Showing papers on "Wind stress published in 2012"

A numerical study of the effects of atmospheric and wake turbulence on wind turbine dynamics

Abstract: Although the atmospheric sciences community has been studying the effects of atmospheric stability and surface roughness on the planetary boundary layer for some time, their effects on wind turbine dynamics have not been well studied. In this study, we performed numerical experiments to explore some of the effects of atmospheric stability and surface roughness on wind turbine dynamics. We used large-eddy simulation to create atmospheric winds and compute the wind turbine flows, and we modeled the wind turbines as revolving and flexible actuator lines coupled to a wind turbine structural and system dynamic model. We examined the structural moments about the wind turbine blade, low-speed shaft, and nacelle; power production; and wake evolution when large 5-MW turbines are subjected to winds generated from low- and high-surface roughness levels representative of offshore and onshore conditions, respectively, and also neutral and unstable atmospheric conditions. In addition, we placed a second turbine 7 rotor...

Lake‐size dependency of wind shear and convection as controls on gas exchange

Abstract: [1] High-frequency physical observations from 40 temperate lakes were used to examine the relative contributions of wind shear (u*) and convection (w*) to turbulence in the surface mixed layer. Seasonal patterns of u* and w* were dissimilar; u* was often highest in the spring, while w*increased throughout the summer to a maximum in early fall. Convection was a larger mixed-layer turbulence source than wind shear (u*/w* < 0.75) for 18 of the 40 lakes, including all 11 lakes <10 ha. As a consequence, the relative contribution of convection to the gas transfer velocity (k, estimated by the surface renewal model) was greater for small lakes. The average k was 0.54 m day−1 for lakes <10 ha. Because u* and w*differ in temporal pattern and magnitude across lakes, both convection and wind shear should be considered in future formulations of lake-air gas exchange, especially for small lakes.

Local and mesoscale impacts of wind farms as parameterized in a mesoscale NWP model

Abstract: A new wind farm parameterization has been developed for the mesoscale numerical weather prediction model, the WeatherResearchand Forecasting model (WRF). The effects of wind turbinesare represented by imposinga momentum sink on themeanflow;transferringkinetic energyintoelectricity andturbulent kinetic energy (TKE). The parameterization improves upon previous models, basing the atmospheric drag of turbines on the thrust coefficient of a modern commercial turbine. In addition, the source of TKE varies with wind speed, reflecting the amount of energy extracted from the atmosphere by the turbines that does not produce electrical energy. Analyses of idealized simulations of a large offshore wind farm are presented to highlight the perturbation induced by the wind farm and its interaction with the atmospheric boundary layer (BL). A wind speed deficit extended throughout the depth of the neutral boundary layer, above and downstream from the farm, with alongwakeof60-kme-foldingdistance.Withinthefarmthewindspeeddeficitreachedamaximum reduction of 16%. A maximum increase of TKE, by nearly a factor of 7, was located within the farm. The increase in TKE extended to the top of the BL above the farm due to vertical transport and wind shear, significantly enhancing turbulent momentum fluxes. The TKE increased by a factor of 2 near the surface within the farm. Near-surface winds accelerated by up to 11%. These results are consistent with the few results available from observations and large-eddy simulations, indicating this parameterization provides a reasonable means of exploring potential downwind impacts of large wind farms.

Observed and simulated changes in the Southern Hemisphere surface westerly wind-stress

Abstract: [1] Changes in the position and strength of the Southern Hemisphere surface westerlies have significant implications for ocean circulation and the global carbon cycle. Here we compare the climatologies, as well as the trends, in the position and strength of the surface westerly wind-stress jet in reanalyses with the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) phase 3 and phase 5 models over the historical period from 1979–2010. We show that both the CMIP3 and CMIP5 models exhibit an equatorward biased climatological jet position. The reanalyses and climate models both show significant trends in annual mean jet strength, though the climate models underestimate the strengthening. Neither reanalyses nor models show a robust trend in annual mean jet position over the historical period, though significant trends do occur in the Austral summer position. We also compare the response of the CMIP3 and CMIP5 model wind-stresses to a range of anthropogenic forcing scenarios for the 21st century.

