Temperature structure functions for air flow over moderately heated ground

Abstract

We study temperature structure functions of second, fourth, and sixth orders at heights of up to 2 m above the ground in moderately heated atmosphere. Most of the data come from measurements over salt flats of the Utah desert, with well-defined wind direction and uniform temperature boundary conditions. As in high-Rayleigh-number convection in a closed container, a thermal boundary layer develops near the ground, its thickness here being of the order of 50 cm. We demonstrate the coexistence of two scaling ranges, one of which corresponds to the classical inertial range and the other to the buoyant range influenced by thermal convection. The determination of scaling exponents in the two ranges is facilitated by the use of a scaling function. We present the variations with height of scaling exponents in both ranges, as well as the crossover scales from one range to another.