Measurements of Turbulence and Dispersion in Three Idealized Urban Canopies with Different Aspect Ratios and Comparisons with a Gaussian Plume Model

Abstract

Water-tunnel measurements of velocity, turbulence and scalar concentration for three model urban canopies with aspect ratios Ar of building height-to-width of 0.25, 1 and 3 are presented. The measurements for the canopies with Ar = 1 and 3 are new, while the measurements for Ar = 0.25 were previously published. A passive scalar was continuously released from a near-ground point source, and the concentration was measured at several distances from the source and at different heights above the ground. Plume spreads, concentration and distance from the source were non-dimensionalized using length, time and velocity scales reflecting the geometry of the buildings. The scaling collapses the data for all aspect ratios and is valid when the vertical extent of the plume is smaller than the canopy height. The observed plume spreads are compared with analytical relations, which predict linear growth in both transverse and vertical directions. The observed mean concentration is compared with a Gaussian dispersion model that predicts a −2 power-law decay with distance from the source.