Wind and waves in extreme hurricanes

Abstract: Waves breaking at the ocean surface are important to the dynamical, chemical and biological processes at the air-sea interface. The traditional view is that the white capping and aero-dynamical surface roughness increase with wind speed up to a limiting value. This view is fundamental to hurricane forecasting and climate research but it has never been verified at extreme winds. Here we show with observations that at high wind speeds white caps remain constant and at still higher wind speeds are joined, and increasingly dominated, by streaks of foam and spray. At surface wind speeds of ?40 m/s the streaks merge into a white out, the roughness begins to decrease and a high-velocity surface jet begins to develop. The roughness reduces to virtually zero by ?80 m/s wind speed, rendering the surface aero-dynamically extremely smooth in the most intense part of extreme (or major) hurricanes (wind speed > 50 m/s). A preliminary assessment shows that cross swell, dominant in large regions of hurricanes, allows the roughness under high wind conditions to increase considerably before it reduces to the same low values.

Wind Waves in the Coupled Climate System

Abstract: The role waves play in modulating interactions between oceans and atmosphere is emphasized. All exchanges (e.g., momentum, energy, heat, mass, radiation fluxes) are influenced by the geometrical and physical characteristics of the ocean surface, which separates the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers. A qualitative overview of the main relevant surface gravity wave–driven processes at the air–sea interface that may have an important role in the coupled climate system in general and the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers in particular is provided.

Tropical forcing of Circumpolar Deep Water Inflow and outlet glacier thinning in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica

Abstract: Outlet glaciers draining the Antarctic ice sheet into the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) have accelerated in recent decades, most likely as a result of increased melting of their ice-shelf termini by warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW). An ocean model forced with climate reanalysis data shows that, beginning in the early 1990s, an increase in westerly wind stress near the continental shelf edge drove an increase in CDW inflow onto the shelf. The change in local wind stress occurred predominantly in fall and early winter, associated with anomalous high sea-level pressure (SLP) to the north of the ASE and an increase in sea surface temperature (SST) in the central tropical Pacific. The SLP change is associated with geopotential height anomalies in the middle and upper troposphere, characteristic of a stationary Rossby wave response to tropical SST forcing, rather than with changes in the zonally symmetric circulation. Tropical Pacific warming similar to that of the 1990s occurred in the 1940s, and thus is a candidate for initiating the current period of ASE glacier retreat.

Atmospheric stability affects wind turbine power collection

Abstract: The power generated by a wind turbine largely depends on the wind speed. During time periods with identical hub-height wind speeds but different shapes to the wind profile, a turbine will produce different amounts of power. This variability may be induced by atmospheric stability, which affects profiles of mean wind speed, direction and turbulence across the rotor disk. Our letter examines turbine power generation data, segregated by atmospheric stability, in order to investigate power performance dependences at a West Coast North American wind farm. The dependence of power on stability is clear, regardless of whether time periods are segregated by three-dimensional turbulence, turbulence intensity or wind shear. The power generated at a given wind speed is higher under stable conditions and lower under strongly convective conditions: average power output differences approach 15%. Wind energy resource assessment and day ahead power forecasting could benefit from increased accuracy if atmospheric stability impacts were measured and appropriately incorporated in power forecasts, e.g., through the generation of power curves based on a range of turbulence regimes.

Saturation wind power potential and its implications for wind energy

Abstract: Wind turbines convert kinetic to electrical energy, which returns to the atmosphere as heat to regenerate some potential and kinetic energy As the number of wind turbines increases over large geographic regions, power extraction first increases linearly, but then converges to a saturation potential not identified previously from physical principles or turbine properties These saturation potentials are >250 terawatts (TW) at 100 m globally, approximately 80 TW at 100 m over land plus coastal ocean outside Antarctica, and approximately 380 TW at 10 km in the jet streams Thus, there is no fundamental barrier to obtaining half (approximately 575 TW) or several times the world’s all-purpose power from wind in a 2030 clean-energy economy

Multidecadal Sea Level and Gyre Circulation Variability in the Northwestern Tropical Pacific Ocean

Abstract: Sea level rise with the trend >10 mm yr−1 has been observed in the tropical western Pacific Ocean over the 1993–2009 period. This rate is 3 times faster than the global-mean value of the sea level rise. Analyses of the satellite altimeter data and repeat hydrographic data along 137°E reveal that this regionally enhanced sea level rise is thermosteric in nature and vertically confined to a patch in the upper ocean above the 12°C isotherm. Dynamically, this regional sea level trend is accompanied by southward migration and strengthening of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC). Using a 1½-layer reduced-gravity model forced by the ECMWF reanalysis wind stress data, the authors find that both the observed sea level rise and the NEC/NECC’s southward migrating and strengthening trends are largely attributable to the upper-ocean water mass redistribution caused by the surface wind stresses of the recently strengthened atmospheric Walker circulation. Based on the lo...

