On wakes and the net forces produced by surface-mounted obstacles in neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layers

Wakes well downstream of obstacles in the neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layer are studied using numerical models with eddy viscosity and mixing-length closure hypotheses. Variations of eddy viscosity with height near the ground are shown to exert a strong influence on the rates of wake decay. In the planetary boundary layer, it is shown that a significant proportion of the initial momentum flux deficit in the wake can be balanced by changes in the Coriolis force.