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A TKE‐Based Framework for Studying Disturbed Atmospheric Surface Layer Flows and Application to Vertical Velocity Variance Over Canopies
Author(s) -
Chamecki Marcelo,
Dias Nelson L.,
Freire Livia S.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl077853
Subject(s) - turbulence kinetic energy , dissipation , environmental science , turbulence , mechanics , atmospheric sciences , buoyancy , meteorology , geology , physics , thermodynamics
We propose an approach to study disturbed surface layer flows based on a simplified form of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget equation (the reduced TKE budget ), which can be represented by a two‐dimensional phase space. The phase space provides a way to quantify relative contributions of shear and buoyancy production/destruction of TKE, as well as the local imbalance between local production and dissipation. In this framework, Monin‐Obukhov Similarity Theory represents one possible approach to reduce the dimensionality of the phase space. We apply this framework to study the vertical velocity variance in the canonical surface layer and in the canopy roughness sublayer above the Amazon forest. Results reveal interesting insight into the behavior of the vertical velocity variance over forests, linking its magnitude to the imbalance between local production and dissipation of TKE.