Turbulence measurements over complex terrain

Horizontal turbulence measurements obtained from 22 wind sensors located on 9 towers in a mountainous coastal area are described and categorized by stability and terrain. Vector wind time series are high-pass filtered, and lateral and longitudinal wind speed variance is calculated for averaging times ranging from 15 s to 2 h. Parameterizations of the functional dependence of variance on averaging time are discussed, and a modification of Panofsky's (1988) uniform terrain technique applicable to complex terrain is presented. The parameterization is applied to the data and shown to be more realistic than a less complicated power law technique. The parameter values are shown to be different than the flat terrain cases of Kaimal et al. (1972), and are primarily a function of sensor location within the complex terrain. The parameters are also examined in terms of their dependence upon season, stability, marine boundary-layer height, and measurement height.     

Wind profiles over complex terrain

A large set of routine wind profiles has been analyzed at three towers, located in various types of complex terrain in New England. After allowing for effects of roughness change, uphill flow and stability, roughness lengths have been estimated. In general, the profiles and roughness lengths could be explained by differences in terrain features and stability.     

热带气旋复杂程度的分形维数表征

应用2006-2010年69个热带气旋1 295个时次的红外云图等资料,提取了1 295个TC的外缘线,用圆规法计算了这些外缘线的分形维数。将这1 295个分形维数自小到大排列,按等频数规则,将1 295个数分为5类,分别记为A、B、C、D、E类。A、B、C、D、E类分形维数的均值分别为1.21、1.26、1.29、1.33、1.40。然后寻找与这5个均值最接近的样本。这5个样本的红外云图和TBB等值线分布图显示:随着分形维数的加大,边缘线的非光滑程度逐渐加大,图形与准圆形的偏离程度逐渐加大,TC空间结构的复杂程度也逐渐加大。说明外缘线的分形维数可以在一定程度上定量表征TC的复杂程度。     

Turbulence and diffusion over inhomogeneous terrain

This paper provides an overview of some aspects of atmospheric boundary-layer dispersion processes over homogeneous and complex terrain. Special emphasis is placed on a discussion of the boundarylayer scaling regimes over homogeneous terrain and the characteristics of the dispersion processes associated with each of these regimes. The paper points out that vertical concentration profiles usually deviate substantially from a Gaussian distribution. The mean flow and turbulence over a low hill is dealt with, and in the inner layer the turbulence levels are increased due to the mean flow speed-up. In the outer layer the turbulence is modified by the rapid distortion effect. In a middle layer the turbulence is reduced due to the effect of a hill-induced streamline curvature. The paper concludes that the flow perturbations introduced by large-scale hills and valleys invalidate the use of simple approximations for describing atmospheric dispersion processes, and that it is necessary to utilize the full set of equations of motion.     

一次华南双雨带暴雨中的位涡演变与雨带间的相互作用

利用实况资料和WRF中尺度数值模式对2008年6月12日18时—14日00时的华南双雨带暴雨过程进行了数值模拟与诊断分析。结果表明:随着锋面的南压,在锋面的西南方向(广西沿海)生成一低涡,该低涡作为位涡源在中高层表现稳定,分别为锋面雨带(北雨带)与暖区雨带(南雨带)提供正位涡。南雨带对北雨带的作用主要体现在中层(112~114°E附近),南雨带中有位涡的大值向北输送,其输送过程导致两条雨带在该处相连,而在115°E以东的南雨带则无明显的输送过程。同时,北部高空槽中也有大值位涡向北雨带输送,以维持北雨带。研究还发现,本次过程中暖区暴雨与锋面暴雨雨带的结构差异明显,锋面雨带的结构与传统雨带的结构比较一致;有利于暖区暴雨降水的形势主要表现在中高层。RIP轨迹模式的结果也表明,质点在运动过程中位涡的输送源是位于广西沿海的低涡,可见该位涡源对双雨带形成有重要的作用。     

Boundary-layer pollutant concentrations over complex terrain

Given the incident profiles of wind velocity and pollutant concentration, we seek to determine the 3-dimensional concentration field of a pollutant upon a region with complex terrain. The analytic solution of the wind velocity in a 3-dimensional boundary-layer model by Walmsley et al. (1980) is utilized as a forcing function in the simplified concentration perturbation equation for a pollutant. The resulting solution applies to an isolated cosine-squared hill in a neutrally stratified boundary-layer flow with a surface type which absorbs the pollutant totally. The solution shows that the concentration perturbation field is organized in accordance with the wind field. In particular, the east-west cross-section is 180° out of phase with the velocity perturbation field. The vertical profiles of the concentration perturbations for selected grid points approach the value of the upper boundary condition very rapidly.     

