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  • Influence of Stability and Surface Roughness on Turbulence during the Stable Atmospheric Variability and Transport (SAVANT) Field Campaign
Title: Influence of Stability and Surface Roughness on Turbulence during the Stable Atmospheric Variability and Transport (SAVANT) Field Campaign
Abstract Harvesting of crops in a weakly sloping Midwestern field during the Stable Atmospheric Variability and Transport (SAVANT) observation campaign allowed for a systematic investigation of the influence of surface roughness and static stability magnitude on the applicability of the Monin–Obukhov similarity (MOST) and hockey-stick transition (HOST) theories during stable boundary layer periods. We analyze momentum flux and turbulent velocity scale V TKE in three regimes, defined using the gradient Richardson number Ri and flux Richardson number Ri f as regime 1 (0 < Ri ≤ 0.1 and 0 < Ri f ≤ 0.1), regime 2 (0.1 < Ri ≤ 0.23 and 0.1 < Ri f ≤ 0.23), and regime 3 (both Ri and Ri f > 0.23). After harvest, in regime 1, stability varied from near-neutral to weakly stable and both MOST and HOST were applicable to estimate the momentum fluxes and V TKE as a function of mean wind speed. In regime 2, the momentum flux deviated from the MOST linear relationship as stability increased. In regimes 1 and 2, a HOST-defined threshold wind speed V s was identified beyond which V TKE increased linearly with wind speed at a rate of 0.26 for all observation heights. Below this threshold wind speed, V TKE behaved independent of mean wind and observation heights. Alternatively, for preharvest periods, MOST was applicable in regimes 1 and 2 for all heights and HOST was applicable with reduced V s for heights above the crop layer. Regime 3 during pre- and postharvest consisted of strongly stable periods and very weak to weak winds, where MOST was found to be invalid and V TKE remained low and independent of wind speed. The results suggest that roughness due to crops enhances the turbulence generation at lower wind speeds.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1733746
PAR ID:
10385847
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
Volume:
61
Issue:
9
ISSN:
1558-8424
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1273 to 1289
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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