Directly measuring the power-law exponent and kinetic energy of atmospheric turbulence using coherent Doppler wind lidar

Abstract

Abstract. Atmospheric turbulence parameters, such as turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate, are of great significance in weather prediction, meteorological disasters, and forecasting. Due to the lack of ideal direct detection methods, traditional structure function methods are mainly based on Kolmogorov's assumption of local isotropic turbulence and the well-known -5/3 power law within the inertial subrange, which limits their application. Here, we propose a method for directly measuring atmospheric turbulence parameters using coherent Doppler wind lidar, which can directly obtain atmospheric turbulence parameters and vertical structural features, breaking the limitations of traditional methods. The first published spatiotemporal distribution map of the power-law exponent of the inertial subrange is provided in this study, which indicates the heterogeneity of atmospheric turbulence at different altitudes and also indicates that the power-law exponent at high altitudes does not fully comply with the -5/3 power law, proving the superiority of our method. We analyze the results under different weather conditions, indicating that the method still holds. The turbulent kinetic energy and power-law index obtained by this method are continuously compared with the results obtained with an ultrasonic anemometer for a month-long period. The results of the two have high consistency and correlation, verifying the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method. The proposed method has great significance in studying the vertical structural characteristics of atmospheric turbulence.