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Turbulent transfer mechanisms in the atmospheric surface layer
Author(s) -
McBean G. A.,
Miyake M.
Publication year - 1972
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.49709841610
Subject(s) - momentum transfer , turbulence , momentum (technical analysis) , instability , heat transfer , atmospheric sciences , mechanics , environmental science , thermodynamics , meteorology , materials science , physics , optics , finance , scattering , economics
The objective of this study was to investigate the turbulent transfer mechanism near the surface. ‘Direct’ measurements of the turbulent fluxes of momentum, heat, and moisture were made in the atmospheric surface layer 2 m above a grass surface at Ladner, Canada. The spectral correlation coefficients were considered to be a measure of the transfer efficiency as a function of scale size. For momentum transfer the efficiency decreased at all scales as instability increased. It is postulated that this was due to greater amounts of momentum being transferred in bursts of short duration, thus making the spectral correlation coefficient, averaged over sufficient time, smaller. The Ladner results for heat transfer showed that its transfer efficiency increased at all scales when instability increased. The ratio of the transfer efficiency of heat to that of momentum was greater than 1 for most scales, even for near neutral stratifications, and increased to between 2 and 3 for more unstable conditions. The efficiency of moisture transfer was usually smaller than that for heat transfer and was found to depend on the correlation between moisture fluctuations and those of temperature.