Numerical Study Of The Impact Of Coherent Structures On Vertical Transfers In The Atmospheric Boundary Layer

In two preceding papers, coherent structures of theatmospheric boundary layer (ABL), such as rollvortices or cells, were investigated through radar andaircraft observations collected during the TRAC-93(Turbulence Radar Aircraft Cells) experiment held inFrance in June 1993. The analysis of this experimentaldata set provided information on the spatialcharacteristics of these organisations (length scale,orientation, type ... ), their temporal and verticalevolution, and their relation with the dynamic andthermodynamic conditions of the ABL. For the thirdpaper in this series, a large eddy simulation model is used to examine the impact of thecoherent structures on the ABL vertical fluxes. Theanalysis of the simulated horizontal fields is madewith two-dimensional auto and cross-correlationsapplied on different pertinent ABL variables. Theresults emphasise a directional anisotropy of theseorganised fields throughout the ABL, much morepronounced in the heat flux fields, not only at thelength scale of organisations but also at theturbulence scales. This finding has an importantconsequence for traditional ABL flux measurementsbased on the hypothesis of isotropic and homogeneousturbulence. It can explain part of the underestimationof the surface fluxes often mentioned in theliterature. This approach makes it possible tomodify the concept of diffusion time (in chemicalmodelling) and could also lead to revised ABLparameterisations in Range Scale models.     

Characterization of Coherent structures in the Atmospheric Surface Layer

The ramplike coherent structures, observed in the temporal series of temperature and humidity in the atmospheric surface layer, are analyzed using the intermittency function and the wavelet transforms, with Haar, D4 and Mexican Hat functions as mother wavelets, in order to find the most efficient conditional sampling technique. It was found that the intermittency function and the wavelet transform, using Mexican Hat as mother wavelet, are the only ones that sample structures that fulfill the ramplike coherent structures definition of a slow rise followed by a sudden drop in the temporal series. The conditionally averaged structures detected by both techniques were similar for temperature, humidity, and vertical velocity at heights of 3, 5, and 9.4 m. Significant discrepancies were found among the conditional averaged structures detected by both techniques for zonal and meridional components of the wind at 11.5 m. Considering both techniques, it was observed that the averagedcoherent-structure duration ranged from 23.7 ± 0.5 s to 37.8 ± 3.0 s. Furthermore, the averaged number of events per 20-minute period ranged from 20.0 ± 1.0 to 28.5 ± 1.1, and the averaged intermittency factor from 45.0 ± 0.4% to 59.1 ± 1.3%. It was also observed that the averaged duration of the ramplike coherent structures increases with height, while their intensity, number, and intermittency factor decrease. Despite the good matching obtained for temperature and humidity, the coherent-structure properties did not show the expected variation with wind speed, stability parameter, and friction velocity. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test indicated that the intermittent function and the wavelet transform did not detect coherent structures belonging to the same population.     

Theory And Measurements For Turbulence Spectra And Variances In The Atmospheric Neutral Surface Layer

Predictions from a new theory for high Reynolds number turbulent boundary layers during near-neutral conditions are shown to agree well with measurements of atmospheric surface-layer variances and spectra. The theory suggests surface-layer turbulence is determined by detached eddies that largely originate in the shearing motion immediately above the surface layer; as they descend into this layer, they are strongly distorted by the local shear and impinge onto the surface. Because the origin of these eddies is non-local, they are similar to those described in previous studies as `inactive' turbulence. However, they are, in fact, dynamically highly active, supplying the major mechanism for the momentum transport, including upward bursting on the time scale of the larger eddies. The vertical velocity results show that the variance and the low frequency parts of spectra increase with height in the surface layer, while in the self similar (k₁ ^-1) range the streamwise low frequency components are approximately constant with height. These large-scale longitudinal eddies extend to a length _s, which is equal to the boundary-layer height near the surface andincreases linearly to a maximum of about three times the boundary-layer height at roughly 15 m and decreases in the upper parts of the surface layer. This lower part of the surface layer, the eddy surface layer, is the region in which the eddies impinging from layers above are strongly distorted. This new result for the atmospheric boundary layer has practical application for calculating fluctuating wind loads on structures and lateral dispersion of pollution from local sources.     

