Turbulence Closures In Neutral Boundary Layer Over Complex Terrain

In this work, three turbulence closure models, Mellor andYamada level 2.5, E - l and E - implemented in a circulation model, are compared in neutral condition over complex terrain. They are firstly applied to a one-dimensional case on flat terrain and then to a schematic two-dimensional valley. The simulation results, in terms of wind field and turbulent kinetic energy, are tested against measurements from a wind-tunnel experiment. The empirical constants defining the characteristic length scales of the closures are modified based on turbulence parameters estimated in the experiment. The formulation of the diffusion coefficients is analysed to explain the differences among the various closures in the simulation results. Regarding the mean flow, both on flat and complex terrain, all the closures yield satisfactory results. Concerning the turbulent kinetic energy, the best results are obtained by E - l and E - closures.     

Estimation Of The Lagrangian Structure Function Constant C0 From Surface-Layer Wind Data

Eulerian turbulence observations, madein the surface layer under unstable conditions (z/L > 0),by a sonic anemometer were used to estimatethe Lagrangian structure function constant _O. Twomethods were considered. The first one makes use of arelationship, widely used in the Lagrangian stochasticdispersion models, relating _O to the turbulent kineticenergy dissipation rate , wind velocity variance andLagrangian decorrelation time. The second one employsa novel equation, connecting _O to the constant of thesecond-order Eulerian structure function. Beforeestimating _O, the measurements were processed in orderto discard non-stationary cases at least to a firstapproximation and cases in which local isotropy couldnot be assumed. The dissipation was estimated eitherfrom the best fit of the energy spectrum in theinertial subrange or from the best fit of the third-orderlongitudinal Eulerian structure function. Thefirst method was preferred and applied to the subsequentpart of the analysis. Both methods predict thepartitioning of _O in different spatial components as aconsequence of the directional dependence of theEulerian correlation functions due to the isotropy.The _O values computed by both methods are presented anddiscussed. In conclusion, both methods providerealistic estimates of _O that compare well withprevious estimations reported in the literature, evenif a preference is to be attributed to the second method.     

Atmospheric Turbulence Decay During the Solar Total Eclipse of 11 August 1999

The studies of turbulence decay were based in the past on measurements carried out in neutrally stratified wind tunnels and, more recently, on large-eddy simulation runs. Here the atmospheric turbulence decay process during the solar total eclipse of 11 August 1999 is examined. Thus a rapid transition from convective boundary-layer turbulence to that of a neutral or slightly stable one is considered. A u-v-w propeller anemometer and a fast response temperature sensor located in northern France on top of a 9-m mast recorded the turbulence observations. The measurements, in terms of turbulent kinetic energy decay with time, were found to be in good agreement with those prescribed by a theoretical model of turbulence decay recently proposed. In particular, it was found that the exponent of the power law describing the decay process has the value -2.     

Estimation of the Lagrangian Velocity Structure Function Constant C0 by Large-Eddy Simulation

The inertial subrange Kolmogorov constant C ₀, which determines the effective turbulent diffusion in velocity space, plays an important role in the Lagrangian modelling of pollutants. A wide range of values of the constant are found in the literature, most of them determined at low Reynolds number and/or under different assumptions. Here we estimate the constant C ₀ by tracking an ensemble of Lagrangian particles in a planetary boundary layer simulated with a large-eddy simulation model and analysing the Lagrangian velocity structure function in the inertial subrange. The advantage of this technique is that it easily allows Reynolds numbers to be achieved typical of convective turbulent flows. Our estimates of C ₀ is C ₀=4.3±0.3 consistent with values found in the literature     

A Lagrangian Decorrelation Time Scale in the Convective Boundary Layer

A new method for deriving the Lagrangian decorrelation time scales for inhomogeneous turbulence is described. The expression for the time scales here derived for the convective boundary layer is compared to those estimated by Hanna during the Phoenix experiment. Then the values of C₀, the Lagrangian velocity structure function constant, and of B_i, the Lagrangian velocity spectrum constant, were evaluated from the Eulerian velocity spectra and from the Lagrangian time scales derived, under unstable conditions, from Taylor's statistical diffusion theory. The numerical coefficient of the lateral and vertical Lagrangian spectra in the inertial subrange was found equal to 0.21, in good agreement with previous experimental estimates.     

Theoretical considerations of meandering winds in simplified conditions

The influence of turbulence on the meandering phenomenon is investigated. The study, based on the three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations, shows that when the turbulent fluxes can be neglected an asymptotic solution results. This solution reproduces a horizontal wind oscillation with an infinite relaxation time. When there is turbulent forcing, on the other hand, a transition occurs to a new order, characterized by a spatial reorganization, leading to a wind field with a well-defined direction.     

A Theoretical Model for the Study of Convective Turbulence Decay and Comparison with Large-Eddy Simulation Data

The development of a theoretical model fora decaying convective boundary layeris considered. The model relies on thedynamical energy spectrumequation in which the buoyancy andinertial transfer terms are retained,and a closure assumptionmade for both. The parameterization for thebuoyancy term is given providing a factorizationbetween the energy source termand its temporal decay. Regarding the inertialtransfer term a hypothesis ofsuperposition is used to describe theconvective energy source and time variationof velocity correlation separately.The solution of the budget equation for theturbulent kinetic energy spectrum is possible,given the three-dimensional initial energyspectrum. This is doneutilizing a version of the Kristensen et al.(see Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 47, 149–193)model valid for non-isotropic turbulence. During thedecay the locus of the spectralpeak remains at about the sameposition as the heat flux decreases.Comparison of the theoretical modelis performed against large-eddy simulationdata for a decaying convectiveboundary layer.