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Charnock’s Roughness Length Model and Non-dimensional Wind Profiles Over the Sea

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Abstract

An analysis tool for the study of wind speed profiles over the water has been developed. The profiles are analysed using a modified dimensionless wind speed and dimensionless height, assuming that the sea surface roughness can be predicted by Charnock’s roughness length model. In this form, the roughness dependency on wind speed is extracted and the variations on the wind profile are due solely to atmospheric stability. The use of the Charnock’s non-dimensional wind profile is illustrated using data collected from a meteorological mast installed in the Danish North Sea. The best fit with the observed mean non-dimensional wind profile under neutral atmospheric conditions is found using a value of 1.2 × 10−2 for Charnock’s parameter. The stability correction on the neutral wind profile suggested by the Businger-Dyer relations was found to perform well over the sea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wind Energy Department, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Alfredo Peña & Sven-Erik Gryning

  2. Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Alfredo Peña

Authors
  1. Alfredo Peña
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  2. Sven-Erik Gryning
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Correspondence to Alfredo Peña.

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Peña, A., Gryning, SE. Charnock’s Roughness Length Model and Non-dimensional Wind Profiles Over the Sea. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 128, 191–203 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9285-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-008-9285-y

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