Laboratory Experimentals and Numerical Analysis for Development of a Atmospheric Mixed Layer
The layer that is directly influenced by ground surface is called the atmospheric boundary layer in comparison with the free atmosphere of higher layer. In the boundary layer, the changes of wind, temperature and coefficient of turbulent diffusion in altitude are large and have great influences an atmospheric diffusion. The purpose of this paper is to express the structure and characteristics of development of mixed layer by using laboratory experiment and numerical simulation. Laboratory experiment using water tank are performed that closely simulate the process of break up of nocturnal surface inversion above heated surface and its phenomena are analyzed by the use of horizontally averaged temperature which is observed. The result obtained from the laboratory experiment is compared with theoretical ones from k-ε numerical model. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The horizontally averaged temperature was found to vary smoothly with height and the mixed layer developed obviously being affected by the convection. 2) The mean height of mixed layer may be predicted as a function of time, knowing the mean initial temperature gradient. The experimental values are associated well with the theoretical values computed for value of the universal constant C_T=0.16, our C_T value is little smaller than the value found by Townsend and Deardorff et al.