Wind Tunnel Study of Turbulent Flow Structure in the Convective Boundary Layer Capped by a Temperature Inversion

Abstract Experiments on simulating the atmospheric convective boundary layer (CBL), capped by a temperature inversion and affected by surface shear, were carried out in the thermally stratified wind tunnel of the Institute of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Karlsruhe. The tunnel is of the closed-circuit type, with a test section 10 m long, 1.5 m wide, and 1.5 m high. The return section of the tunnel is subdivided into 10 layers, each driven by its own fan and heating system. By this means, velocity and temperature profiles can be preshaped at the inlet of the test section, which allows for the reproduction of developed CBL over comparatively short fetches. The bottom heating is controlled to produce the constant heat flux through the floor of the test section. The flow velocity components in the tunnel are measured with a laser Doppler system; for temperature measurements, the resistance-wire technique is employed. A quasi-stationary, horizontally evolving CBL was reproduced in the tunnel, wi...