Remote Determination of Turbulence Parameters of a Stratified Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Abstract

Results of experiments on determining turbulence parameters of a stratified atmospheric boundary layer by means of remote sensing are presented. The height–time distributions of the dissipation rate of kinetic energy of turbulence and those of the structural constant of turbulent fluctuations of temperature obtained using a coherent wind lidar and a temperature radiometer are compared with height variations in parameters characterizing atmospheric stratification. It is shown that the dissipation rate which determines the intensity of wind turbulence decreases in the boundary layer with height for all types of thermal stratification. The intensity of turbulent fluctuations of temperature depends to a greater extent on variations in thermodynamic stability in the atmosphere. If the thermal instability of the atmosphere at larger heights exceeds that in lower layers, then the structural constant of temperature fluctuations can not decrease but increase with height. In accordance with height variations in the structural constant of temperature, values of the structural constant of turbulent pulsations of the refractive index can also increase with height and differ from those predicted based on known models.