The Coherent Structure of Water Vapour Transfer in the Unstable Atmospheric Surface Layer

Observations of water vapour fluctuations over arice field show vapour ramps. Coherent structuresare first revealed by the frequently occurring ramp pattern in the vapourtrace. Wavelet and pseudo-wavelet analysis techniques were used inconditional sampling, and more than 100 hr of data have been analyzedto determine coherent structure characteristics. The most probablecoherent structure duration was in the range 2–12 sec andthe duration range of the most effective coherent structures shows somedifference between heat and water vapour transfers. Coherent structurescontribute to the major part of the total flux.     

Coherent Structures Detected in Atmospheric Boundary-layer Turbulence using Wavelet transforms at Huaihe River Basin, China

The presence of coherent structures in turbulent shear flows suggests order in apparently random flows. These coherent structures play an important dynamical role in momentum and scalar transport. To develop dynamical models describing the evolution of such motion, it is necessary to detect and isolate the coherent structures from the background fluctuations. In this paper, we decomposed atmospheric turbulence time series into large-scale eddies, which include coherent structures and small eddies, which are stochastic by using Fourier digital filtering. The wavelet energy computed for the three components of the velocity fluctuations in the large-scale eddies appears to have local maximum values at certain time scales, which correspond to the scales or frequencies of coherent structures. We extract coherent signals from large-scale vortices at this scale by inverse wavelet transform formulae. This method provides an objective technique for examining the turbulence signal associated with coherent structures in the atmospheric boundary layer. The average duration of coherent structures in three directions based on Mexican hat wavelets are 33 s, 34 s and 25 s respectively. Symmetric andanti-symmetric wavelet basis functions give almost the same results. The main features of the structures during the day and night have little difference. The dimensionless durations for u, v and w have linear correlations with each other. These relationships are insensitive to the wavelet basis.     

A Study Of The Atmospheric Boundary Layer Using Radon And Air Pollutants As Tracers

Concentrations of radon ²²²Rn andair pollutants, meteorological parametersnear the surface and vertical profiles of meteorological elements were measured atUchio (Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan) 12 km north from the coast ofthe Inland Sea of Japan. In the nighttime, the ²²²Rn concentration increased in the case of weak winds, but did not increase as much in the case of moderate or strong winds, as had been expected. In the daytime, the ²²²Rn concentrationheld at a slightly higher than average level for the period from sunrise to about 1100 JST. It is considered that this phenomenon is due to a period of morning calm, that is, a transition period from land breeze to sea breeze.NO, which is sensitive to traffic volume,brought information concerning advection.Oxidant concentrations,which reflect the availability of sunlight,acted in the reverse manner to ²²²Rnconcentrations. Thus, a set of ²²²Rn and air pollutants could provide useful information regarding the local conditions of the atmospheric boundary layer.     

The Control Of Coherent Eddies In Vegetation Canopies: Streamwise Structure Spacing, Canopy Shear Scale And Atmospheric Stability

An analogy has been established between a plane mixing layer and the atmospheric flow near the top of a vegetation canopy. It is based on a common feature, a strong inflection in the mean velocity profile, responsible for hydrodynamical instabilities that set the pattern for the coherent eddies and determine the turbulence length scales. In an earlier study, this analogy was tested using a small data set from thirteen experiments, all in near-neutral conditions. It provided a good prediction of the streamwise spacing _w of the dominant canopy eddies (evaluated from time series of vertical velocity) that appears to depend on a shear length scale L_s = U(h)/U'(h), where h is canopy height, U is mean velocity and U' the vertical gradient dU/dz. The present analysis utilizes an extensive data set of approximately 700 thirty-minute runs, from six experiments on two forest sites and a maize crop, with a large range of stability conditions. _w was estimated for each run using the wavelet transform as an objective, automated detection method. First, the variations of _w and L_s with atmospheric stability are discussed. Neutral and unstable values exhibit a large scatter whereas in stable conditions both variables decrease with increasing stability. It is subsequently found that _w is directly related to L_s, in a way close to the neutral prediction _w /h = 8.1L_s/h.The Strouhal number S_tr = L_s /_w is then shown to vary with atmospheric stability, weakly in unstable conditions, more significantly in stable conditions. Altogether these results suggest that, to some extent, the plane mixing-layer analogy can be extended to non-neutral conditions. It is argued that the primary effect of atmospheric stability, at least in stable conditions, is to modify the shear length scale L_s through changes in U(h) and U'(h), which in turn determines the streamwise spacing of the active, coherent motions.     

