the lateral size of the mean plume. A—5/3 decay law of the power spectrum of the fluctuations was observed in the low frequency range which corresponds to the scale of the large eddies. The decay of the fluctuations caused by smaller eddies was much faster, as expected.     

Surface turbulent flux measurements over the Loess Plateau for a semi-arid climate change study

In order to provide high quality data for climate change studies, the data quality of turbulent flux measurements at the station of SACOL (Semi-Arid Climate & Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University), which is located on a semi-arid grassland over the Loess Plateau in China, has been analyzed in detail. The effects of different procedures of the flux corrections on CO₂, momentum, and latent and sensible heat fluxes were assessed. The result showed that coordinate rotation has a great influence on the momentum flux but little on scalar fluxes. For coordinate rotation using the planar fit method, different regression planes should be determined for different wind direction sectors due to the heterogeneous nature of the ground surface. Sonic temperature correction decreased the sensible heat flux by about 9%, while WPL correction (correction for density fluctuations) increased the latent heat flux by about 10%. WPL correction is also particularly important for CO₂ fluxes. Other procedures of flux corrections, such as the time delay correction and frequency response correction, do not significantly influence the turbulent fluxes. Furthermore, quality tests on stationarity and turbulence development conditions were discussed. Parameterizations of integral turbulent characteristics (ITC) were tested and a specific parameterization scheme was provided for SACOL. The ITC test on turbulence development conditions was suggested to be applied only for the vertical velocity. The combined results of the quality tests showed that about 62%–65% of the total data were of high quality for the latent heat flux and CO₂ flux, and as much as about 76% for the sensible heat flux. For the momentum flux, however, only about 35% of the data were of high quality.     

A grid nesting method for large-eddy simulation of planetary boundary-layer flows

A method for performing nested grid calculations with a large-eddy simulation code is described. A common numerical method is used for all meshes, and the grid architecture consists of a single outer or coarse grid, and nested or fine grids, which overlap in some common region. Inter-grid communication matches the velocity, pressure and potential temperature fields in the overlap region. Resolved and sub-grid scale (SGS) turbulent fluxes and kinetic energy on the fine grid are averaged to the coarse grid using a conservation rule equivalent to Germano's identity used to develop dynamic SGS models.Simulations of a slightly convective, strong shear planetary boundary layer were carried out with varying surface-layer resolutions. Grid refinements in the (x, y, z) directions of up to (5, 5, 2) times were employed. Two-way interaction solutions on the coarse and fine meshes are successfully matched in the overlap region on an instantaneous basis, and the turbulent motions on the fine grid blend smoothly into the coarse grid across the grid interface. With surface-layer grid nesting, significant increases in resolved eddy fluxes and variances are found. The energy-scale content of the vertical velocity, and hence vertical turbulent fluxes, appear to be most influenced by increased grid resolution. Vertical velocity spectra show that the dominant scale shifts towards higher wavenumbers (smaller scales) and the magnitude of the peak energy is increased by more than a factor of 3 with finer resolution. Outside of the nested region the average heat and momentum fluxes and spectra are slightly influenced by the fine resolution in the surface layer. From these results we conclude that fine resolution is required to resolve the details of the turbulent motions in the surface layer. At the same time, however, increased resolution in the surface layer does not appreciably alter the ensemble statistics of the resolved and SGS motions outside of the nested region.     

An Urban Surface Exchange Parameterisation for Mesoscale Models

A scheme to represent the impact of urban buildings on airflow in mesoscale atmospheric models is presented. In the scheme, the buildings are not explicitly resolved, but their effects on the grid-averaged variables are parameterised. An urban quarter is characterised by a horizontal building size, a street canyon width and a building density as a function of height. The module computes the impact of the horizontal (roof and canyon floor) and vertical (walls) surfaces on the wind speed, temperature and turbulent kinetic energy. The computation of the shortwave and longwave radiation, needed to compute the temperature of the urban surfaces, takes into account the shadowing and radiation trapping effects induced by the urban canyons. The computation of the turbulent length scales in the TKE equation is also modified to take into account the presence of the buildings.The parameterisation is introduced into a mesoscale model and tested in a bidimensional case of a city over flat terrain. The new parameterisation is shown to be able to reproduce the most important features observed in urban areas better than the traditional approach which is based only on the modification of the roughness length, thereby retaining the Monin–Obukhov similarity theory. The new surface exchange parameterisation is furthermore shown to have a strong impact on the dispersion characteristics of air pollutants in urban areas.