Alternative Turbulence-Based Surface Similarity Scaling

An alternative surface parameterization theory was applied to three micrometeorological field research datasets for turbulence over bare ground. The datasets were based on measurements taken in 2005 and 2011 in UC Davis, and from the Horizontal Array Turbulence Study (HATS) of 2000. Wind shears and temperature gradients were made dimensionless with the standard deviation of the turbulent vertical velocity instead of the friction velocity, and were shown to give results equal or better than the conventional Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The turbulent transfer coefficients were also expressed in terms of these alternative turbulent scaling velocities. Our research shows that direct measures of turbulent velocity scales, rather than flux-based scales such as the friction velocity u*, can be used successfully, and are philosophically indicated as a more direct way to parameterize turbulence.