Investigating the time dynamics of wind speed in complex terrains by using the Fisher-Shannon method

TL;DR

This study analyzes the daily wind speed dynamics across Switzerland's complex terrains using Fisher-Shannon measures, revealing relationships with topography and identifying regions with distinct wind behavior patterns.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of Fisher-Shannon analysis to characterize wind speed dynamics in mountainous regions, linking measures to topographical features.

Findings

Higher Shannon entropy power in the Alps indicates more disordered wind dynamics.

Fisher information measure correlates with elevation and slope.

Spatial mapping aligns with Swiss topography.

Abstract

In this paper, the time dynamics of the daily means of wind speed measured in complex mountainous regions are investigated. For 293 measuring stations distributed over all Switzerland, the Fisher information measure and the Shannon entropy power are calculated. The results reveal a clear relationship between the computed measures and both the elevation of the wind stations and the slope of the measuring sites. In particular, the Shannon entropy power and the Fisher information measure have their highest (respectively lowest) values in the Alps, where the time dynamics of wind speed follows a more disordered pattern. The spatial mapping of the calculated quantities allows the identification of two regions, which is in agreement with the topography of the Swiss territory. The present study could contribute to a better characterization of the temporal dynamics of wind speed in complex mountainous terrain.