Development of the Thermal Mixing Layer over Water and Heated Land: A Laboratory Simulation

Abstract The mechanism of energy exchange of a flow regime moving from water to heated land was studied in the laboratory under controlled conditions. The experiment was set up in a long wind-water channel. A hot plate simulating the heated land was constructed and set up in a downwind location 24.7 m from the air intake. The air flows over the water surface long enough to generate a small linear variation of shear stress and becomes aerodynamically rough. The temperature of the plate and air velocities are maintained properly to simulate thermal stratification. Development of thermal mixing layer over the heated land was studied under different wind velocities and surface fluxes from the boundary. The results of this study indicate that the development of the thermal mixing layer is strongly dependent on local shear stresses and heat flux. Based on the thermal energy balance, the thicknesses of the thermal mixing layer are correlated with dimensionless heat flux and local Reynolds number.