Journal list menu
Article
Turbulent transfer relationships over an urban surface. I. Spectral characteristics
M. Roth,
T. R. Oke,
Corresponding Author
M. Roth
University of British Columbia, Canada
Atmospheric Science Programme, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorM. Roth,
T. R. Oke,
Corresponding Author
M. Roth
University of British Columbia, Canada
Atmospheric Science Programme, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorAbstract
A comprehensive study of atmospheric turbulence over an urban surface has been carried out. In this Part I of the study the spectral characteristics are analysed. Results involving all the important atmospheric variables, Measured at two heights (z'/z0=21 and 37) under unstable conditions, are presented, normalized by the respective variances/covariances, and within the Monin-Obukhov similarity framework. Although the shapes and location of the peaks of the urban spectra/cospectra are in good agreement with homogeneous surface layer data, the analysis of the normalized dissipation rates and spectral correlation coefficients reveals differences which can be attributed to the rough surface. For example, the dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy is relatively small, perhaps owing to an increase in the transport and export of locally produced turbulent energy; there is a very efficient transfer of Momentum which it is suggested may be a result of wake production associated with bluff bodies, and it is found that the transfer of heat and moisture are dissimilar.
References
- Anderson, D. E. and Verma, S. B. 1985 Turbulence spectra of CO2, water vapour, temperature and wind velocity fluctuations over a crop surface. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 33, 1–14
- Bladocchi, D. D. and Meyers, T. P. 1988 A spectral and lag-correlation analysis of turbulence in a deciduous forest canopy. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 45, 31–58
- Biltoft, C. A. and Gaynor, J. E. 1987 Comparison of two types of sonic anemometers and fast-response thermometers. Pp. 173–176 in Proc. 6th Symp. Meteorological Observations and Instrumentation, 12-16 Jan., New Orleans, LA. American meterological Society
- Buck, A. 1985 The Lyman-α absorption hygrometer. Pp. 775–777 in Moisture and Humidity, measurement and Control in Science and Industry. Proc. Int. Symp. Moisture and Humidity, 15-18 April, Washington, D.C.
- Campbell, G. S. and Tanner, B. D. 1985 A Krypton hygrometer for measurement of atmospheric water vapour concentration. Pp. 609–614 in Moisture and Humidity, measurement and control in science and Industry. Proc. Int. Symp. Moisture and Humidity 15-18 April, Washington D.C.
- Campbell, G. S. and Unsworth, M. H. 1979 An inexpensive sonic anemometer for eddy correlation. J. Appl. Meteorol., 18, 1072–1077
- Campagne, F. H., Friehe, C. A., LaRue, J. C. and Wyngaard, J. C. 1977 Flux Measurements, flux estimation techniques and fine-scale turbulence Measurements in the unstable surface layer over land. J. Atmos. Sci., 34, 515–530
- Chen, F. 1991a Turbulent characteristics over a rough natural surface. Part I: Turbulent structures. J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 151–175
- Chen, F. 1991b Turbulent characteristics over a rough natural surface. Part II: Responses of profiles to turbulence. J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 301–311
- Clarke, J. F., Ching, J. K. S. and Godowitch, J. M. 1982 ‘An experimental study of turbulence in an urban environment. Tech. Rep. U.S. E.P.A., Research Triangle Park, N.C., NMS PB 226085’
- Clarke, J. F., Ching, J. K. S., Godowitch, J. M. and Binkowski, F. S. 1987 Surface layer turbulence in an urban area. pp. 161–199 in Modeling the Urban Boundary Layer. American Meteorological Society
- Cleugh, H. A. and Oke, T. R. 1986 Suburban-rural energy balance comparisons in summer for Vancouver, B.C. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 36, 351–369
- Coppin, P. A. 1979 ‘ Turbulent fluxes over an uniform urban surface’. PhD. thesis. The Flinders University of South Australia
- Dyer, A. J. and Hicks, B. B. 1982 Kiolmogoroff constants at the 1976 ITEC. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 22, 137–150
- Elagina, L. G. 1969 The relation of frequency spectra of humidity fluctuations to moisture fluxes. Izv. Atmos. Oceanic Phys., 5, 621–622
- Gao, W., Shaw, R. H. and Paw, U. K. T. 1989 Observation of organized structure in turbulent flow within and above a forest canopy. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 47, 349–377
- Garratt, J. R. 1978a Flux profile relations above tall vegetation. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 104, 199–211
- Garratt, J. R. 1978b Transfer characteristics for a heterogeneous surface of large aerodynamic roughness. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 104, 491–502
- Garratt, J. R. 1980 Surface influence upon vertical profiles in the atmospheric near-surface layer. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 106, 803–819
- Grimmond, C. S. B., Cleugh, H. A. and Oke, T. R. 1991 An objective urban heat storage model and its comparison with other schemes. Atmos. Environ., 25B, 311–326
-
Högström, U. and
Smedman-Högström, A-S.
