An international turbulence comparison experiment (ITCE 1976)

Turbulence data for the International Turbulence Comparison Experiment (ITCE) held at Conargo, N.S.W. (35° 18′ S., 145° 10′ E.) during October, 1976 are analysed. The standard deviation % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaiikaiqado% hagaqbamaaCaaaleqabaGaaGOmaaaakiaacMcadaahaaWcbeqaaiaa% igdacaGGVaGaaGOmaaaaaaa!3B93!\[(s'^2 )^{1/2} \] and covariance % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaa0aaaeaace% WG3bGbauaaceWGZbGbauaaaaaaaa!3809!\[\overline {w's'} \] measured by a number of instruments and instrument arrays have been compared to assess their field performance and calibration accuracy. Satisfactory agreement, i.e. typically 5% for % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaiikamaana% aabaGabm4CayaafaWaaWbaaSqabeaacaaIYaaaaaaakiaacMcadaah% aaWcbeqaaiaaigdacaGGVaGaaGOmaaaaaaa!3BA4!\[(\overline {s'^2 } )^{1/2} \] (except in humidity) and of the order of 20% for % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaiikaiqado% hagaqbamaaCaaaleqabaGaaGOmaaaakiaacMcadaahaaWcbeqaaiaa% igdacaGGVaGaaGOmaaaaaaa!3B93!\[(s'^2 )^{1/2} \], was achieved, but only after consideration of:

1. Instrumental response at high frequencies.
2. Flow distortion induced by instruments and supporting structures.
3. Spatial separation of instruments used for covariance measurements.
4. Statistical errors associated with single point measurements over a finite averaging time, and with lateral separation of two sensor arrays being compared.

     

Drag and bulk transfer coefficients associated with a shallow water surface

During September, 1971, measurements of Reynolds stress and sensible heat flux were made over a shallow coral reef off the coast of Papua. The water varied (with the tide) from 0 to 2.5 m in depth. Two independent measurements of the momentum flux confirmed that the surface deviated only slightly from aerodynamically smooth. The independent determinations of the sensible heat flux are consistent with this result, indicating a much lower Stanton number than would be expected over deeper water (viz., 1.1 × 10^–3 rather than about 1.5 × 10^–3).The near smoothness of the surface appears to be associated with either the attenuation of small surface waves resulting from the presence of a surface film or their inability to grow in the absence of longer wave components. Although it is not clear which of these effects was predominant, the data show that great care should be taken in extrapolating shallow water results to open ocean conditions, particularly when it is conceded that surface films may exist in either situation.Now with Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, U.S.A.Now with CSIRO Division of Mineral Physics, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia.     

Atmospheric turbulent fluxes over snow

On March 26, 1971, eddy fluxes of momentum, sensible heat and water vapour were measured over Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, U.S.A., which was covered by an extensive snowfall. An evaporation rate of about 0.7mm day^–1 (2.2 mW cm^–2) was detected. Wind speeds were light and the atmosphere near the surface was highly stable. In these conditions, the average sensible heat transfer and Reynolds stress were -0.9 mW cm^–2 and 0.10 dyn cm^–2, respectively. Comparison with measured gradients of wind speed, temperature and humidity yield a drag coefficient of about 0.54 × 10^–3, and bulk transfer coefficients for sensible and latent heat of 0.41 × 10^–3 and 0.78 × 10^–3, respectively, applied to 10-m data. When corrected for the effect of atmospheric stability, these three coefficients become (in the same order) 1.2 × 10^–3, 0.9 × 10^–3 and 2.5 × 10^–3. The errors in these estimates are such that the drag coefficient is not significantly different from that corresponding to an aerodynamically smooth surface, while the heat coefficients are similar to those normally applied over liquid water surfaces.     

Micrometeorological and PBL experiments in Australia

A brief summary is given of five main field experiments (or sets of expeditions) carried out in Australia in the last thirty years. The main objectives and results of each are described, and an indication is given of their impact on progress in our understanding of the planetary boundary layer (PBL).     

Combining biology,chemistry, and meteorology in modeling and measuring dry deposition

The range of chemical, biological, and meteorological processes contributing to the net exchange of trace chemical species between the atmosphere and the underlying surface is examined, in the context of a multiple-resistance exchange model. For those chemical species known to be always depositing, the resistance model provides a means to formulate appropriate deposition velocities in a convenient manner; however, extension to other situations is not straightforward. Field data indicate that the multiple-resistance approach is appropriate for application to assess the dry deposition of ozone and sulfur dioxide, but is not as appropriate for nitrogen dioxide. Data obtained over agricultural crops suggest that canopy factors frequently dominate the overall exchange process. A trial program of dry deposition measurement based on application of parameterized deposition velocities was initiated late in 1984, and has demonstrated shortcomings in under-standing concerning several factors, most importantly the roles of surface emissions and wetness, and the scaling-up of laboratory results to describe vegetative canopies.     