Measurements Of Turbulence Transfer In The Near-Surface Layer Over The Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Turbulent flux measurements at Qamdo site over the Tibetan Plateau during TIPEX from May 18 to June 30, 1998 are presented. Sensible heat dominated,accounting for about 66% of the available energy (the sum of net radiation and soil heat flux) prior to the monsoon(dry period), reducing to about 31%, with latent heat increased to about 56% of available energy,in the monsoon season (wet period). Surface energy budget closure on average was about 0.80 (0.85)prior to the monsoon and 0.89 (0.76) during the monsoon using eddy correlation (profile) methods. The sum of latent and sensible heat fluxes calculated from the flux-profilemethod was smaller by about 15% than that from eddy correlation. Martano's method is used toestimate the surface aerodynamic roughness length z₀ and zero plane displacement d from singlelevel sonic anemometer data, giving d = 0.12 m and z₀ = 0.08 m. The overall neutral dragcoefficient (C_DN) and scalar coefficient (C_HN) were found to be C_DN = 0.0055and C_HN = 0.0059 in the southeastern area of Tibet. Their variations with the mean wind speed at 10 m are discussed.     

Remote Sensing And Surface Observations Of The Response Of The Atmospheric Boundary Layer To A Solar Eclipse

On 11 August 1999, a near-total solar eclipse (80%) was observed in Campistrous, France. The influence of this particular event on the atmospheric boundary layer was observed with a UHF-RASS radar, a sodar and an instrumented mast. The changes in turbulence intensity, radar reflectivity, and temperature on the radiative budget are described in relation to collocated ground meteorological data. The impact of the eclipse induces a clear response of the atmosphere, with a time lag of 15 to 30 min, perceptible in several mean and turbulent meteorological variables up to the top of the atmospheric boundary layer.     

Wind-Tunnel Study Of Atmospheric Stable Boundary Layers Over A Rough Surface

Wind-tunnel simulations of theatmospheric stable boundary layer (SBL) developedover a rough surface were conducted by using athermally stratified wind tunnel at the Research Institutefor Applied Mechanics (RIAM), Kyushu University. Thepresent experiment is a continuation of the workcarried out in a wind tunnel at Colorado StateUniversity (CSU), where the SBL flows were developed over asmooth surface. Stably stratified flows were createdby heating the wind-tunnel airflow to a temperature ofabout 40–50°and by cooling the test-section floor toa temperature of about 10°. To simulate therough surface, a chain roughness was placed over thetest-section floor. We have investigated the buoyancyeffect on the turbulent boundary layer developed overthis rough surface for a wide range of stability,particularly focusing on the turbulence structure andtransport process in the very stable boundary layer.The present experimental results broadly confirm theresults obtained in the CSU experiment with the smoothsurface, and emphasizes the following features: thevertical profiles of turbulence statistics exhibitdifferent behaviour in two distinct stability regimes with weak and strong stability,corresponding to the difference in the verticalprofiles of the local Richardson number. The tworegimes are separated by the critical Richardsonnumber. The magnitudes in turbulence intensities andturbulent fluxes for the weak stability regime aremuch greater than those of the CSU experiments becauseof the greater surface roughness. For the very stableboundary layer, the turbulent fluxes of momentum andheat tend to vanish and wave-like motions due to theKelvin–Helmholtz instability and the rolling up andbreaking of those waves can be observed. Furthermore,the appearance of internal gravity waves is suggestedfrom cross-spectrum analyses.     

