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Measurement of the vertical flux of turbulent kinetic energy with a single Doppler radar

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Abstract

The Doppler radar velocity azimuth display (VAD) technique for obtaining first and second moments of radial wind velocities is expanded to third-moment calculations. By scanning at an elevation angle of 50.8°, terms of the third-moment equation can be reduced to yield the vertical flux of turbulent kinetic energy, % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaa0aaaeaace% WG3bGbauaaceWGXbGbauaaaaaaaa!3807!\[\overline {w'q'} \]. The technique has been applied to summertime radar measurements of the convective boundary layer in Illinois. Resulting vertical profiles of % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafeart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaa0aaaeaace% WG3bGbauaaceWGXbGbauaaaaaaaa!3807!\[\overline {w'q'} \] follow the expected shape, and the magnitudes compare well with those of aircraft measurements in previous studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wave Propagation Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 80303, Boulder, CO, USA

    A. Shelby Frisch, Brooks E. Martner & Janet S. Gibson

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  1. A. Shelby Frisch
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  2. Brooks E. Martner
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  3. Janet S. Gibson
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Frisch, A.S., Martner, B.E. & Gibson, J.S. Measurement of the vertical flux of turbulent kinetic energy with a single Doppler radar. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 49, 331–337 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00123648

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