Crop Wind Energy Experiment (CWEX): Observations of Surface-Layer, Boundary Layer, and Mesoscale Interactions with a Wind Farm

Abstract: Perturbations of mean and turbulent wind characteristics by large wind turbines modify fluxes between the vegetated surface and the lower boundary layer. While simulations have suggested that wind farms could significantly change surface fluxes of heat, momentum, momentum, moisture, and CO2 over hundreds of square kilometers, little observational evidence exists to test these predictions. Quantifying the influences of the “turbine layer” is necessary to quantify how surface fluxes are modified and to better forecast energy production by a wind farm. Changes in fluxes are particularly important in regions of intensely managed agriculture where crop growth and yield are highly dependent on subtle changes in moisture, heat, and CO2. Furthermore, speculations abound about the possible mesoscale consequences of boundary layer changes that are produced by wind farms. To address the lack of observations to answer these questions, we developed the Crop Wind Energy Experiment (CWEX) as a multiagency, multiuniversi...

The Minimum Wind Speed for Sustainable Turbulence in the Nocturnal Boundary Layer

Abstract: The collapse of turbulence in the nocturnal boundary layer is studied by means of a simple bulk model that describes the basic physical interactions in the surface energy balance. It is shown that for a given mechanical forcing, the amount of turbulent heat that can be transported downward is limited to a certain maximum. In the case of weak winds and clear skies, this maximum can be significantly smaller than the net radiative loss minus soil heat transport. In the case when the surface has low heat capacity, this imbalance generates rapid surface cooling that further suppresses the turbulent heat transport, so that eventually turbulence largely ceases (positive feedback mechanism). The model predicts the minimum wind speed for sustainable turbulence for the so-called crossing level. At this level, some decameters above the surface, the wind is relatively stationary compared to lower and higher levels. The critical speed is predicted in the range of about 5–7 m s21, depending on radiative forcing and surface properties, and is in agreement with observations at Cabauw. The critical value appears not very sensitive to model details or to the exact values of the input parameters. Finally, results are interpreted in terms of external forcings, such as geostrophic wind. As it is generally larger than the speed at crossing height, a 5 m s21 geostrophic wind may be considered as the typical limit below which sustainable, continuous turbulence under clear-sky conditions is unlikely to exist. Below this threshold emergence of the very stable nocturnal boundary layer is anticipated.

A Theory of the Interhemispheric Meridional Overturning Circulation and Associated Stratification

Abstract: A quantitative theoretical model of the meridional overturning circulation and associated deep stratification in an interhemispheric, single-basin ocean with a circumpolar channel is presented. The theory includes the effects of wind, eddies, and diapycnal mixing and predicts the deep stratification and overturning streamfunction in terms of the surface forcing and other parameters of the problem. It relies on a matching among three regions: the circumpolar channel at high southern latitudes, a region of isopycnal outcrop at high northern latitudes, and the ocean basin between.The theory describes both the middepth and abyssal cells of a circulation representing North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Bottom Water. It suggests that, although the strength of the middepth overturning cell is primarily set by the wind stress in the circumpolar channel, middepth stratification results from a balance between the wind-driven upwelling in the channel and deep-water formation at high northern latitudes. D...

