A comparative evaluation of the coastal internal boundary-layer height equations

Abstract

A parabolic shaped Thermal Internal Boundary Layer (TIBL) develops at the coast because of the temperature discontinuity between land and water. The TIBL is shown to play a significant role in determining where a coastal elevated plume fumigates to the ground. Six TIBL models available in the literature were identified and statistically compared. Two data bases obtained from the TIBL experiments, one at eastern Long Island, the other at the Kashimaura area of Japan, were used for statistical comparisons. Statistical methods of t, F and R were used to determine bias, scatter and correlation. The data were also classified according to wind speed (low and high) and stability (unstable, neutral, isothermal and stable onshore flow) to determine whether some models worked better under certain conditions. These limited data indicated that a formulation which included heat flux and wind speed together with overwater lapse rate, all raised to the half power, performed the best. Classifications according to wind speed and thermal stability also showed that the heat flux type of equation worked reasonably well.