Spectral similarity between scalars at very low frequencies in the unstable atmospheric surface layer over the Tibetan plateau

Boundary-Layer Meteorology volume 122, pages85–103(2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Similarity between temperature and water vapour was investigated in the Fourier domain by using their coherency spectra, defined as the correlation coefficient between their Fourier modes, and the relative efficiency of their vertical transport. The class-averaged values of these indices were computed from the turbulence measurements over sparse grasslands on the Tibetan plateau during the intensive observations of GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Experiment) Asian Monsoon Experiment (GAME). It was found that the energy-containing eddies at scales up to 100z (z being height) are characterised by well-maintained similarity between these scalars. The scalars are highly correlated with each other, and their transport efficiencies are almost equal within this scale range. In contrast, similarity was not always maintained at scales larger than 1000z. Detailed analyses showed that this breakdown of similarity occurs occasionally or sporadically, suggesting that it is caused by events whose average return period is not much smaller than the current averaging time, i.e. 30 min. We speculate that entrainment of drier and warmer air at the top of the atmospheric boundary layer caused the scalar dissimilarity at this scale range.

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Affiliations

  1. Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Jun Asanuma

  2. Terrestrial Environment Research Centre, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoh-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Jun Asanuma

  3. River Basin Research Centre, Gifu Univ., Gifu, Japan

    Ichiro Tamagawa

  4. Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto Univ., Kyoto, Japan

    Hirohiko Ishikawa & Taiichi Hayashi

  5. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Yaoming Ma

  6. Department of Information Science, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan

    Yongqiang Qi

  7. China Patent Agent (H.K.) Ltd., Beijing, China

    Yongqiang Qi

  8. Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China

    Jiemin Wang

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  1. Jun Asanuma
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  2. Ichiro Tamagawa
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  3. Hirohiko Ishikawa
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Correspondence to Jun Asanuma.

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Asanuma, J., Tamagawa, I., Ishikawa, H. et al. Spectral similarity between scalars at very low frequencies in the unstable atmospheric surface layer over the Tibetan plateau. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 122, 85–103 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-006-9096-y

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Keywords

  • Energy-containing range
  • Entrainment
  • Evaporation
  • Land-atmosphere interaction
  • Sensible heat flux