Tropical Atlantic biases and their relation to surface wind stress and terrestrial precipitation

Abstract: Most coupled general circulation models (GCMs) perform poorly in the tropical Atlantic in terms of climatological seasonal cycle and interannual variability. The reasons for this poor performance are investigated in a suite of sensitivity experiments with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) coupled GCM. The experiments show that a significant portion of the equatorial SST biases in the model is due to weaker than observed equatorial easterlies during boreal spring. Due to these weak easterlies, the tilt of the equatorial thermocline is reduced, with shoaling in the west and deepening in the east. The erroneously deep thermocline in the east prevents cold tongue formation in the following season despite vigorous upwelling, thus inhibiting the Bjerknes feedback. It is further shown that the surface wind errors are due, in part, to deficient precipitation over equatorial South America and excessive precipitation over equatorial Africa, which already exist in the uncoupled atmospheric GCM. Additional tests indicate that the precipitation biases are highly sensitive to land surface conditions such as albedo and soil moisture. This suggests that improving the representation of land surface processes in GCMs offers a way of improving their performance in the tropical Atlantic. The weaker than observed equatorial easterlies also contribute remotely, via equatorial and coastal Kelvin waves, to the severe warm SST biases along the southwest African coast. However, the strength of the subtropical anticyclone and along-shore winds also play an important role.

Sensitivity of the Overturning Circulation in the Southern Ocean to Decadal Changes in Wind Forcing

Abstract: The sensitivity of the overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean to the recent decadal strengthening of the overlying winds is being discussed intensely, with some works attributing an inferred saturation of the Southern Ocean CO2 sink to an intensification of the overturning circulation, while others have argued that this circulation is insensitive to changes in winds. Fundamental to reconciling these diverse views is to understand properly the role of eddies in counteracting the directly wind-forced changes in overturning. Here, theauthorsusenoveltheoreticalconsiderationsandfine-resolutionoceanmodelstodevelopanewscalingfor the sensitivity of eddy-induced mixing to changes in winds, and they demonstrate that changes in Southern Ocean overturning in response to recent and future changes in wind stress forcing are likely to be substantial, even in the presence of a decadally varying eddy field. This result has significant implications for the ocean’s role in the carbon cycle, and hence global climate.

Seasonality of coastal upwelling off central and northern California: New insights, including temporal and spatial variability

Abstract: [1] The coastal ocean environment off California is largely determined by wind-driven coastal upwelling, with an ecosystem that is tightly coupled to seasonality in this upwelling. Three decades of data measured over the California shelf at NOAA buoys are used to describe the seasonal variability of the winds that force upwelling and the response of the coastal ocean in terms of sea temperature. Moreover, seasonal patterns in surface chlorophyll and alongshore currents are determined from one decade of data. In addition to clear seasonality, all these data exhibit distinct spatial and non-seasonal temporal variability in upwelling. Based on alongshore wind stress characteristics in central and north California, three seasons are defined: Upwelling Season (April-June) with strong upwelling-favorable winds and large standard deviation due to frequent reversals; Relaxation Season (July-September) with weak equatorward winds and low variability; and Storm Season (December-February) characterized by weak mean wind stress but large variability. The remaining months are transitional, falling into one or other season in different years. In addition to large-scale latitudinal differences in wind stress, spatial differences are associated with coastal topography - specifically the acceleration of wind downstream of capes. Latitudinal differences in sea surface temperature depend on wind stress, both local and large-scale, but also on surface heating and offshore influences. Intra-annual and inter-annual anomalies in wind and sea surface temperature are associated with variability in coastal winds, large-scale winds, and offshore basin-scale ocean conditions. Satellite chlorophyll concentration shows an optimal window relation with upwelling forcing, allowing maximum concentrations during moderate winds and minimal during poor or strong winds.

Mechanisms of decadal sea level variability in the eastern North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract: Decadal sea level variations from tide gauge records along the western European coast and in the Mediterranean Sea commencing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are examined relative to large-scale atmospheric forcing. Recent studies have provided evidence for a link between sea level in the eastern North Atlantic and atmospheric forcing, however the nature of this relationship is still unclear. Here the outputs of a regional barotropic model and a nearly global baroclinic model are used in conjunction with wind stress and heat flux data to explore the physical mechanisms responsible for the observed sea level variability. All tide gauge records show significant decadal variability (up to 15 cm) and are highly correlated with the NAO and among themselves at decadal periods. There is a coherent sea level signal that affects the eastern boundary of the North Atlantic northward of 25°N and is limited to a narrow band of the order of a few hundred kilometers along the coast. This band tends to become narrower towards higher latitudes. We find that longshore wind and wave propagation along the boundary are the major contributors to coastal sea level variability but no significant contribution from mass redistribution linked to changes in the strength of the subtropical gyre is observed. The mass component dominates sea level in the Mediterranean and is mainly driven by mass exchanges with the Atlantic, which explains the correlation between both regions. Southward of 25°N, sea level changes are mainly driven by heat advection through Ekman fluxes.