A Simple Model Of The Convective Internal Boundary Layer And Its Application To Surface Heat Flux Estimates Within Polynyas

A simple model of the convective (thermal) internalboundary layer has been developed for climatologicalstudies of air-sea-ice interaction, where in situobservations are scarce and first-order estimates ofsurface heat fluxes are required. It is amixed-layer slab model, based on a steady-statesolution of the conservation of potentialtemperature equation, assuming a balance betweenadvection and turbulent heat-flux convergence. Boththe potential temperature and the surface heat fluxare allowed to vary with fetch, so the subsequentboundary-layer modification alters the fluxconvergence and thus the boundary-layer growth rate.For simplicity, microphysical and radiativeprocesses are neglected.The model is validated using several case studies.For a clear-sky cold-air outbreak over a coastalpolynya the observed boundary-layer heights,mixed-layer potential temperatures and surface heatfluxes are all well reproduced. In other cases,where clouds are present, the model still capturesmost of the observed boundary-layer modification,although there are increasing discrepancies withfetch, due to the neglected microphysical andradiative processes. The application of the model toclimatological studies of air-sea interaction withincoastal polynyas is discussed.     

Study of Coherent Structures and Estimation of the Pressure Transport Terms for the Nocturnal Stable Boundary Layer

During the CASES-99 field experiment, three quartz-based microbarographs were installed on the 58-m main tower at the Central Site. These devices measuredabsolute pressure with temperature compensated output at a resolution better than 0.2 Pa and a sampling frequency of 2 s^-1 during the whole campaign. This sampling rate is not adequate to compute turbulent pressure fluxes with the classic averaging method, but the wavelet transform allows flux estimations at a wide range of scales. The resolution of the devices is suitable to study pressure perturbations such as internal gravity waves. The night period of the Intensive Operational Period number 6 (IOP6), where wave-like structures were present, is chosen to illustrate the method. A complete wavelet analysis of pressure recordsand data from sonic anemometers located at the same heights in the tower is performed. Wavelet methods make it possible to identify the relevant scales in the flowand to study the vertical structure of pressure perturbations, including coherent structures and small-scale motions.A study of a simplified turbulence kinetic energy budget equation is made and the contribution of the pressure terms is discussed.     

The Effects of Vegetation Density on Coherent Turbulent Structures within the Canopy Sublayer: A Large-Eddy Simulation Study

Large-eddy simulation has become an important tool for the study of the atmospheric boundary layer. However, since large-eddy simulation does not simulate small scales, which do interact to some degree with large scales, and does not explicitly resolve the viscous sublayer, it is reasonable to ask if these limitations affect significantly the ability of large-eddy simulation to simulate large-scale coherent structures. This issue is investigated here through the analysis of simulated coherent structures with the proper orthogonal decomposition technique. We compare large-eddy simulation of the atmospheric boundary layer with direct numerical simulation of channel flow. Despite the differences of the two flow types it is expected that the atmospheric boundary layer should exhibit similar structures as those in the channel flow, since these large-scale coherent structures arise from the same primary instability generated by the interaction of the mean flow with the wall surface in both flows. It is shown here that several important similarities are present in the two simulations: (i) coherent structures in the spanwise-vertical plane consist of a strong ejection between a pair of counter-rotating vortices; (ii) each vortex in the pair is inclined from the wall in the spanwise direction with a tilt angle of approximately 45°; (iii) the vortex pair curves up in the streamwise direction. Overall, this comparison adds further confidence in the ability of large-eddy simulation to produce large-scale structures even when wall models are used. Truncated reconstruction of instantaneous turbulent fields is carried out, testing the ability of the proper orthogonal decomposition technique to approximate the original turbulent field with only a few of the most important eigenmodes. It is observed that the proper orthogonal decomposition reconstructs the turbulent kinetic energy more efficiently than the vorticity.     

Variability Of The Stable And Unstable Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Height And Its Scales Over A Boreal Forest

Radiosondes releases during the NOPEX-WINTEX experiment carried out in late winter in Northern Finland were analysed for the determination of the height h of the atmospheric boundary layer. We investigate various possible scaling approaches, based on length scales using micrometeorological turbulence surface measurements and the background atmospheric stratification above h. Under stable conditions, the three previously observed turbulence regimes delineated by values of z/L (L is the Obukhov length) appears as a blueprint for understanding the departures found for the suitability of the Ekman scaling based on L_E = u_/f (u is the friction velocity and f the Coriolis parameter). The length scale L_N = u_/N (where N is the Brunt–Väisälä frequency) appears to be a useful scale under most stable conditions, especially in association with L. Under unstable conditions, shear production of turbulence is still significant, so that the three scales L, L_N and L_E are again relevant and the dimensionless ratios _N = L_N/L and L_N/L_E = N/f describe well the WINTEX data. Furthermore, in the classical scaling framework, the unstable domain may also be divided into three regimes as reflected by the dependence ofu_/f on instability (z/L).     

