Ring-integrated horizontal velocity spectra in the convective atmospheric surface layer: theory and measurements

The Multipoint Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MMO) for the convective atmospheric boundary layer (Tong and Nguyen JAS 2015 and Tong and Ding JFM 2019) predicts that at heights much smaller than the Obukhov length ($-z/L\ll 1$) and for scales larger than the height from the surface the turbulence spectra have a convective range and a dynamic range. Large-eddy simulation results have provided general support to the prediction. To use field data to further validate the theory, we conducted a field campaign, Multipoint Monin-Obukhov Horizontal Array Turbulence Studies (M$^2$HATS) in the summer/fall of 2023 in Tonopah NV. A 250 m long array consisting of 50 sonic anemometers, a Doppler lidar with the beam along the sonic array, and an aerosol lidar were deployed to measure the horizontal velocity components of scales ranging from 5 m to approximately 2000 m. Taylor's hypothesis is applied to the sonic and Doppler lidar data, enabling calculation of two-dimensional spectra and ring-integrated spectra. Preliminary comparisons between the measurement results and the theoretical prediction will be presented.