Assessing atmospheric stability and its impacts on rotor-disk wind characteristics at an onshore wind farm

Abstract: As the average hub height and blade diameter of new wind turbine installations continue to increase, turbines typically encounter higher wind speeds, which enable them to extract large amounts of energy, but they also face challenges due to the complex nature of wind flow and turbulence in the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Wind speed and turbulence can vary greatly across a turbine's rotor disk; this variability is partially due to whether the PBL is stable, neutral or convective. To assess the influence of stability on these wind characteristics, we utilize a unique data set including observations from two meteorological towers, a surface flux tower and high-resolution remote-sensing sound detection and ranging (SODAR) instrument. We compare several approaches to defining atmospheric stability to the Obukhov length (L). Typical wind farm observations only allow for the calculation of a wind shear exponent (α) or horizontal turbulence intensity (IU) from cup anemometers, whereas SODAR gives measurements at multiple heights in the rotor disk of turbulence intensity (I) in the latitudinal (Iu), longitudinal (Iv) and vertical (Iw) directions and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE). Two methods for calculating horizontal Ifrom SODAR data are discussed. SODAR stability parameters are in high agreement with the more physically robust L,with TKE exhibiting the best agreement, and show promise for accurate characterizations of stability. Vertical profiles of wind speed and turbulence, which likely affect turbine power performance, are highly correlated with stability regime. At this wind farm, disregarding stability leads to over-assessments of the wind resource during convective conditions and under-assessments during stable conditions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modeling waves and wind stress

Abstract: [1] A model for wave and wind stress prediction is constructed The source functions that drive the space-time evolution of the energy spectra are developed in form based on theory and laboratory and field experiments The calibration factors (proportionality constants of the source functions) are determined from a comparison of modeled and observed significant height and mean period The observations are for the month of January 2005 and are derived from an array of laser range finders mounted on a bridge between two platforms in the Ekofisk oil field in the North Sea The model calculates the form stress on the waves and adds it vectorially to the sheltering-modified skin stress The resulting drag coefficient versus wind speed is shown to have the observed structure: low in light winds, increasing in moderate winds, and increasing more slowly in very strong winds Modeled spectral shapes in the four quadrants of Hurricane Bonnie (1998) match the Scanning Radar Altimeter measurements Modeled spectral properties in Hurricane Ike (2008) are compared against NDBC buoy estimates with good results Drag coefficients in the mixed seas produced by hurricanes show dependence on wave age of the wind sea, swell propagation direction, and water depth The need for wave and stress modeling for atmosphere-ocean coupling is emphasized The new wave model has all the necessary attributes to be the basis for such a coupler

Wind direction and complex sediment transport response across a beach–dune system

Abstract: Evidence from a field study on wind flow and sediment transport across a beach–dune system under onshore and offshore conditions (including oblique approach angles) indicates that sediment transport response on the back-beach and stoss slope of the foredune can be exceedingly complex. The upper-air flow – measured by a sonic anemometer at the top of a 3·5 m tower located on the dune crest – is similar to regional wind records obtained from a nearby meteorological station, but quite different from the near-surface flow field measured locally across the beach–dune profile by sonic anemometers positioned 20 cm above the sand surface. Flow–form interaction at macro and micro scales leads to strong modulation of the near-surface wind vectors, including wind speed reductions (due to surface roughness drag and adverse pressure effects induced by the dune) and wind speed increases (due to flow compression toward the top of the dune) as well as pronounced topographic steering during oblique wind approach angles. A conceptual model is proposed, building on the ideas of Sweet and Kocurek (Sedimentology 37: 1023–1038, 1990), Walker and Nickling (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 28: 111–1124, 2002), and Lynch et al. (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33: 991–1005, 2008, Geomorphology 105: 139–146, 2010), which shows how near-surface wind vectors are altered for four regional wind conditions: (a) onshore, detached; (b) onshore-oblique, attached and deflected; (c) offshore, detached; and (d) offshore-oblique, attached and deflected. High-frequency measurements of sediment transport intensity during these different events demonstrate that predictions of sediment flux using standard equations driven by regional wind statistics would by unreliable and misleading. It is recommended that field studies routinely implement experimental designs that treat the near-surface wind field as comprising true vector quantities (with speed and direction) in order that a more robust linkage between the regional (upper air) wind field and the sediment transport response across the beach–dune profile be established. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Causes for decadal variations of wind speed over land: Sensitivity studies with a global climate model