Aircraft Observations Of The Mean And Turbulent Structure Of A Shallow Boundary Layer Over The Persian Gulf

Stable internal boundary layers form when warm air isadvected over a cooler surface, a common occurrence incoastal areas. The internal boundary layer deepenswith distance along-wind, eventually reachingequilibrium with the surface and becoming a fullydeveloped marine boundary layer. We presentobservations of the late stages of internalboundary-layer evolution made bythe U.K. Meteorological Office'sC-130 Hercules research aircraft over the Persian Gulfin April 1996. Northwesterly winds brought warm dryair from the surrounding desert landmass across thecooler waters of the Gulf. Loss of heat to the surfaceresulted in the formation of a shallow, stableinternal boundary layer downwind of the coast. The aircraftmeasurements were made several hundred kilometresdownwind, by which point the original deep convectiveboundary layer had been eroded away and the internalboundary layer was well developed, effectively a newmarine atmospheric boundary layer. Throughout most ofits depth the boundary layer was statically stable anda downward heat flux of approximately 15 W m^-2was observed; however, an exceptionally strong latentheat flux, in excess of 250 W m^-2 near thesurface, was sufficient to overcome the downwards heatflux and maintain weak buoyant convection in the lower30–50% of the boundary layer.Scaling of boundary-layer turbulence statistics usinglocal similarity theory produces results in agreementwith previous studies. Because of the strong humiditycontribution to the buoyancy flux, however, care isrequired with the definition of the similarity scales.It is usual for either the sensible heat or buoyancyflux to be used in the definitions of both thetemperature and length scales; the latter being usedover water where humidity plays a significant role indetermining stability. In the present case we findthat while the buoyancy flux is appropriate in thedefinition of the length scale, the temperature scalemust be defined in terms of the sensible heat flux.     

Mixing Height Over Water And Its Role On The Correlation Between Temperature And Humidity Fluctuations In The Unstable Surface Layer

Results from an experimental investigation of themixing height over inner Danish waters carriedout from September 1990 to October 1992, are discussed.The statistical analysis of the mixed-layer height (z_i)over the sea does not exhibit the dailyvariation that is characteristic of the mixed layerover land, but it is nearly constant over a24-hour cycle. During summer, the mixed layer ishigher than during winter. A second inversionwas often observed.A case study of the development of the mixed layerover the sea under near-neutral and unstableatmospheric conditions during six consecutivedays is presented. A zero-order mixed-layer heightmodel is applied. In addition to momentum and heatfluxes the effect of subsidence was found to be importantfor the evolution of the mixed layer over the sea. Themodelled evolution of z_i compared successfullywith measurements.We have investigated the influence of themixed-layer height on the correlation coefficient R_qTbetween temperature and humidity fluctuations usingthe values obtained with the model.We found that the evolution of R_qT follows theevolution of the mixing height. An empirical modellinking the surface values of R_qT to z_i and the Obukhov scaling length L has been suggested. The modelreproduces the experimental features.     

An Approximate Analytical Solution Of Flux-Profile Relationships For The Atmospheric Surface Layer With Different Momentum And Heat Roughness Lengths

An approximate method for calculating the relationship between z/L(z = reference height, L = Obukhov length) and the bulk Richardsonnumber is presented. If this relationship is known, the momentum andheat fluxes can be computed easily without any iteration. The avoidance of iteration can speed up computationsin large-scale models considerably (up to 10 times) and cases which do not converge or converge very slowly cannot occur. The proposed formulae take into account the difference between momentum (z_0M) and heat roughnesslengths (z_0H). Because the roughness lengths are not neglected at any step of the derivation, the resulting analytical formulae can be used not only between the surface and the reference height but also between two finite levels z₁ andz₂ (by replacing z_0M and z_0H by z₁ and z by z₂). Theequations remain correct even in the limit z₁ z₂.The formulae are based upon the (partially modified) Businger–Dyer flux–profile relationships and,consequently, they are restricted to predominantly homogeneous terrain.These new approximations are an improvement over the existing solutions because they are simpler than most of the formulae in the literature and are able to match the numerical exact solution for different parameter sets (Businger, Dyer, Högström) with an maximum error of about 2% for a wide range of z/L, z/z_0M and z_0M/z_0H.Furthermore, in stable conditions, schemes with and without a finitecritical bulk Richardson number can be approximated. The possibleambiguity of the exact solution =f(RI_B) in (moderately) stable conditions is discussed briefly. The performance of the new formulae is compared to the exact numerical solution and to different formulae proposed in the literature.     

