The influence of atmospheric stability on the budgets of the Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy within and above a deciduous forest

Abstract

This paper shows that the inclusion of thermal effects is necessary to correctly interpret the physical processes involved in the generation or suppression of Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy inside a forest canopy. In both of these budgets, thermal effects are largest in the upper third of the canopy where the foliage is densest and the radiation load highest. The magnitude of the buoyant production term in both these budgets increases almost linearly with instability in the upper region of the canopy. The onset of stability exerts a strong influence on the behavior of the shear production in both the budgets of Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy. In strong thermal stratification, the shear production term becomes a sink of Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy in the lower half of the canopy. -Authors