Abstract
Near-surface wind profiles in the nocturnal boundary layer, depth h, above relatively flat, tree-covered terrain are described in the context of the analysis of Garratt (1980) for the unstable atmospheric boundary layer. The observations at two sites imply a surface-based transition layer, of depth z *, within which the observed non-dimensional profiles Φ M 0 are a modified form of the inertial sub-layer relation \(\Phi _M \left( {{z \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {z L}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} L}} \right) = \left( {{{1 + 5_Z } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{1 + 5_Z } L}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} L}} \right)\) according to
, where z is height above the zero-plane displacement and L is the Monin-Obukhov length.
At both sites the depth z * is significantly smaller than the appropriate neutral value (z *N ) found from the previous analysis, as might be expected in the presence of a buoyant sink for turbulent kinetic energy.
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Garratt, J.R. Surface influence upon vertical profiles in the nocturnal boundary layer. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 26, 69–80 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164331
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164331