Measurements of wind turbulence parameters by a conically scanning coherent Doppler lidar in the atmospheric boundary layer

Abstract

The method and results of lidar studies of spatiotemporal variability of wind turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer are reported. The measurements were conducted by a Stream Line pulsed coherent Doppler lidar (PCDL) with the use of conical scanning by a probing beam around the vertical axis. Lidar data are used to estimate the kinetic energy of turbulence, turbulent energy dissipation rate, integral scale of turbulence, and momentum fluxes. The dissipation rate was determined from the azimuth structure function of radial velocity within the inertial subrange of turbulence. When estimating the kinetic energy of turbulence from lidar data, we took into account the averaging of radial velocity over the sensing volume. The integral scale of turbulence was determined on the assumption that the structure of random irregularities of the wind field is described by the von Kármán model. The domain of applicability of the used method and the accuracy of the estimation of turbulence parameters were determined. Turbulence parameters estimated from Stream Line lidar measurement data and from data of a sonic anemometer were compared.