Revisiting the Local Scaling Hypothesis in Stably Stratified Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Turbulence: an Integration of Field and Laboratory Measurements with Large-Eddy Simulations

• DOI: 10.1007/s10546-005-9036-2
• Publication Date: 2005-12-19T17:04:48Z
• Authors: Sukanta Basu; Fernando Porté-agel; Efi Foufoula-Geor...; Jean-François Vin...; Markus Pahlow
• Keywords: Closure (psychology); Large-Eddy Simulation

The `local scaling' hypothesis, first introduced by Nieuwstadt two decades ago, describes the turbulence structure of stable boundary layers in a very succinct way and is an integral part of numerous local closure-based numerical weather prediction models. However, the validity of this hypothesis under very stable conditions is a subject of on-going debate. In this work, we attempt to address this controversial issue by performing extensive analyses of turbulence data from several field campaigns, wind-tunnel experiments and large-eddy simulations. Wide range of stabilities, diverse field conditions and a comprehensive set of turbulence statistics make this study distinct.