Aerodynamic roughness of vegetated surfaces

Available experimental results indicate that as the density of roughness elements over a horizontally homogeneous surface is varied, the roughness length, z ₀, varies in a manner that exhibits a maximum at intermediate density values. In an attempt to explain this behaviour, the available analytical solutions for the wind profile inside dense homogeneous canopies were reviewed. The review indicated that the variation of z ₀ with density depends on the interrelationship between the leaf density, a, and the mixing length, l. In view of this finding, a numerical model was devised based on a simple rule for constructing mixing-length profiles in the canopy. The rule states that the actual value of l is the maximum possible under the two constraints: l l _i and ¦dl/dz¦ k, where k is the von Karman constant and the intrinsic mixing length, l _i, is a function of the local internal structure of the canopy. The model which ensures a smooth transition from dense to thin canopy, was used to reproduce the observed maximum of z ₀. The model is also capable of handling vertically non-homogeneous canopies.