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Stability Dependence and Diurnal Change of Large-Scale Turbulence Structures in the Near-Neutral Atmospheric Boundary Layer Observed from a Meteorological Tower

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Abstract

Based on the analysis of observations from a 213-m tall meteorological tower at Tsukuba, Japan, we have investigated the favourable conditions for the predominant existence of large-scale turbulence structures in the near-neutral atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). From the wavelet variance spectrum for the streamwise velocity component (\(u\)) measured by a sonic anemometer-thermometer at the highest level (200 m), large-scale structures (time-scale range of 100–300 s) predominantly exist under slightly unstable and close to neutral conditions. The emergence of large-scale structures also can be related to the diurnal evolution of the ABL. The large-scale structures play an important role in the overall flow structure of the lower boundary layer. For example, \(u\) velocity components at the 200-m and 50-m levels show relatively high correlation with the existence of large-scale structures. Under slightly unstable (near-neutral) conditions, a low-speed region in advance of the high-speed structure shows a positive deviation of temperature and appears as the plume structure that is forced by buoyancy in the heated lower layer. In spite of the difference in buoyancy effects between the near-neutral and unstable cases, large-scale structures are frequently observed in both cases and the same vertical correlation of \(u\) components is indicated. However, the vertical wind shear is smaller in the unstable cases. On the other hand, in near-neutral cases, the transport efficiency of momentum at the higher level and the flux contribution of sweep motions are larger than those in the unstable cases.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the members of the MRI for the observations using the meteorological tower and a great deal of support for the research. The first author is also grateful to colleagues in the Disaster Prevention Research Institute and members of the Meteorological Society of Japan for fruitful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Gokanosho, Uji, Kyoto, Japan

    Mitsuaki Horiguchi & Taiichi Hayashi

  2. Meteorological Research Institute, Japan Meteorological Agency, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Ahoro Adachi & Shigeru Onogi

Authors
  1. Mitsuaki Horiguchi
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  2. Taiichi Hayashi
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  3. Ahoro Adachi
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  4. Shigeru Onogi
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Correspondence to Mitsuaki Horiguchi.

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Horiguchi, M., Hayashi, T., Adachi, A. et al. Stability Dependence and Diurnal Change of Large-Scale Turbulence Structures in the Near-Neutral Atmospheric Boundary Layer Observed from a Meteorological Tower. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 151, 221–237 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-013-9903-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-013-9903-1

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