Wind profiles for WKB Prandtl models based on slope and free air flow

TL;DR

This paper investigates the WKB Prandtl model for slope flows over inclined surfaces, exploring its connection to free-air flows and potential applications in micro-meteorology and pollutant dispersion modeling.

Contribution

It introduces a method to derive the WKB Prandtl model parameters solely from friction velocity, temperature, and heat flux, and discusses its relation to Monin-Obukhov theory.

Findings

Difference between WKB and Monin-Obukhov friction parameters identified

Potential for integrating slope and free-air flow models in micro-meteorological applications

Framework for using the WKB Prandtl model in pollutant dispersion simulations

Abstract

In this article the WKB (Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin) Prandtl model serves as the baseline for the study of different kinds of slope flows which can occur over inclined surfaces. The Prandtl-type model couples basic boundary-layer dynamics and thermodynamics for pure slope flows. We provide an answer to the question if it is possible to obtain the matching WKB Prandtl model using only friction velocity, friction temperature, and sensible heat flux. This instantly raises the query if there is a transition or combination between the WKB-Prandtl model for slope flows and the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory for free-air flows and vice versa. As a result, we show the difference between friction velocity and friction temperature calculated using the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory and those computed using the WKB Prandtl model. There is ongoing research into hill-perturbed non-neutral wind profiles because of their potential utility in numerous applications. Hence, further discussion includes how the new parametrization of the WKB Prandtl model may be used to calculate slope and free-air flows in a micro-meteorological model of an alpine valley, e.g. for pollutant dispersion calculations.