Abstract
In a study using the plume from the Four Corners power plant, near Farmington, N.M., lee waves were observed during times when the plume flowed across the Hogback. Wavelengths were typically about 1.2 km; wave amplitudes were more variable, ranging from 20 to 100 m. The observed amplitudes imply an obstacle that is broader and shallower than is actually the case. This is in agreement with laboratory studies that show the existence of regions of complex flow both upstream and downstream from an obstacle, which have the effect of broadening the region over which laminar flow occurs. Visual observation, measurement of the plume cross-sectional area both upstream and downstream from the Hogback, and measurement of plume aerosol concentrations show that turbulent and eddy flow over and downwind from the Hogback increase the rate of mixing of the plume with the surrounding atmosphere. This in turn increases the rate at which plume components come into contact with the ground.
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Van Valin, C.C., Pueschel, R.F., Barrett, E.W. et al. Field observations of stratified atmospheric flow above an obstacle. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 24, 331–343 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121598
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121598