A Spectral Budget Model for the Longitudinal Turbulent Velocity in the Stable Atmospheric Surface Layer

A spectral budget model is developed to describe the scaling behavior of the longitudinal turbulent velocity variance with the stability parameter and the normalized height in an idealized stably stratified atmospheric surface layer (ASL), where z is the height from the surface, L is the Obukhov len...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the atmospheric sciences 2016-01, Vol.73 (1), p.145-166
Main Authors: Banerjee, Tirtha, Li, Dan, Juang, Jehn-Yih, Katul, Gabriel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric boundary layer
Atmospherics
Boundary layers
Budgeting
Budgets
Computational fluid dynamics
Hypotheses
Laboratories
Mathematical models
Meteorology
Reynolds number
Spectra
Stability
Temperature profiles
Turbulence
Velocity
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A spectral budget model is developed to describe the scaling behavior of the longitudinal turbulent velocity variance with the stability parameter and the normalized height in an idealized stably stratified atmospheric surface layer (ASL), where z is the height from the surface, L is the Obukhov length, and delta is the boundary layer height. The proposed framework employs Kolmogorov's hypothesis for describing the shape of the longitudinal velocity spectra in the inertial subrange, Heisenberg's eddy viscosity as a closure for the pressure redistribution and turbulent transfer terms, and the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) scaling for linking the mean longitudinal velocity and temperature profiles to zeta . At a given friction velocity , reduces with increasing zeta as expected. The model is consistent with the disputed z-less stratification when the stability correction function for momentum increases with increasing zeta linearly or as a power law with the exponent exceeding unity. For the Businger-Dyer stability correction function for momentum, which varies linearly with zeta , the limit of the z-less onset is . The proposed framework explains why does not follow MOST scaling even when the mean velocity and temperature profiles may follow MOST in the ASL. It also explains how delta ceases to be a scaling variable in more strongly stable (although well-developed turbulent) ranges.
ISSN:0022-4928
1520-0469
DOI:10.1175/JAS-D-15-0066.1