Scale effects in wind tunnel modeling of an urban atmospheric boundary layer

Precise urban atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnel simulations are essential for a wide variety of atmospheric studies in built-up environments including wind loading of structures and air pollutant dispersion. One of key issues in addressing these problems is a proper choice of simulation length scale. In this study, an urban ABL was reproduced in a boundary layer wind tunnel at different scales to study possible scale effects. Two full-depth simulations and one part-depth simulation were carried out using castellated barrier wall, vortex generators, and a fetch of roughness elements. Redesigned “Counihan” vortex generators were employed in the part-depth ABL simulation. A hot-wire anemometry system was used to measure mean velocity and velocity fluctuations. Experimental results are presented as mean velocity, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress, integral length scale of turbulence, and power spectral density of velocity fluctuations. Results suggest that variations in length-scale factor do not influence the generated ABL models when using similarity criteria applied in this study. Part-depth ABL simulation compares well with two full-depth ABL simulations indicating the truncated vortex generators developed for this study can be successfully employed in urban ABL part-depth simulations.     

Some medium-path infrared observations of atmospheric boundary-layer structure during light wind

Variations in water-vapour absorption were measured using a recently constructed field spectrophotometer, operated at a wavelength of 1.38 gm and with path lengths of 15 and 20 m. Observations were made 1 m above the ground near sunset, dawn, and during the morning destruction of nocturnal atmospheric stability. A diurnally consistent evolution of water-vapour turbulence regimes was observed. The presence of ordered events was revealed. These fluctuations indicate changes of vapour pressure, spatially averaged over the base-line, as large as about +7 mb in 4 s. Classification of light-wind observing conditions by using six classes of distinct non-random events appears possible. Such a classification system may reduce some of the characteristic scatter of micrometeorological results which arises during stable observing conditions or during comparison of real-world observing sites.On sabbatical leave (1975) at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, Wilts., England.     

Lidar and Sun photometer observations of atmospheric boundary-layer characteristics over an urban area in a mountain valley

We present measurements of the vertical aerosol structure and the aerosol optical depth in the lower troposphere performed above the city of Sofia (an urban area situated in a mountain valley), western Bulgaria by means of a ground-based aerosol lidar operating continuously for a number of years. The lidar measurements were accompanied by measurements of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the visible and near infrared regions of the spectrum performed in October 2004 using Microtops II radiometers. The maximum values of the AOD were found to occur 1–2 h before the complete development of the atmospheric boundary layer, i.e. during the residual layer destruction, which confirms our hypothesis concerning the slope circulation effect on the processes taking place in the atmospheric boundary layer. The AOD values obtained by the lidar are lower than those taken by the sun photometer. Further, the AOD exhibits two different types of behaviour. In the case of a ‘clear atmosphere’ (i.e. in the absence of volcanic eruptions and/or dust transport from the Sahara) most of the aerosol accumulated within the atmospheric boundary layer over the urban area considered. The combined use of the two instruments allows the comparison between the optical characteristics of the atmospheric aerosol (e.g. aerosol extinction coefficient, etc.) obtained by the lidar and through an independent method (sun photometer).     

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

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

Dosages from instantaneous releases of dense gases in wind tunnels and into a neutrally stable atmosphere

We study the doses generated by instantaneously released dense gas clouds. The dose is of practical importance since it is widely used as a measure of the harmful effect of an exposure. We take the doses from wind-tunnel experimental data. We extend from Davies' (1992) work to show that for later times after release the dose across repeat experiments may be fitted with a lognormal distribution. A simple box model is constructed from the dataset. It produces a reasonable model under some of the experimental conditions. We show how to use the repeats of experiments to produce a representative model.     

The breakup of marine boundary-layer clouds over an inhomogeneous sea surface temperature field

This numerical study examines the breakup of marine atmospheric boundary-layer (MABL) clouds through various physical processes over an inhomogeneous sea surface temperature (SST) field. Three regimes are identified under which the cloud layer will break up. (A) advection of drier air into the MABL for the California case. (B) daytime absorption of solar radiation, occurring most easily over the cold water. (C) mesoscale fluctuations in the flow, producing holes in the cloud layer.The budget study of these three situations concludes that large-scale subsidence, solar radiation, local mesoscale advection, and inhomogeneous surface fluxes cannot be neglected in modeling cloud breakup. This study also confirms the belief that the mixing process alone induced by evaporative entrainment is generally insufficient to predict the breakup of the cloud layer.Sections of this paper are based on an extended abstract by the author and Dr. Steven Stage for the Ninth Symposium on Turbulence and Diffusion held at Riso, Denmark, 1990.     