Abstract: Received 13 March 2012; revised 3 May 2012; accepted 4 May 2012; published 2 June 2012. [1] Over the past 30 years, observations indicate a decline of about 0.3 m/s in the northern mid-latitudes land surface wind speed. The picture is less conclusive for the Southern Hemisphere and over the oceans. Such a stilling can affect surface evaporation and climate feedback processes, and may impact technical applications such as wind power. Using an atmospheric global climate model, we perform sensitivity experiments for the period 1870–2005 to assess the role of changing roughness length, aerosol emissions, sea surface temperature, and greenhouse gas concentrations in surface wind speed changes. The wind speed trends simulated by the model generally underestimate the observed trends (land and ocean). Over land, the model can reproduce the observed stilling by increasing the roughness length by a factor of 1.2 to 4.9, depending on region. The other forcings examined can also decrease the 10 m wind speeds (up to 15% of observed values in Europe), particularly those related to increasing aerosol emissions (up to 0.2 m/s in India). Compared to observations, the simulated impact of climate forcings on global wind speeds over land and ocean is however small and not always significant. Citation: Bichet, A., M. Wild, D. Folini, and C. Schar (2012), Causes for decadal variations of wind speed over land: Sensitivity studies with a global climate model, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L11701,

Covariability of Surface Wind and Stress Responses to Sea Surface Temperature Fronts

Abstract: The responses of surface wind and wind stress to spatial variations of sea surface temperature (SST) are investigated using satellite observations of the surface wind from the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) and SST from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (EOS) (AMSR-E) Aqua satellite. This analysis considers the 7-yr period June 2002–May 2009 during which both instruments were operating. Attention is focused in the Kuroshio, North and South Atlantic, and Agulhas Return Current regions. Since scatterometer wind stresses are computed solely as a nonlinear function of the scatterometer-derived 10-m equivalent neutral wind speed (ENW), qualitatively similar responses of the stress and ENW to SST are expected. However, the responses are found to be more complicated on the oceanic mesoscale. First, the stress and ENW are both approximately linearly related to SST, despite a nonlinear relationship between them. Second, the s...

On the Wind Power Input to the Ocean General Circulation

Abstract: The wind power input to the ocean general circulation is usually calculated from the time-averaged wind products. Here, this wind power input is reexamined using available observations, focusing on the role of the synoptically varying wind. Power input to the ocean general circulation is found to increase by over 70% when 6-hourly winds are used instead of monthly winds. Much of the increase occurs in the storm-track regions of the Southern Ocean, Gulf Stream, and Kuroshio Extension. This result holds irrespective of whether the ocean surface velocity is accounted for in the wind stress calculation. Depending on the fate of the highfrequency wind power input, the power input to the ocean general circulation relevant to deep-ocean mixing may be less than previously thought. This study emphasizes the difficulty of choosing appropriate forcing for ocean-only models.

The modification of wind turbine performance by statistically distinct atmospheric regimes

Abstract: Power production from wind turbines can deviate from the manufacturer's specifications due to variability in atmospheric inflow characteristics, including stability, wind shear and turbulence The practice of insufficient data at many operational wind farms has made it difficult to characterize this meteorological forcing In this study, nacelle wind measurements from a wind farm in the high plains of central North America were examined along with meteorological tower data to quantify the effects of atmospheric stability regimes in the boundary layer on turbine power generation The wind power law coefficient and the bulk Richardson number were used to segregate time periods by stability to generate regime-dependent power curves Results indicated underperformance during stable regimes and overperformance during convective regimes at moderate wind speeds (8–12 m s−1) Statistical testing using the Monte Carlo approach demonstrated that these results were robust, despite potential deviations of the nacelle wind speeds from free-stream inflow values due to momentum loss from the turbine structure and spinning rotor A hypothetical stability dependence between free-stream and nacelle wind speeds was generated that can be evaluated in future analyses The low instrumentation requirement of our power analysis technique should enable similar studies at many wind sites formerly considered inappropriate

Global M 2 internal tide and its seasonal variability from high resolution ocean circulation and tide modeling

