On the Applicability of Similarity Theory for the Stable Atmospheric Boundary Layer over Complex Terrain

Abstract

Micrometeorological measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer over a hilly forest terrain have been made on a meteorological tower at several levels from the forest canopy top to a height that exceeds the height of trees almost seven times. A semiempirical length scale depending on the local topography features and the underlying surface type has been proposed and calculated. This scale has been shown to allow the universal functions of the Monin–Obukhov similarity theory to be corrected for a stable atmospheric boundary layer over complex terrain without substantial modification when compared to the universal functions over a homogeneous surface with small roughness elements. This approach can be used to refine the methods for calculating turbulent momentum fluxes from profile measurements over spatially inhomogeneous landscapes.