A note on the occurrence of wind direction differences below 1 km during episodes of extreme vertical Windshear for Berlin,Germany and Centreville,Alabama, U.S.A. |
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| Authors: | L J Levitt |
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| Institution: | (1) Development, and Engineering Center Redstone Arsenal, U.S. Army Missile Command Research, Alabama, USA |
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| Abstract: | Summary Windshear is critical to aeronautical activities such as aircraft takeoffs and landings and the ascending and descending phase phases of missile launch. The probability of extreme vertical windshear below 1 km at Centreville, Alabama (U.S.A.) and Berlin, Germany has been studied. Windshear (total vector difference) was derived from radiosonde ascents using both windspeed and wind direction differences between two altitudes. The wind direction differences are used to compute the angular shear magnitude.The wind direction differences between the surface and specified altitude as well as the contribution of the angular shear magnitude to the total vector difference during episodes of extreme vertical windshear were quantified. For example, wind direction changes of 60 degrees or more for cases of extreme windshear (windshear > 15m/s per 900m) in the layer surface to 900m occurred with a relative frequency of only 8% at Berlin in contrast to 34% at Centreville. The ratio of the angular shear magnitude to the total vector difference squared (times 100%) exceeded 40% five times more often at Centreville as compared with Berlin for this layer. Analysis using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test confirmed that these differences (between the two locations) in wind direction change during episodes of extreme windshear are statistically significant. Backing vs. veering winds in the boundary-layer and the 500 mb wind directions are discussed in order to relate the occurrence of extreme vertical windshear to characteristics of two contrasting geographic locations, one in the transition region between sub-tropics and mid-latitudes (Centreville), and the other well-entrenched in the westerlies (Berlin).There were considerable day-night differences in the occurrence of extreme shears at Centreville. For example, windshear > 10m/s per 600 m in the layer surface to 600 m were more than three times as frequent at 1200 UTC (morning) than at 0000 UTC (evening). This is due to larger wind direction differences in the boundary-layer in addition to the nocturnal rise in windspeed at 300 m (low-level jet).It should also be noted that extreme windshear near the surface was not always associated with strong surface winds. Vertical windshear below 1 km was found to increase with increasing surface windspeed up until 98% probability. Above 98% probability this relationship breaks down, as the second largest maximum windshear in the layer surface to 900 m was observed for a surface wind of 3 m/s at Berlin.The seasonal variation of vertical windshear below 1 km was also illustrated, indicating winter to be the season of maximum shears, summer the season of minimum shears. An exception was that above 99% probability the shear in the spring usually exceeded the winter shear.With 14 Figures |
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