On Probing the Inertial Subrange

For an extensive turbulent wind speed data set collected on the open ocean, the optimum sampling time is determined to calculate inertial-range spectra. Such spectra are widely used to estimate surface fluxes. The optimum sampling time corresponds to the turbulent memory time, the minimum period after which a given time series can be interpreted as a new independent measurement. In our case, this interval is found to be only about six seconds.Separate spectral levels are calculated from the three measured vector components of the wind. Their ratios are compatible with the assumption of an isotropic inertial subrange, but scatter considerably. Alignment factors are developed based on Kolmogorov's theory, and the aligned spectral levels coincide within a few percent. It is proposed that alignment might be a more reliable test than the ratio of the spectral levels to determine whether observations have taken place in a universal inertial subrange. It is recommended that all three wind components are used to estimate the dissipation rate.