1974
Turbulence mechanisms at an agricultural site.
Boundary-Layer Meteorol.,
7,
373–389
10.1007/BF00240839 Google Scholar
- Högström, U., Bergström, H. and Alexandersson, H. 1982 Turbulence characteristics in a near neutrally stratified urban atmosphere. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 23, 449–472
- Højstrup, J. 1981 A simple model for the adjustment of velocity spectra in unstable conditions downstream of an abrupt change in roughness and heat flux. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 21, 341–356
-
Jackson, P. S.
1978
Wind structure near a city centre.
Boundary-Layer Meteorol.,
15,
323–340
10.1007/BF02652604 Google Scholar
- Kaimal, J. C. 1978 Horizontal velocity spectra in an unstable surface layer. J. Atmos. Sci., 35, 18–24
- Kaimal, J. C. and Gaynor, J. E. 1983 The Boulder atmospheric observatory. J. Clim. Appl. Meteorol., 22, 863–880
- Kaimal, J. C., Wyngaard, J. C., Izumi, Y. and Coté, O. R. 1972 Spectral characteristics of surface-layer turbulence. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 98, 563–589
- Large, W. G. 1979 ‘ The turbulent fluxes of momentum and sensible heat over the open sea during moderate to strong winds.’. Ph.D. Thesis. The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
- Lumley, J. L. and Panofsky, H. A. 1964 The structure of atmospheric turbulence. Interscience, New York
- Massman, W. J., Fox, D. G., Zeller, K. F. and Lukens, D. 1990 ‘ Verifying eddy correlation Measurements of dry deposition: A study of the energy balance components of the Pawanee grassland’. Res. Pap. RM-288, USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO 80526
-
McBean, G. A.
1971
The variations of the statistics of wind, temperature and humidity fluctuations with stability.
Boundary-Layer Meteorol.,
1,
438–457
10.1007/BF00184782 Google Scholar
-
McBean, G. A.
1973
Comparison of the turbulent transfer processes near the surface.
Boundary-Layer Meteorol.,
4,
265–274
10.1007/BF02265237 Google Scholar
- McBean, G. A. and Elliott, J. A. 1981 Pressure and humidity effects on optical refractive-index fluctuations. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 20, 101–109
- McBean, G. A. and Miyake, M. 1972 Turbulent transfer mechanisms in the atmospheric surface layer. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 98, 383–398
- Monin, A. S. and Obukhov, A. M. 1954 Dimensionless characteristics of turbulence in the surface layer. Tridy Geofiz. Inst., Akad. Nauk. SSR, 24, 163–187
- Moore, C. J. 1986 Frequency response correction for eddy correlation systems. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 37, 17–35
-
Mulhearn, P. J. and
Finningan, J. J.
1978
Turbulent flow over a very rough, random surface.
