The structure of turbulence in the near-neutral atmospheric boundary layer

Abstract

It is found that in the lower half of the boundary layer, the turbulence exhibits local similarity and that the turbulence kinetic energy budget is essentially a balance between shear production and dissipation. In the upper half of the boundary layer, where turbulent transport is a significant term in the turbulence kinetic energy balance, local similarity breaks down. This is consistent with the second-order moment equations, which suggest that local similarity arises in situations where the turbulent and pressure transport terms are small. Results from a large-eddy simulation of the neutral boundary layer are also investigated using local similarity. -from Author