Abstract
A review is given of the observational characteristics of convective plumes in the atmospheric surface layer. It is shown that any attempt to model these plumes must include the pressure distribution.
The presence of these convective plumes in the unstable surface layer generates a bimodal distribution in the dissipation ε as derived from the inertial subrange of the horizontal velocity. An objective method has been developed to determine when a sensor is in or out a plume on the basis of the level of dissipation. This method has been further substantiated by a probability analysis which shows that ℓn ε is bimodally distributed. The two normal distributions are directly related to the “on” and “off” states as defined by the level of dissipation.
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References
Businger, J. A. and A. S. Frisch, 1972: Cold plumes. J. Geophys. Res., 77, 32703271
Kaimal, J. C., 1974: Translation speed of convective plumes in the atmospheric surface layer. Quart. J. R. Met. Soc., 100, 46–52
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Wyngaard, J. C. and O. R. Cote, 1971: The budgets of turbulent kinetic energy and temperature variance in the atmospheric surface layer. J. Atmos. Sci., 28, 190–201.
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© 1978 Plenum Press, New York
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Businger, J.A., Khalsa, S.J.S. (1978). On the Structure of Convective Elements in the Air Near the Surface. In: Favre, A., Hasselmann, K. (eds) Turbulent Fluxes Through the Sea Surface, Wave Dynamics, and Prediction. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-9806-9_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-9806-9_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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