Evolution of the atmospheric boundary-layer structure of an arid Andes Valley

Summary The boundary-layer structure of the Elqui Valley is investigated, which is situated in the arid north of Chile and extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Andes in the east. The climate is dominated by the south-eastern Pacific subtropical anticyclone and the cold Humboldt Current. This combination leads to considerable temperature and moisture gradients between the coast and the valley and results in the evolution of sea and valley wind systems. The contribution of these mesoscale wind systems to the heat and moisture budget of the valley atmosphere is estimated, based on radiosoundings performed near the coast and in the valley. Near the coast, a well-mixed cloud-topped boundary layer exists. Both, the temperature and the specific humidity do not change considerably during the day. In the stratus layer the potential temperature increases, while the specific humidity decreases slightly with height. The top of the thin stratus layer, about 300 m in depth, is marked by an inversion. Moderate sea breeze winds of 3–4 m s⁻¹ prevail in the sub-cloud and cloud layer during daytime, but no land breeze develops during the night. The nocturnal valley atmosphere is characterized by a strong and 900 m deep stably stratified boundary layer. During the day, no pronounced well-mixed layer with a capping inversion develops in the valley. Above a super-adiabatic surface layer of about 150 m depth, a stably stratified layer prevails throughout the day. However, heating can be observed within a layer above the surface 800 m deep. Heat and moisture budget estimations show that sensible heat flux convergence exceeds cold air advection in the morning, while both processes compensate each other around noon, such that the temperature evolution stagnates. In the afternoon, cold air advection predominates and leads to net cooling of the boundary layer. Furthermore, the advection of moist air results in the accumulation of moisture during the noon and afternoon period, while latent heat flux convergence is of minor relevance to the moisture budget of the boundary layer. Correspondence: Norbert Kalthoff, Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung, Universit?t Karlsruhe/Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Postfach 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany     

Experiments on integral length scale control in atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel

Accurate predictions of turbulent characteristics in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) depends on understanding the effects of surface roughness on the spatial distribution of velocity, turbulence intensity, and turbulence length scales. Simulation of the ABL characteristics have been performed in a short test section length wind tunnel to determine the appropriate length scale factor for modeling, which ensures correct aeroelastic behavior of structural models for non-aerodynamic applications. The ABL characteristics have been simulated by using various configurations of passive devices such as vortex generators, air barriers, and slot in the test section floor which was extended into the contraction cone. Mean velocity and velocity fluctuations have been measured using a hot-wire anemometry system. Mean velocity, turbulence intensity, turbulence scale, and power spectral density of velocity fluctuations have been obtained from the experiments for various configuration of the passive devices. It is shown that the integral length scale factor can be controlled using various combinations of the passive devices.     

An assessment of boundary-layer air mass characteristics associated with topographically-induced local wind systems

Measured and derived meteorological parameters are used to examine the changes in air mass associated with local winds of differing origin. Research conducted explores the usefulness of wet bulb potential temperature, equivalent potential temperature, virtual potential temperature and relative humidity as indicators of air mass change during sea breeze, foehn wind and nocturnal drainage flow events. The complex interactions between these different topographically-induced wind systems in South Canterbury, New Zealand, provide an environment in which marked changes in air mass characteristics are common. Results demonstrate that under a considerable range of boundary-layer conditions, measured wet bulb potential temperature when used in conjunction with windspeed and direction enables quick and accurate determination of air mass origin. Relative humidity was also found to respond closely to changes in local air mass type, but its dependence on air temperature makes it a less reliable indicator.     

A boundary-layer model for the determination of hourly surface wind characteristics in a representative tropical African region

A quantative transposition model is introduced which determines hourly wind speeds in a representative tropical region (Central Sudan). The model consists of two parts. Firstly, a local boundary-layer model, based on the energy balance equation and the Businger-Dyer equations, is used to compute the average diurnal cycle of various characteristic boundary-layer parameters. Secondly, a horizontal transposition method is introduced to calculate wind speed behaviour at an arbitrary station from that at a reference station. This method is based on assumed spatial constancy of the turbulence parameter u _* in the period November–April in a region of about (700 × 800) km² in Central Sudan. The constancy of u _* is concluded from the very stationary character of the climate. Model-computed hourly wind speeds are consistent with the potential wind speeds (at 10 m over open country) calculated from the measured data, and provide better local wind estimates than the conventional procedure which assumes constant regional hourly wind speeds.     

