Mean Structure of the Nocturnal Boundary Layer under Strong and Weak Wind Conditions: EPRI Case Study

Abstract

Abstract The major objective of this study was to analyze the mean structure and evolution of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) under strong and weak wind conditions. Meteorological data collected during the plume-validation experiment conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) over a flat homogeneous terrain at Kincaid, Illinois (39°35′N, 89°25′W), were utilized. A one-dimensional meteorological boundary layer model originally developed by R. A. Pielke, modified with turbulent kinetic energy mixing-length closure, a layer-by-layer emissivity-based radiation scheme, and nonlinear nondimensional temperature and wind profiles in the surface layer, was used. In the four cases that were considered, ranging from strong to weak geostrophic forcing, the model reproduced the observed mean profiles, their evolutions in the NBL, and the inertial oscillations reasonably well. The NBL developed into three layers wherein 1) very close to the surface, radiative cooling dominated over turbulence cooling;...