Estimation Of Atmospheric Water Vapour Flux Profiles In The Nocturnal Unstable Urban Boundary Layer With Doppler Sodar And Raman Lidar

The vertical wind profiles determined by Doppler sodar and the water vapourmixing ratio profiles obtained by Raman lidar are used to estimate the atmosphericwater vapour flux profiles in the nocturnal urban boundary layer under unstableconditions. The experiment was conducted for several nights in the central areaof Rome under a variety of moisture conditions and different urban boundary-layerflow regimes. Despite some scatter in the profiles, the latent heat flux is found tobe positive throughout the depth of the nocturnal urban boundary-layer. Thelayer-averaged flux shows a variation between -4 to +40 W m^-2, whileindividual values of flux in excess of +150 W m^-2 pertain to a case offree convection during cold air advection caused by the sea breeze. The qualityof flux estimates is found to be highly limited by the low sampling rates employedin the experiment resulting in errors to the order of 60%. Therefore, the results mustbe viewed as estimates rather than precise measurements. The skewness profiles ofthe turbulent fluctuations of vertical velocity and water vapour mixing ratio are alsopositive.     

A Case Study Of An On-Ice Air Flow Over The Arctic Marginal Sea-Ice Zone

A case study of warm air advection over the Arctic marginalsea-ice zone is presented, based on aircraft observations with direct flux measurements carriedout in early spring, 1998. A shallow atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) was observed, which wasgradually cooling with distance downwind of the ice edge. This process was mainly connected with astrong stable stratification and downward turbulent heat fluxes of about 10–20 W m^-2, but wasalso due to radiative cooling. Two mesoscale models, one hydrostatic and the other non-hydrostatic,having different turbulence closures, were applied. Despite these fundamental differences betweenthe models, the results of both agreed well with the observed data. Various closure assumptions had amore crucial influence on the results than the differences between the models.Such an assumption was, for example,the parameterization of the surface roughness for momentum (z₀) and heat (z_T). This stronglyaffected the wind and temperature fields not only close to the surface but also within and abovethe temperature inversion layer. The best results were achieved using a formulation for z₀ that took intoaccount the form drag effect of sea-ice ridges together withz_T = 0.1z₀. The stability within theelevated inversion strongly depended on the minimum eddy diffusivity K_min. A simple ad hocparameterization seems applicable, where K_min is calculated as 0.005 timesthe neutral eddy diffusivity. Although the longwave radiative cooling was largest within the ABL, theapplication of a radiation scheme was less important there than above the ABL. This was related to theinteraction of the turbulent and radiative fluxes. To reproduce the strong inversion, it wasnecessary to use vertical and horizontal resolutions higher than those applied in most regional andlarge-scale atmospheric models.     

The Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Structure Within A Cold Air Outbreak: Comparison Of In Situ, Lidar And Satellite Measurements With Three-Dimensional Simulations

A cold-air outbreak over the Mediterranean, associated with a Tramontane event, has been simulated with the atmospheric non-hydrostatic model Meso-NH using a horizontal resolution of 2 km. Results are compared with in situ aircraft, airborne lidar and satellite measurements. On average, the mean and turbulent parameters simulated in the surface layer and mixed layer compared well with in situ measurements. The model was able to reproduce accurately the Foehn effect in the wake of Cape Creus, as well as the occurence of rolls in the coastal region in connection with cloud streets observed with AVHRR. Over the sea, the threshold value of turbulent kinetic energy defining the height of the atmospheric boundary-layer top in the model (defined as 25% of the maximum turbulent kinetic energy in the profile) enables the simulated atmospheric boundary-layer height to match the one retrieved from lidar measurements. Nevertheless, the model did not handle very well the abrupt gradients of all meteorological parameters observed at the top of the atmospheric boundary-layer. Reasons for this are investigated.