Statistical characteristics of concentration fluctuations in dispersing plumes in the atmospheric surface layer

Measurements have been made of concentration fluctuations in a dispersing plume from an elevated point source in the atmospheric surface layer using a recently developed fast-response photoionization detector. This detector, which has a frequency response (–6 dB point) of about 100 Hz, is shown to be capable of resolving the fluctuation variance contributed by the energetic subrange and most of the inertial-convective subrange, with a reduction in the fluctuation variance due to instrument smoothing of the finest scales present in the plume of at most 4%.Concentration time series have been analyzed to obtain the statistical characteristics of both the amplitude and temporal structure of the dispersing plume. We present alongwind and crosswind concentration fluctuation profiles of statistics of amplitude structure such as total and conditional fluctuation intensity, skewness and kurtosis, and of temporal structure such as intermittency factor, burst frequency, and mean burst persistence time. Comparisons of empirical concentration probability distributions with a number of model distributions show that our near-neutral data are best represented by the lognormal distribution at shorter ranges, where both plume meandering and fine-scale in-plume mixing are equally important (turbulent-convective regime), and by the gamma distribution at longer ranges, where internal structure or spottiness is becoming dominant (turbulent-diffusive regime). The gamma distribution provides the best model of the concentration pdf over all downwind fetches for data measured under stable stratification. A physical model is developed to explain the mechanism-induced probabilistic schemes in the alongwind development of a dispersing plume, that lead to the observed probability distributions of concentration. Probability distributions of concentration burst length and burst return period have been extracted and are shown to be modelled well with a powerlaw distribution. Power spectra of concentration fluctuations are presented. These spectra exhibit a significant inertial-convective subrange, with the frequency at the spectral peak decreasing with increasing downwind fetch. The Kolmogorov constant for the inertial-convective subrange has been determined from the measured spectra to be 0.17±0.03.     

Estimation of liquid water content effects on the air temperature measurements in the clouds based on the wind tunnel experiments

Presented are the results of experiments carried out in the wind tunnel and aimed at the investigation of characteristics of high-frequency aircraft thermometer constructed for studying the atmosphere from the board of the aircraft-laboratory. It is demonstrated that the values of recovery coefficient of the thermometer obtained both in the wind tunnel and after numerical experiments practically coincided with the values that have been measured before, during the flight testing. The flow with the specified values of liquid droplet content that was created in the wind tunnel, enabled to determine both the degree of effects made by the cloud on the measured temperature and its fluctuations and the value of the coefficient for introducing the correction to the temperature and its fluctuations in the cloud. It is shown that the taking account of effects made by liquid water content on the measured temperature is absolutely necessary for the correct interpretation of aircraft-based results of studying the thermodynamic structure of clouds.     

云中风和湍流的多普勒雷达探测

一、发展概况 微波多普勒雷达可以用来测量各类降水云系中的风和湍流的场结构,这是其他一般探测方法难以做到的。 多普勒雷达接收的是回波的频移信息。频移的大小正比于降水粒子相对于雷达射束的径向速度。从分布杂乱和运动着的大气降水粒子反射回来的信息往往是展宽了的多普     

丘陵地区边界层风廓线雷达数据统计特性分析

采用数据获取率来分析和评价风廓线雷达的探测能力, 对通过2012年的风廓线数据进行统计分析。结果表明:数据获取率和信噪比都随季节变化, 夏季探测能力大于冬季。按照数据获取率达到80%的要求, 确定边界层风廓线雷达无降雨天气有效探测高度为3 km, 并确定低模和高模最佳衔接高度为0.6 km, 能够获得更好的数据获取率。在无降雨天气, 信噪比随高度呈现对数函数单调递减的变化规律, 夏季信噪比的衰减程度比冬季大;在降雨天气, 信噪比随高度呈现一次函数的变化规律, 其斜率范围在-10.44~-2.47之间, 而夏季信噪比的衰减程度比冬季小。     

Characteristics of natural wind simulations in the TUM boundary layer wind tunnel

The boundary layer wind tunnel at the Technische Universit?t München was tested for atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) simulations. The ABLs developing above rural, suburban, and urban terrains were reproduced using the Counihan method, i.e., castellated barrier wall, vortex generators, and a fetch of surface roughness elements. A series of flow-characteristic evaluations was performed to investigate the flow development and uniformity. Experimental results presented as mean velocity, turbulence intensity, integral length scale of turbulence, Reynolds stress, and power spectral density of velocity fluctuations were compared with the ESDU data and/or theoretical models. Generated ABL wind-tunnel simulations compare well with the rural, suburban, and urban ABLs. In the test section area used for experiments on structural models, the ABL simulation is developed and uniform. Results of this study indicate the boundary layer wind tunnel at the Technische Universit?t München can be successfully employed in a broad spectrum of engineering, environmental, and micrometeorological studies, where it is required to accurately reproduce ABL characteristics.     

