The Distribution of Eddy Velocities and Temperature Fluctuations in the First 100 Meters
Abstract
Practical problems dealing with atmospheric turbulence can be simplified by relating fluctuation values to a Gaussian distribution. This is very useful, since it specifies characteristics of the eddy velocity distributions. Fragmentary studies have given some evidence to support the Gaussian hypothesis, but to our knowledge this is the first attempt to examine the distributions of the fluctuation components for a large data sample (135 one-hour runs). The purpose of the study is to determine the deviations of the observed distribution from a normal distribution and to attempt to determine if these departures can be related to atmospheric stability surface roughness, and height above the surface. In addition, each sample was tested to determine the probability of its coming from a normal distribution. Results are in general agreement with previous investigations. Low frequency trends over hour periods tend to increase the departures from a normal distribution. Treating the probability distributions of the wind components as being normally distributed appears justified over moderate ranges of stability (z/L between -.300 and +.300).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0653016
Entities
People
- James F. Appleby
- Thomas H. Pries
Organizations
- United States Army Communications-Electronics Command