Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Variability in the surface wind direction at a coastal site of complex terrain

  • Published:
Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences - Earth and Planetary Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Variability in the standard deviation of surface wind direction (σθ), under different Pasquill stability regimes on diurnal, seasonal and interannual scales has been investigated making use of a 10-year data set collected at Visakhapatnam (17°42′ N., 82° 18′ E) during January, April, August and October for winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons respectively. The diurnal scale variability in σθ is more pronounced during day time than in night. The seasonal variability in σθ is only moderate around noon while relatively large fluctuations are noticed on inter-annual scale only during day time in January and August. The seasonal dispersion in σθ decreased from most unstable regime to most stable regime.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Hanna S R 1983 Lateral turbulence intensity and plume meandering during stable conditions;J. Climate. Appl. Meteorol. 22 1424–1430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanna S R, Briggs G A, Deardorff J, Egan B A, Gifford F A and Pasquill F 1977 AMS workshop on stability classification schemes and Sigma curves—summery of recommendations;Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 59 1305–1309

    Google Scholar 

  • Mc Elroy J L 1969 A comparitive study of urban and rural dispersion;J. Appl. Meteorol. 8 19–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metcalf J I 1975 Gravity waves in a low level inversion;.J. Atmos. Sci. 32 351–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munn R E 1964 Turbulence statistics at Douglas point;J. Appl. Meteorol. 3 771–779

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Padmanabhamurthy B and Gupta R N 1979 Stability classification in micrometeorology;Mausam 30 526–527

    Google Scholar 

  • Panchal N S and Chandrasekharen E 1978 Examination of Pasquill stability classification for a coastal site;Meteorol. Rundsch. 31 84–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Panofsky H A, Egolf C A and Lipschutz R 1978 On characteristics of wind direction fluctuations in the surface layer;Boundary Layer Meteorol. 15 439–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pasquill F 1976 Atmospheric dispersion parameters in Gaussian plume modelling. Part II. Possible requirements for changes in the Turner work book values. EPA 600, USEPA, RTP, NC 2711 44

  • Raynor G S and Heyes J V 1984 Wind direction meander at a coastal site during onshore flows;J. Climate. Appl. Meteorol. 23 967–978

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadhuram Y 1982 A study of dispersion of pollutants over complex terrain with special reference to Visakhapatam city. Ph.D. thesis submitted to Andhra University, Waltair

  • Sadhuram Y 1986 Seasonal variation of σθ with wind speed, direction and stability;Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 34 99–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadhuram Y and Vittal Murthy K P R 1983 Seasonal variation of wind direction fluctuations vs Pasquill stabilities in complex terrain;Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 26 197–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadhuram Y and Vittal Murthy K P R 1984a Correlation between mixing height and surface turbulence;Environ. Pollut. (Series B) 8 17–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadhuram Y and Vittal Murthy K P R 1984b A study of pollution potential of VisakhapatnamBoundary-Layer Meteorol. 29 397–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadhuram Y and Vittal Murthy K P R 1986 Diurnal variation of Pasquill stability classes at a coastal station;Mausam 37 187–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Sedefian L and Bennett E 1980 A comparison of turbulence classification schemes;Atmos. Environ. 14 741–750

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sethuraman S 1977 The observed generation and breaking of atmospheric internal gravity waves over the Ocean;Boundary-layer Meteorol. 12 331–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sethuraman S, Nagle C and Raynor G S 1982 Seasonal variations in the formation of internal gravity waves at a coastal site;J. Appl. Meteorol. 21 237–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shirvaikar V V 1975 Recommended code of practice for micrometeorological techniques in air pollution. ISI. Doc. CDC53 (6358)

  • Singer I A and Smith M E 1953 Relation of gustiness to other meteorological parameters;J. Meteorol. 10 121–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Slade D H 1968Meteorology and atmospheric energy;USEAC, TID 24490, Division of technical information extension.

  • Verrall K A and Williams R L 1982 A method for estimating the standard deviation of wind direction;J. Climate. Appl. Meteorol. 21 1922–1925

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Oceanography, 403 004, Dona Paula, India

    Y. Sadhuram

Authors
  1. Y. Sadhuram
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sadhuram, Y. Variability in the surface wind direction at a coastal site of complex terrain. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Earth Planet Sci.) 96, 59–67 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02842638

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02842638

Keywords

Search

Navigation