Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transport of Temperature and Humidity Variance and Covariance in the Marine Surface Layer

  • Published:
Boundary-Layer Meteorology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper we address the budget of potential temperature T and moisture mixing ratio q variances as well as the q-T covariance budget. We focus on the vertical transport and study the quantities contained in these terms. Estimates of transport terms are rare and to the best of our knowledge they have never been shown together in the literature. For this purpose an extensive set of humidity and temperature turbulence data from two heights in a marine environment has been analysed. We discuss and compare our results with results from earlier studies for a range of stability from near-neutral to unstable. Similarity and differences between T and q behaviour in the surface layer over water are presented.

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

  • Barthelmie, R. J., Courtney, M. S., Højstrup, J., and Sanderhoff, P.: 1994, 'The Vindeby Project, A Description', Risoe-R-741 (EN), Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark.

  • Batchvarova, E. and S. E. Gryning.: 1991, 'Applied Model for the Growth of the Daytime Mixed Layer', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 56, 261-274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, E. F., Antonia, R. A., and Chambers, A. J.: 1981, 'Temperature Structure in the Atmospheric Surface Layer', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 20, 275-292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Businger, J. A., Wyngaard, J. C., Izumi, Y., and Bradley, E. F.: 1971, 'Flux Profile Relationships in the Atmospheric Surface Layer', J. Atmos. Sci. 28, 181-189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coulmann, C. E.: 1980, 'Correlation Between Velocity, Temperature and Humidity Fluctuations in the Air Above Land and Ocean', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 19, 403-420.

    Google Scholar 

  • Champagne, F. H., Friehe, C. A., LaRue J. C., and Wyngaard, J. C.: 1977, 'Flux Measurements, Flux Estimation Techniques, and Fine-scale Turbulence Measurements in the Unstable Surface Layer Over Land', J. Atmos. Sci. 34, 515-530.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bruin, H. A. R., Kohsiek, W., and Van der Hurk, J. J. M.: 1993, 'A Verification of Some Methods to Determine the Fluxes of Momentum, Sensible Heat and Water Vapour using Standard Deviation and Structure Parameter of a Scalar Meteorological Quantities', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 63, 231-257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, A. J. and Bradley, E. F.: 1982, 'An Alternative Analysis of Flux-gradient Relationships at the 1976 ITCE', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 22, 1-19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edson, J. B. and Fairall, C. V.: 1997, 'Examination of the Kansas Relationships for the TKE and Scalar Budgets over the Ocean', Proceedings of AMS 12th Symposium on Boundary Layers and TurbulenceJuly 28-August 1, Vancouver, CA.

  • Fairall, C. W. and Larsen, S. E.: 1986, 'Inertial-dissipation Methods and Turbulent Fluxes at the Air-ocean Interface', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 34, 287-301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogstrom, U.: 1990, 'Analysis of Turbulence Structure in the Surface Layer with a Modified Formulation for Neutral Conditions', Proceedings of AMS 9th Symposium on Turbulance and Diffusion, April 30-May 3, Risø, Roskilde, Denmark, pp. 235-236.

  • Højstrup, J., Edson, J. B., Hare, J., Courtney, M. S., and Sanderhoff, P.: 1995, 'The RASEX 1994 Experiments', Risø-R-788, Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark.

  • Kaimal, J. C., Wingaard, J. C., Haugen, D. A., Coté, O. R., Yzumi, Y., Caughey, S. J., and Readings, C. J.: 1976, 'Turbulence Structure in the Convective Boundary Layer', J. Atmos. Sci. 33, 2152-2169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaimal, J. C.: 1979, 'Sonic Anemometer Measurement of Atmospheric Turbulence', Proceedings of Dynamic Flow Conference, Skovlunde, Denmark, pp. 551-565.

  • Kaimal, J. C. and Finnigan, J. J.: 1994, Atmospheric Boundary Layer Flows. Their Structure and Measurements, Oxford University Press, 289 pp.