Boundary-Layer Meteorol.,
15,
109–132
10.1007/BF00165509 Google Scholar
- Ohitaki, E. 1985 On the similarity in atmospheric fluctuations of carbon dioxide, water vapour and temperature over vegetated fields. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 32, 25–37
- Oke, T. R., Cleugh, H. A., Grimmond, C. S. B., Schmid, H. P. and Roth, M. 1989 Evaluation of spatially-averaged fluxes of heat, mass and momentum in the urban boundary layer. Weather Clim. 9, 14–21
- Panofsky, H. A. and Dutton, J. A. 1984 Atmospheric Turbulence. John Wiley and Sons, New York
- Paquin, J. E. and Pond, S. 1971 The determination of the Kiolmogoroff constants for velocity, temperature and humidity fluctuations from second- and third-order structure functions. J. Fluid Mech., 50, 257–269
- Phelps, G. T. and Pond, S. 1971 Spectra of the temperature and humidity fluctuations and of the fluxes of moisture and sensible heat in the marine boundary layer. J. Atmos. Sci., 28, 918–928
- Raupach, M. R. 1979 Anomalies in flux-gradient relationships over forest. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 16, 467–486
- Raupach, M. R. and Thom, A. S. 1981 Turbulence in and above plant canopies. Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech., 13, 97–129
- Raupach, M. R., Thom, A. S. and Edwards, I. 1980 A wind-tunnel study of turbulent flow close to regularly arrayed rough surfaces. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 18, 373–397
- Rotach, M. W. 1991 Turbulence within and above an urban canopy. Zürcher Georgr. Schrift. 45
- Roth, M. 1990 Turbulent transfer characteristics over a rough urban surface. Pp. 293–296 in Preprint 9th. Symp. Turbulence and Diffusion, 30 April-3 May, Risø, Roskilde, Denmark. American Meteorological Society
- Roth, M. 1991 ‘ Turbulent transfer characteristics over a suburban surface’. PhD. Thesis, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
- Roth, M. 1993 Turbulent transfer relationships over an urban surface. II: Integral statistics. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 119, 1105–1120
- Roth, M., Oke, T. R. and Steyn, D. G. 1989 Velocity and temperature spectra and cospectra in an unstable suburban atmosphere. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 47, 309–320
- Schmid, H. P. 1988 ‘ Spatial scales of sensible heat flux variability: Representativeness of flux Measurements and surface layer structure over suburban terrain’. PhD. Thesis, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
- Schmid, H. P. and Oke, T. R. 1990 A model to estimate the source area contributing to turbulent exchange in surface layer over patchy terrain. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 116, 965–988
- Schmid, H. P. and Oke, T. R. 1992 ‘ Scaling North American urban climates by lines, lanes and rows’. In Geophysical Snapshots of North America. Ed. D. Janelle. Rutgers. Univ. Press, New Haven
- Schmid, H. P., Cleugh, H. A., Grimmond, C. S. B. and Oke, T. R. 1991 Spatial variability of energy fluxes in suburban terrian. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 54, 249–276
- Schmitt, K. F., Friehe, C. A. and Gibson, C. H. 1979 Structure of marine surface layer turbulence. J. Atmos. Sci., 36, 602–618
- Schotanus, P., Nieuwstadt, F. T. M. and deBruin, H. A. R. 1983 Temperature Measurements with a sonic anemometer and its application to heat and moisture fluxes. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 26, 81–93
-
Smedman-Högström, A-S.
1973
Temperature and humidity spectra in the atmospheric surface layer.
Boundary-Layer Meteorol.,
3,
329–347
10.1007/BF00736184 Google Scholar
- Steyn, D. G. 1980 ‘ Turbulence, diffusion and the daytime mixed layer depth over a coastal city’. PhD. Thesis, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver
- Steyn, D. G. 1982 Turbulence in an unstable surface layer over suburban terrain. Boundary-Layer Meteorol., 22, 183–191
- Tanner, B. D. and Green, J. P. 1989 ‘ Measurement of sensible heat and water vapor fluxes using eddy correlation Methods’. Final report, prepared for U.S. Army Dugway Proving Grounds
- Wyngaard, J. C. 1981 The effects of probe-induced flow distortion on atmospheric turbulence Measurements. J. Appl. Meteorol., 20, 784–794
- Wyngaard, J. C. and Coté, O. R. 1971 The budgets of turbulent kinetic energy and temperature variance in the atmospheric surface layer. J. Atmos. Sci., 28, 190–201
- Wyngaard, J. C. and Coté, O. R. 1972 Cospectral similarity in the atmospheric surface layer. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc., 98, 590–603
-
Wyngaard, J. C. and
Zhang, S. F.
1985
Transducer-shadow effects on turbulence spectra Measured by sonic anemometers.
J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol.,
2,
548–558
10.1175/1520-0426(1985)002<0548:TSEOTS>2.0.CO;2 Google Scholar
- Wyngaard, J. C., Pennell, W. T., Lenschow, D. H. and Lemone, M. A. 1978 The temperature-humidity covariance budget in the convective boundary layer. J. Atmos. Sci., 35, 47–58