Turbulent dispersion of pollutant over complex terrain

A two-dimensional turbulent diffusion equation is derived in a streamline coordinate system, defined for rotational flow over complex terrain and limited aloft by an elevated, impenetrable inversion. In the first instance, the steady-state equation is solved for an inner region of the boundary layer, in which the effect of curvature is negligible and, for simplicity, it is assumed that vorticity has a power-law dependence upon stream function. A variational method of solution is also discussed, in which vorticity may have a more general representation. A numerical calculation is performed for a special case of symmetrical flow over an isolated hill. The dependence of pollutant concentration upon the flow field, downwind distance and source is examined and the effect of wind acceleration in the neighbourhood of the top of the hill is discussed. It is pointed out that the diffusion model can be applied to any realistic flow field, provided that the streamlines are specified.     

Variations in the summer monsoon rainbands across eastern China over the past 300 years

Based on reconstructions of precipitation events from the rain and snowfall archives of the Qing Dynasty (1736–1911),the drought/flood index data mainly derived from Chinese local gazettes from 1736–2000, and the observational data gathered since 1951,the spatial patterns of monsoon rainbands are analyzed at different time scales.Findings indicate that monsoon rainfall in northern China and the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River have significant inter-annual(e.g.,5–7-yr and 2–4-yr)as well as inter-de...     

Estimates of effective surface roughness over complex terrain

Turbulence data collected in an area of three-dimensional complex terrain using instruments atteched to the tether cable of a captive balloon together with radiosonde ascents are presented. In addition, data collected using only radiosonde ascents in an area of two-dimensional complex terrain of large slope are also shown. Eddy correlation measurements of the turbulent momentum flux and wind velocity profiles are used to deduce the magnitude of the effective roughness from the drag coefficient and normalised velocity profiles. A relationship connecting the terrain characteristics and the roughness length is compared with the experimental data for both types of terrain plus previous experimental estimates of the roughness length over complex terrain. The formula taken from previous work by Grant and Mason (1990) is found to agree with the data when representing an area of order 100 km².     

Mesoscale modelling of wind energy over non-homogeneous terrain

The use of numerical mesoscale models for the evaluation of wind energy potential over non-homogeneous terrain is outlined, focusing on the following: (i) an overview of modelling investigations of relevance to wind energy; and (ii) a discussion of the optimal implementation of mesoscale models in wind energy studies.     

On mountain wave drag over complex terrain

Summary Mountain wave drag is calculated for rotating, stratified, nonhydrostatic Boussinesq flow over a mountain ridge using linear theory for a variety of mountain profiles representing complex/irregular terrain. The inclusion of a sinusoidal corrugation to the familiar witch-of-Agnesi profile creates a stegosaurus profile. The associated drag is greatly enhanced for mesoscale mountains when the corrugation wave-number matches that for the dominant inertia-gravity wave contribution to the cross-mountain surface pressure gradient. Similarly, increasing the jaggedness (by decreasing the exponentb) increases the drag for mesoscale mountains whose topographic spectral intensity,M(k), has the form of a power law:M(k)=mk ^–b wherek is the zonal wavenumber.Spectral analysis of one-kilometer resolution topographic data for the Appalachian Mountains suggests that a power law profile withb=1.7 accurately represents the topographic spectral intensity and that it yields good estimates of the drag.The application of these results to the parameterization of mountain wave drag in general circulation models is discussed.With 7 Figures     

Prediction of surface potential temperature over complex terrain

Based on a statistical approach, the surface potential temperature at seven observing stations in complex terrain has been examined. It is shown that the surface potential temperature depends primarily on the rate of change of slope wind and on the geostrophic-level potential temperature.     