An experimental study of sulfur and NOx fluxes over grassland

Three independent sulfur sensors were used in a study of sulfur eddy fluxes to a field of wheat stubble and mixed grasses, conducted in Southern Ohio in September, 1979. Two of these sensors were modified commercial instruments; one operated with a prefilter to measure gaseous sulfur compounds and the other with a denuder system to provide submicron particulate sulfur data. The third sensor was a prototype system, used to measure total sulfur fluxes. The data obtained indicated that the deposition velocity for gaseous sulfur almost always exceeded that for particulate sulfur; average surface conductances were about 1.0 cm s^–1 for gaseous sulfur in the daytime and about 0.4 cm s^–1 for particulate sulfur. The data indicate that nighttime values were probably much lower. The total sulfur sensor provided support for these conclusions. The boundary-layer quantity ln(z ₀ /z _H )was found to be 2.75 ± 0.55, in close agreement with expectations and thus providing some assurance that the site was adequate for eddy flux studies. However, fluxes derived using a prototype NO_x sensor were widely scattered, partially as a consequence of sensor noise but also possibly because of the effects of nearby sources of natural nitrogen compounds.Formerly with Argonne National Laboratory.     

A micrometeorological investigation of surface exchange of O3, SO2 and NO2: A case study

Data obtained in an intensive field study of the dry deposition of sulfur dioxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide, conducted in 1985 in central Pennsylvania, are used to illustrate the factors that must be considered to assure that high quality results are derived. In particular, the quality of the site must be such that flux measurements made above the surface are representative of surface values. For this purpose, tests involving momentum transfer and the surface energy budget are especially useful. In addition, conditions must not be changing rapidly, and the statistical uncertainty associated with flux measurement must be low. For the set of data presented here, conservative quality-assurance guidelines are used to reject potentially erroneous flux data. For ozone, most of the measured fluxes are of use in deriving surface resistances. For SO₂, far fewer data points are available. For NO₂, fluxes appear to lack the order of the O₃ and SO₂ fluxes, and do not enable surface resistances to be computed. The highest-quality SO₂ and O₃ data yield surface resistances in fair average agreement with model predictions for SO₂, but substantially higher than predictions for O₃.     

Cellular modelling of river catchments and reaches: Advantages, limitations and prospects

The last decade has witnessed the development of a series of cellular models that simulate the processes operating within river channels and drive their geomorphic evolution. Their proliferation can be partly attributed to the relative simplicity of cellular models and their ability to address some of the shortcomings of other numerical models. By using relaxed interpretations of the equations determining fluid flow, cellular models allow rapid solutions of water depths and velocities. These can then be used to drive (usually) conventional sediment transport relations to determine erosion and deposition and alter the channel form. The key advance of using these physically based yet simplified approaches is that they allow us to apply models to a range of spatial scales (1–100 km²) and time periods (1–100 years) that are especially relevant to contemporary management and fluvial studies.However, these approaches are not without their limitations and technical problems. This paper reviews the findings of nearly 10 years of research into modelling fluvial systems with cellular techniques, principally focusing on improvements in routing water and how fluvial erosion and deposition (including lateral erosion) are represented. These ideas are illustrated using sample simulations of the River Teifi, Wales. A detailed case study is then presented, demonstrating how cellular models can explore the interactions between vegetation and the morphological dynamics of the braided Waitaki River, New Zealand. Finally, difficulties associated with model validation and the problems, prospects and future issues important to the further development and application of these cellular fluvial models are outlined.     

Using beamforming to maximise the detection capability of small,sparse seismometer arrays deployed to monitor oil field activities

Like most other industrial activities that affect the subsurface, hydraulic fracturing carries the risk of reactivating pre‐existing faults and thereby causing induced seismicity. In some regions, regulators have responded to this risk by imposing traffic light scheme‐type regulations, where fracture stimulation programs must be amended or shut down if events larger than a given magnitude are induced. Some sites may be monitored with downhole arrays and/or dense near‐surface arrays, capable of detecting very small microseismic events. However, such monitoring arrangements will not be logistically or economically feasible at all sites. Instead, operators are using small, sparse arrays of surface seismometers to meet their monitoring obligations. The challenge we address in this paper is to maximise the detection thresholds of such small, sparse, surface arrays so that they are capable of robustly identifying small‐magnitude events whose signal‐to‐noise ratios may be close to 1. To do this, we develop a beamforming‐and‐stacking approach, computing running short‐term/long‐term average functions for each component of each recorded trace (P, S_H, and S_V), time‐shifting these functions by the expected travel times for a given location, and performing a stack. We assess the effectiveness of this approach with a case study using data from a small surface array that recorded a multi‐well, multi‐stage hydraulic fracture stimulation in Oklahoma over a period of 8 days. As a comparison, we initially used a conventional event‐detection algorithm to identify events, finding a total of 17 events. In contrast, the beamforming‐and‐stacking approach identified a total of 155 events during this period (including the 17 events detected by the conventional method). The events that were not detected by the conventional algorithm had low‐signal‐to‐noise ratios to the extent that, in some cases, they would be unlikely to be identified even by manual analysis of the seismograms. We conclude that this approach is capable of improving the detection thresholds of small, sparse arrays and thus can be used to maximise the information generated when deployed to monitor industrial sites.