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Temporal Scales of the Nocturnal Flow Within and Above a Forest Canopy in Amazonia

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Abstract

Multiresolution decomposition is applied to 10 months of nocturnal turbulence observations taken at eight levels within and above a forest canopy in Central Amazonia. The aim is to identify the contributions of different temporal scales of the flow above and within the canopy. Results show that turbulence intensity in the lower canopy is mostly affected by the static stability in the upper canopy. Horizontal velocity fluctuations peak at time scales longer than 100 s within the canopy, which correspond to the scale of non-turbulent submeso motions above the canopy. In the vertical velocity spectrum near the surface, the peak occurs at time scales around 100 s, which are larger than the time scales of the turbulent flow above the canopy. Heat-flux cospectra within the canopy peak at the same temporal scales as the vertical velocity fluctuations at that level, suggesting the existence of buoyancy driven turbulence. Case studies are presented as evidence that low-frequency fluctuations propagate towards the canopy interior more easily than does turbulence.

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Acknowledgments

The U.S. Department of Energy supported the field studies as part of the GoAmazon project (Grant SC0011075). The field campaign was conducted under 001030/2012-4 of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas (FAPEAM) funded the Brazilian component of the field studies. The Large scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) provided logistic support and made the flux tower and housing unit available to complete the field studies. PCS acknowledges funding support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. DMS and OCA have been partially supported by Brazilian agencies CAPES and CNPq. The comments and suggestions from four anonymous reviewers improved many aspects of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal do Pampa, Alegrete, RS, Brazil

    Daniel M. Santos

  2. Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

    Otávio C. Acevedo

  3. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Marcelo Chamecki, José D. Fuentes & Tobias Gerken

  4. Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA

    Paul C. Stoy

  5. Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil

    Daniel M. Santos

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Correspondence to Daniel M. Santos.

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Santos, D.M., Acevedo, O.C., Chamecki, M. et al. Temporal Scales of the Nocturnal Flow Within and Above a Forest Canopy in Amazonia. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 161, 73–98 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-016-0158-5

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