Spectral gap characteristics in a daytime valley boundary layer

Abstract

A correct estimation of turbulent variances and covariances in the atmospheric boundary layer relies on the determination of turbulent perturbations of wind speed components and scalar quantities, which requires the presence of a so‐called spectral gap. The goal of this work is to determine the range of gap scales necessary to define turbulent perturbations in a daytime valley boundary layer. To accomplish this, we analyze data from a large number of propeller‐vane and sonic anemometers using the fast Fourier transformation and the multiresolution flux decomposition. Daytime gap scales are found to range from 17 to 29 min and show large spatial variability across the valley floor and the adjacent slopes. Synoptically driven conditions that favour the occurrence of mesoscale phenomena, such as rotors and mountain waves, shift daytime gap scales toward longer periods. The low‐frequency end of the gap is also affected by the presence of slope winds that are characterized by a periodicity ranging from 80 to 200 min. Finally, we present a conceptual model of the daytime valley spectral gap which summarizes the findings of this study.