Mesoscale modeling study of severe convection over complex terrain

Short squall lines that occurred over Lishui, southwestern Zhejiang Province, China, on 5 July 2012, were investigated using the WRF model based on 1°× 1° gridded NCEP Final Operational Global Analysis data. The results from the numerical simulations were particularly satisfactory in the simulated radar echo, which realistically reproduced the generation and development of the convective cells during the period of severe convection. The initiation of this severe convective case was mainly associated with the uplift effect of mesoscale mountains, topographic convergence, sufficient water vapor, and enhanced low-level southeasterly wind from the East China Sea. An obvious wind velocity gradient occurred between the Donggong Mountains and the southeast coastline, which easily enabled wind convergence on the windward slope of the Donggong Mountains; both strong mid–low-level southwesterly wind and low-level southeasterly wind enhanced vertical shear over the mountains to form instability; and a vertical coupling relation between the divergence on the upper-left side of the Donggong Mountains and the convergence on the lower-left side caused the convection to develop rapidly. The convergence centers of surface streams occurred over the mountain terrain and updrafts easily broke through the lifting condensation level(LCL) because of the strong wind convergence and topographic lift, which led to water vapor condensation above the LCL and the generation of the initial convective cloud. The centers of surface convergence continually created new convective cells that moved with the southwest wind and combined along the Donggong Mountains, eventually forming a short squall line that caused severe convective weather.     

Numerical simulation of turbulent convective flow over wavy terrain

By means of a large-eddy simulation, the convective boundary layer is investigated for flows over wavy terrain. The lower surface varies sinusoidally in the downstream direction while remaining constant in the other. Several cases are considered with amplitude up to 0.15H and wavelength ofH to 8H, whereH is the mean fluid-layer height. At the lower surface, the vertical heat flux is prescribed to be constant and the momentum flux is determined locally from the Monin-Obukhov relationship with a roughness lengthz _o=10^–4 H. The mean wind is varied between zero and 5w _*, wherew _* is the convective velocity scale. After rather long times, the flow structure shows horizontal scales up to 4H, with a pattern similar to that over flat surfaces at corresponding shear friction. Weak mean wind destroys regular spatial structures induced by the surface undulation at zero mean wind. The surface heating suppresses mean-flow recirculation-regions even for steep surface waves. Short surface waves cause strong drag due to hydrostatic and dynamic pressure forces in addition to frictional drag. The pressure drag increases slowly with the mean velocity, and strongly with /H. The turbulence variances increase mainly in the lower half of the mixed layer forU/w _*>2.     

A case study of warm sector rainbands in North China

This article investigates in detail the structure, genesis and development of parallel-type warm sector rainbands from radar observations. By comparing these observations with diagnostic results from temperature, pressure, mois-ture and wind data, which are both actually observed and numerically generated by a mesoscale model, and the theo-ry of symmetric instability, it is found that the conditional symmetric instability might be responsible for the forma-tion and development of these rainbands.     

Physical modelling of flow and dispersion over complex terrain

Atmospheric motion and dispersion over topography characterized by irregular (or regular) hill-valley or mountain-valley distributions are strongly dependent upon three general sets of variables. These are variables that describe topographic geometry, synoptic-scale winds and surface-air temperature distributions. In addition, pollutant concentration distributions also depend upon location and physical characteristics of the pollutant source. Overall fluid-flow complexity and variability from site to site have stimulated the development and use of physical modelling for determination of flow and dispersion in many wind-engineering applications. Models with length scales as small as 1:12,000 have been placed in boundary-layer wind tunnels to study flows in which forced convection by synoptic winds is of primary significance. Flows driven primarily by forces arising from temperature differences (gravitational or free convection) have been investigated by small-scale physical models placed in an isolated space (gravitational convection chamber). Similarity criteria and facilities for both forced and gravitational-convection flow studies are discussed. Forced-convection modelling is illustrated by application to dispersion of air pollutants by unstable flow near a paper mill in the state of Maryland and by stable flow over Point Arguello, California. Gravitational-convection modelling is demonstrated by a study of drainage flow and pollutant transport from a proposed mining operation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Other studies in which field data are available for comparison with model data are reviewed.     

Turbulence in an unstable surface layer over suburban terrain

Turbulence spectra and integral statistics measured in unstable conditions over a suburban surface are presented. The stability dependence of the integral statistics is shown to be consistent with surface layer scaling, with adiabatic limits near those over much smoother surfaces. The spectra are computed over a wider range of non-dimensional frequency than previously reported for this type of surface, and show clearly the low-frequency roll-off. The horizontal components show three distinct spectral regions as elucidated by Kaimal (1978). Due to large uncertainties in the spectral amplitudes, very little systematic dependence on the Monin-Obukhov stability parameter could be detected over a wide range of unstable conditions.