  • Lenschow, D. H., Wingaard, J. C., and Pennel, W. T.: 1980, 'Mean Field and Second Moment Budget in a Baroclinic Convective Boundary Layer', J. Atmos. Sci. 37, 1327-1341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahrt, L.: 1976, 'Mixed-Layer Moisture Structure', Mon. Weather Rew. 104, 1403-1407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahrt, L.: 1991, 'Boundary-Layer Moisture Regimes', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 117, 151-176.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBean, G. A.: 1971, 'The Variation of the Statistics of Wind, Temperature and Humidity Fluctuations with Stability', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 1, 438-457.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBean, G. A. and Miyake, M.: 1972, 'Turbulent Transfer Mechanism in the Atmospheric Surface Layer', Quart. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc. 98, 383-398.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moeng, C. H. and Wyngaard, J. C.: 1984, 'Statistics of Conservative Scalars in the Convective Boundary-Layer, J. Atmos. Sci. 41, 3161-3169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monji, N.: 1973, 'Budgets of Turbulent Kinetic Energy and Temperature Variance in the Transition Zone from Forced to Free Convection', J. Meteorol. Soc. Japan 96, 133-145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mortensen, N. G. and Højstrup, J.: 1995, 'The Solent Sonic-response and Associated Errors', Proceedings Ninth Symposium on Meteorological Observation and instrumentation, Charlotte, NC, pp. 501-506.

  • Panofsky, H. A. and Dutton, J. A.: 1984, Atmospheric Turbulence, Models and Methods for Engineering Applications, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 397 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phelp, G. T. and Pond, S.: 1971, 'Spectra of Temperature and Humidity Fluctuations and of Humidity Fluxes and Sensible Heat Flux in a Marine Boundary Layer', J. Atmos. Sci. 28, 918-928.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sempreviva, Anna M. and Gryning, S. E.: 1996, 'Humidity Fluctuations in the Marine Boundary Layer Measured at Coastal Site with an Infrared Humidity Sensor', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 77, 331-352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sempreviva, Anna M. and Gryning, S. E.: 1997, 'Climatology and Evolution of the Mixing-height Over Water', Proceedings of Eurasap Workshop on The Determination of the Mixing Height - Current Progress and Problems. Risø-R-997(EN), 1-3 October, Risø National Laboratory, Denmark

    Google Scholar 

  • Schotanus, P., Nieuwstadt, F. T. M., and de Bruin, H. A. R.: 1983, 'Temperature Measurement with a Sonic Anemometer and its Application to Heat and Moisture Fluxes', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 26, 81-93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, K. F., Friehe, C., and Gibson, C. H.: 1979, 'Structure of Marine Surface-Layer Turbulence', J. Atmos. Sci. 36, 602-618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stull, R. B.: 1988, Introduction to the Boundary-Layer Meteorology, Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, 666 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tennekes, H. and Lumley, J. L.: 1972, A Fist Course in Turbulence, The MIT Press, 300 pp.

  • Wesely, M. L.: 1988, 'Use of Variance Techniques to Measure Dry Air-Surface Exchange Rates', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 44, 13-31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weaver, H. J.: 1990, 'Temperature and Humidity Flux-Variances Relations Determined by One-dimensional Eddy-correlation', Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 53, 77-91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyngaard, J. C. and Brost, R. A.: 1984, 'The Top-down and Bottom-up Diffusion of Scalar in the Convective Boundary-Layer', J. Atmos. Sci. 41, 102-112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyngaard, J. C. and Coté, O. R.: 1971 'The Budget of Turbulent Kinetic Energy and Temperature Variance in the Atmospheric Surface-Layer', J. Atmos. Sci. 28, 190-201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyngaard, J. C., Coté, O. R., and Izumi, Y.: 1971a, 'Local Free Convection Similarity and the Budget of the Shear Stress and Heat Flux', J. Atmos. Sci. 28, 1171-1182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyngaard, J. C., Pennel, W. T., Lenschow, D. H., and LeMone, M. A.: 1978, 'The Temperature-Humidity Covariance Budget in the Convective Boundary Layer', J. Atmos. Sci. 58, 35-47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zilitinkevich, S. S., Grachev, A. A. and Hunt, J. C. R.: 1998, 'Surface Frictional Processes and Non-local Heat/Mass Transfer in the Shear-free Convective Boundary-Layer', E. J. Plate et al. (eds.), Buoyant Convective in Geophysical Flows, pp. 76-106. NATO, ASI Series, Kluwer Academic Publishers, to appear.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Risø National Laboratory, PO BOX 49, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Anna M. Sempreviva & Jørgen Højstrup

  2. Permanent affiliation, Istituto di Fisica dell'Atmosfera, I.F.A.-C.N.R., Rome, Italy

    Anna M. Sempreviva

Authors
  1. Anna M. Sempreviva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jørgen Højstrup
    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

Sempreviva, A.M., Højstrup, J. Transport of Temperature and Humidity Variance and Covariance in the Marine Surface Layer. Boundary-Layer Meteorology 87, 233–253 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000986130783

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1000986130783

Search

Navigation