边界层大气水平风速低频谱的垂直分布特征

本文根据320米气象塔上水平风速的观测资料,分析了不同天气条件下边界层大气中湍流的宽谱特性及其垂直分布结构. 结果表明,大气边界层水平风速低频谱的垂直分布是很复杂的,在不同的天气条件下,这种垂直分布特征具有明显的差异.边界层温度和风速的垂直结构也会影响到水平风速低频谱的垂直分布. 在水平风速低频谱中,除了与天气过程有关的4天周期峰值和反映气象要素日变化频率的峰值外,在十几分钟到几十分钟频率范围内还存在着几个峰值,而且有时在不同的高度上,峰值频率有所不同.这可能反映了一些中尺度系统的特征,也可能是这些中尺度系统与局地地形的综合作用所引起的.     

A comparative study of the observations of high clouds and simulations by an atmospheric general circulation model

The importance of clouds in the upper troposphere (cirrus) for the sensitivity of the Earth's climate e.g., requires that these clouds be modeled accurately in general circulation model (GCM) studies of the atmosphere. Bearing in mind the lack of unambiguous quantitative information on the geographical distribution and properties of high clouds, the simulated distribution of upper tropospheric clouds in a spectral GCM is compared with several satellite-derived data-sets that pertain to high clouds only, for both winter and summer seasons. In the model, clouds are assumed to occupy an entire gridbox whenever the relative humidity exceeds 99%: otherwise the grid box is assumed to be free of cloud. Despite the simplicity of the cloud prediction scheme, the geographical distribution of the maxima in the model's upper tropospheric cloud cover coincides approximately with the regions of the observed maxima in the high cloud amount and their frequency of occurrence (e.g., intertropical convergence zone and the monsoon areas). These areas exhibit a minimum in the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR; Nimbus-7) and are also coincident with regions of heavy precipitation. The model, with its relatively simple cloud formation scheme, appears to capture the principal large-scale features of the tropical convective processes that are evident in the satellite and precipitation datasets, wherein the intense, upward motion is accompanied by condensation and the spreading of thick upper tropospheric layers of high relative humidity and cloudiness in the vicinity of the tropical rainbelt regions.This paper was presented at the International Conference on Modelling of Global Climate Change and Variability, held in Hamburg 11–15 September 1989 under the auspices of the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Guest Editor for these papers is Dr. L. Dümenil     

A study of wind speed modification and internal boundary-layer heights in a coastal region

Wind profile data within the first two kilometres of a coast have been used to study the wind field modification downstream of this surface discontinuity. The land area is generally very flat, having an overall roughness length of 0.04 m. A wind model, suitable for practical applications and inexpensive to run, has been tested against the data and was found to give satisfactory results. Knowing the climatological statistics of wind and stratification, e.g., at the coast, the model may thus be used to estimate, on a climatological basis, how the wind field is modified with distance inland, at least in areas with only minor topography. This type of information is of great importance when locating wind turbines. It is in these cases also important to know the statistics of the internal boundary-layer (IBL) height, as the turbulence intensity may be quite different in and above the IBL, which in turn may influence load and fatigue calculations. Using the wind profile data, the IBL height was clearly discernible in the majority of cases. Having very unstable stratification over land, the IBL height could, however, not be determined from the wind profiles, as the wind in these cases did not decrease inland. This result was also obtained using the wind model. A simple model of the type z _IBL = a · x ^b, was instead tested, and was shown to give reasonable results.     

Estimates of wind speed perturbation in boundary-layer flow over isolated low hills — Solutions

A computationally efficient model — the MS3DJH — was used to predict the near-surface wind-speed variations over a given idealised twin hill. Results given compare the model predictions with those of trained meteorologists. Further application of the model to assessment of e.g. power-producing turbine sites is discussed.