Abstract: [1] The present study describes a model simulation, where ocean tide dynamics are simulated simultaneously with the ocean circulation. The model is forced by a lunisolar tidal forcing described by ephemerides and by daily climatological wind stress, heat, and fresh water fluxes. The horizontal resolution is about 0.1 and thus, the model implicitly resolves meso-scale eddies and internal waves. In this model simulation the global M2 barotropic to baroclinic tidal energy conversion amounts to 1.2 TW. We show global maps of the surface signature of the M2 baroclinic tide and compare it with an estimate obtained from 19 years of satellite altimeter data. Further, the simulated seasonality in the low mode internal tide field is presented and, as an example, the physical mechanisms causing the non-stationarity of the internal tide generated in Luzon Strait are discussed. In general, this study reveals the impact of inter-annual changes of the solar radiative forcing and wind forced ocean circulation on the generation and propagation of the low mode internal tides. The model is able to simulate non-stationary signals in the internal tide field on global scales which have important implications for future satellite altimeter missions. Citation: Muller, M., J. Y. Cherniawsky, M. G. G. Foreman, and J.-S. von Storch (2012), Global M2 internal tide and its seasonal variability from highresolution ocean circulation and tide modeling, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L19607, doi:10.1029/2012GL053320.

Laboratory and theoretical modeling of air-sea momentum transfer under severe wind conditions

Abstract: [1] The laboratory experiments on investigation of aerodynamic resistance of the waved water surface under severe wind conditions (up to U10 ≈ 40 m s−1) were carried out, complemented by measurements of the wind-wave spectra. The tendency to saturation of the surface drag was observed for wind speeds exceeding 25 m s−1, accompanied by the saturation of wind-wave slopes. The effect of surface drag saturation can be explained quantitatively within the quasi-linear model of the air boundary layer above the waved water surface, when the contribution of the short-wave part of the wind-wave spectrum to aerodynamic resistance of the water surface is taken into account.

Marine Downscaling of a Future Climate Scenario for Australian Boundary Currents

Abstract: Ocean boundary currents are poorly represented in existing coupled climate models, partly because of their insufficient resolution to resolve narrow jets. Therefore, there is limited confidence in the simulated response of boundary currents to climate change by climate models. To address this issue, the eddy-resolving Ocean Forecasting Australia Model (OFAM) was used, forced with bias-corrected output in the 2060s under the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B from the CSIRO Mark version 3.5 (Mk3.5) climate model, to provide downscaled regional ocean projections. CSIRO Mk3.5 captures a number of robust changes that are common to most climate models that are consistent with observed changes, including the weakening of the equatorial Pacific zonal wind stress and the strengthening of the wind stress curl in the Southern Pacific, important for driving the boundary currents around Australia.The 1990s climate is downscaled using air–sea fluxes from the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range...

Strong correlation between the drag coefficient and the shape of the wind sea spectrum over a broad range of wind speeds

Abstract: [1] Momentum transfer across the wind-driven breaking air-water interface under strong wind conditions was experimentally investigated using a high-speed wind-wave tank together with field measurements at normal wind speeds. An eddy correlation method was utilized to measure roughness length and drag coefficient from wind velocity components measured by laser Doppler and phase Doppler anemometers. As a result, a new model for the roughness length and drag coefficient was proposed for predicting momentum transfer across the sea surface under both normal and strong wind conditions using the universal relationship between energy and significant frequency of wind waves normalized by the roughness length. The model shows that the roughness length and drag coefficient are uniquely determined at all wind speeds by energy and significant frequency of wind waves, and they can be given againstU10only from the measurements of the wave parameters and one-point mean air velocity in the logarithmic law region.

Wind Energy Meteorology: Insight into Wind Properties in the Turbine-Rotor Layer of the Atmosphere from High-Resolution Doppler Lidar

Abstract: Addressing the need for high-quality wind information aloft in the layer occupied by turbine rotors (~30–150 m above ground level) is one of many significant challenges facing the wind energy industry. Without wind measurements at heights within the rotor sweep of the turbines, characteristics of the flow in this layer are unknown for wind energy and modeling purposes. Since flow in this layer is often decoupled from the surface, near-surface measurements are prone to errant extrapolation to these heights, and the behavior of the near-surface winds may not reflect that of the upper-level flow.