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On the microstructure of atmospheric turbulence – A review of recent work in the U.S.S.R.
Author(s) -
Obukhov A. M.,
Yaglom A. M.
Publication year - 1959
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49708536402
Subject(s) - turbulence , meteorology , wind speed , space (punctuation) , scale (ratio) , atmospheric turbulence , surface layer , physics , environmental science , statistical physics , atmospheric sciences , layer (electronics) , materials science , quantum mechanics , computer science , composite material , operating system
Owing to turbulence the instantaneous distribution of wind velocity, temperature, humidity and other meteorological elements is of a very complicated character, the elements at different points undergoing random and often very considerable fluctuations. Similarly, the values of the same elements at a fixed point and at different moments are characterized by random fluctuations having a very wide spectrum. Space and time fluctuations of meteorological elements are of general geophysical interest since they characterize atmospheric turbulence which is one of the most important features of atmospheric motion. Moreover, the study of fluctuations has an applied significance as one needs to know the statistical characteristics of fluctuations for the determination of the rate of the turbulent exchange in the surface layer, for the theory of meteorological instruments and for a number of problems of atmospheric optics, atmospheric acoustics and radio‐meteorology. Because of their wide spectrum (both in space and time) the methods of study of these fluctuations vary according to the particular part of the spectrum which we are interested in. Here we shall mainly deal with the problem of small‐scale turbulence (of the micro‐inhomogeneities of the atmospheric fields) which are characterized by periods of a few hundredths of a second to some seconds and space scales of a few centimetres to some metres. Our considerations will mostly refer to the surface layer which has been most studied. In the U.S.S.R. a number of theoretical and experimental investigations concerning the microstructure of the principle meteorological fields, mainly those of the wind velocity and temperature, have recently been carried out. The results of these investigations are in satisfactory agreement. Simultaneously some special problems of the physics of the atmosphere using the above‐mentioned results have been treated. A brief review of all the investigations is given below.