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Measurements and Modelling of the Wind Speed Profile in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

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Abstract

We present measurements from 2006 of the marine wind speed profile at a site located 18 km from the west coast of Denmark in the North Sea. Measurements from mast-mounted cup anemometers up to a height of 45 m are extended to 161 m using LiDAR observations. Atmospheric turbulent flux measurements performed in 2004 with a sonic anemometer are compared to a bulk Richardson number formulation of the atmospheric stability. This is used to classify the LiDAR/cup wind speed profiles into atmospheric stability classes. The observations are compared to a simplified model for the wind speed profile that accounts for the effect of the boundary-layer height. For unstable and neutral atmospheric conditions the boundary-layer height could be neglected, whereas for stable conditions it is comparable to the measuring heights and therefore essential to include. It is interesting to note that, although it is derived from a different physical approach, the simplified wind speed profile conforms to the traditional expressions of the surface layer when the effect of the boundary-layer height is neglected.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wind Energy Department, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Alfredo Peña, Sven-Erik Gryning & Charlotte B. Hasager

  2. Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Alfredo Peña

Authors
  1. Alfredo Peña
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  2. Sven-Erik Gryning
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  3. Charlotte B. Hasager
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Correspondence to Alfredo Peña.

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Peña, A., Gryning, SE. & Hasager, C.B. Measurements and Modelling of the Wind Speed Profile in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 129, 479–495 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9323-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9323-9

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