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Title: Can a simple dynamical system describe the interplay between drag and buoyancy in terrain-induced canopy flows?

Abstract

Under non-neutral stratification and in the presence of topography the dynamics of turbulent flow within a canopy is not yet completely understood. This has, among others, serious implications for the measurement of surface – atmosphere exchange by means of eddy-covariance: for example the measurement of carbon dioxide fluxes are strongly influenced if drainage flows occur during night, when the flow within the canopy decouples from the flow aloft. An improved physical understanding of the behavior of scalars under canopy turbulence in complex terrain is urgently needed. In the present work, we investigate the dynamics of turbulent flow within sloped canopies, focusing on the slope wind and potential temperature. We concentrate on the presence of oscillatory behavior in the flow variables in terms of switching of flow regimes by conducting linear stability analysis. We revisit and correct the simplified theory that exists in the literature, which is based on the interplay between the drag force and the buoyancy. We find that the simplified description of this dynamical system cannot exhibit the observed richness of the dynamics. To augment the simplified dynamical system’s analysis, we make use of large-eddy simulation of a three-dimensional hill covered by a homogeneous forest and analyze themore » phase synchronization behavior of the buoyancy and drag forces in the momentum budget to explore the turbulent dynamics in more detail.« less

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany). Atmospheric Environmental Research, Inst. for Meteorology and Climate Research
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
Contributing Org.:
Helmholtz Association (Germany)
OSTI Identifier:
1416282
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-17-24028
Journal ID: ISSN 0022-4928; TRN: US1800895
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 75; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-4928
Publisher:
American Meteorological Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; Earth Sciences

Citation Formats

De Roo, Frederik, and Banerjee, Tirtha. Can a simple dynamical system describe the interplay between drag and buoyancy in terrain-induced canopy flows?. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1175/JAS-D-17-0161.1.
De Roo, Frederik, & Banerjee, Tirtha. Can a simple dynamical system describe the interplay between drag and buoyancy in terrain-induced canopy flows?. United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-17-0161.1
De Roo, Frederik, and Banerjee, Tirtha. Fri . "Can a simple dynamical system describe the interplay between drag and buoyancy in terrain-induced canopy flows?". United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-17-0161.1. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1416282.
@article{osti_1416282,
title = {Can a simple dynamical system describe the interplay between drag and buoyancy in terrain-induced canopy flows?},
author = {De Roo, Frederik and Banerjee, Tirtha},
abstractNote = {Under non-neutral stratification and in the presence of topography the dynamics of turbulent flow within a canopy is not yet completely understood. This has, among others, serious implications for the measurement of surface – atmosphere exchange by means of eddy-covariance: for example the measurement of carbon dioxide fluxes are strongly influenced if drainage flows occur during night, when the flow within the canopy decouples from the flow aloft. An improved physical understanding of the behavior of scalars under canopy turbulence in complex terrain is urgently needed. In the present work, we investigate the dynamics of turbulent flow within sloped canopies, focusing on the slope wind and potential temperature. We concentrate on the presence of oscillatory behavior in the flow variables in terms of switching of flow regimes by conducting linear stability analysis. We revisit and correct the simplified theory that exists in the literature, which is based on the interplay between the drag force and the buoyancy. We find that the simplified description of this dynamical system cannot exhibit the observed richness of the dynamics. To augment the simplified dynamical system’s analysis, we make use of large-eddy simulation of a three-dimensional hill covered by a homogeneous forest and analyze the phase synchronization behavior of the buoyancy and drag forces in the momentum budget to explore the turbulent dynamics in more detail.},
doi = {10.1175/JAS-D-17-0161.1},
journal = {Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences},
number = 3,
volume = 75,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {2}
}