Estudo da organização da turbulência na interface floresta-atmosfera: análises de dados observacionais e simulação numérica

Were investigated the structure of turbulent flow above the Rebio-Jarú forest reserve, located in the state of Rondônia. For this, we used data measured in micrometeorological tower, collected during the wet season, in daytime and nighttime periods, and also performed numerical modeling using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). For daytime conditions some aspects of the average vertical wind profile above and within the forest canopy were analyzed. It is used the hyperbolic tangent function satisfactorily in order to obtain a functional shape for the vertical wind profile above and inside the canopy, which took into account the variability of the height of the inflection point in the vertical wind profile and the leaf area index, too. Furthermore, we obtained a robust linear relationship between the varying height of the inflection point and the characteristic time scale associated with the coherent organization of existing structures immediately above the forest canopy.For the nocturnal boundary layer situations, three different turbulent regimes were analyzed: regime 1) weak turbulence and low wind speed; regime 2) strong turbulence and high wind speed and regime 3) non-stationary turbulent events. It was noted that in the nocturnal boundary layer the highest frequency of occurrence is related with the first regime (95%), compared to regimes 2 and 3 (5% each). However, for regime-2’s situations, it was observed that the sensible heat flux is about 40 times higher compared to situations in which the regime 1 is dominant. Besides, in situations where the regime 2 is predominant, it was observed that the height of the inflection point, the length-scale associated with the wind-shear, the coherent structures’ time scale, and the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy were significantly higher when compared to the respective values obtained in the regime 1, indicating the occurrence of strong turbulent mixing in the surface boundary layer in such situations. In addition, it was found that the episodes classified as regime 3 were essentially non-stationary. In applying LES was added a drag force into the model, representative of the rainforest canopy, in order to obtain simulations closer to reality. Its main goal was to investigate the occurrence of coherent structures above the Amazon rainforest. The results showed that the turbulent flow was sensitive to the presence of the forest canopy, with a well-defined inflection point on the vertical wind profile just above the canopy. Furthermore, the profiles of momentum flux and turbulent kinetic energy were similar to those obtained with experimental data. In the region between 1h and 4h (where h is the average height of the forest canopy) the observed values of several physical variables such as pressure, momentum fluxes, skewnesses of the wind velocity components, and vorticity are suggesting that coherent structures are organized in form of rolls, with symmetry axis perpendicular to the mean flow. The results reinforce the importance of considering the physical role of the inflection point on the vertical wind speed profile in the turbulent exchanges between forest and atmosphere.Investigou-se a estrutura do escoamento turbulento acima da reserva florestal Rebio-Jarú, localizada no Estado de Rondônia. Para isso, utilizaram-se dados medidos em torre micrometeorológica, coletados durante a estação úmida, em períodos diurnos e noturnos, e também se recorreu à modelagem numérica usando-se Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Para condições diurnas foram analisados alguns aspectos do perfil vertical do vento médio acima e no interior do dossel florestal. Usou-se satisfatoriamente a função tangente hiperbólica com o objetivo de se obter um ajuste para o perfil vertical do vento acima e no interior do dossel florestal, o qual levou em conta a variabilidade da altura do ponto de inflexão no perfil vertical do vento e o índice de área foliar. Além disso, obteve-se uma relação linear robusta entre a variabilidade da altura do ponto de inflexão e a escala temporal associada à organização das estruturas coerentes existentes imediatamente acima da copa florestal. Para a camada limite noturna foram analisadas ocorrências de três diferentes regimes turbulentos: regime 1) fraca turbulência e baixa velocidade do vento; regime 2) forte turbulência e alta velocidade do vento e regime 3) eventos turbulentos não estacionários. Notou-se que na camada limite noturna amazônica a maior frequência de ocorrência é do regime 1 (95%), comparada aos regimes 2 e 3 (5% cada). Contudo, para situações do regime 2, observou-se que o fluxo de calor sensível é cerca de 40 vezes maior comparativamente às situações em que o regime 1 é dominante. Além do quê, em situações em que predomina o regime 2, observou-se que a altura do ponto de inflexão, a escala de comprimento de cisalhamento do vento, as escalas temporais das estruturas coerentes e a taxa de dissipação de energia cinética turbulenta foram consideravelmente maiores quando comparados aos respectivos valores obtidos no regime 1, indicando a ocorrência de forte mistura turbulenta na camada limite superficial. Também constatou-se que os episódios classificados como regime 3 foram essencialmente não-estacionários. Na aplicação do LES foi acrescentada uma força de arrasto no modelo, representativa da floresta amazônica, com o objetivo de se ter simulações o mais próximo da realidade. Seu objetivo foi o de investigar a ocorrência das estruturas coerentes acima da floresta amazônica. Os resultados mostraram que o escoamento turbulento foi sensível à presença do dossel florestal, com um nítido ponto de inflexão no perfil vertical do vento logo acima do dossel. Além disso, os perfis do fluxo de momento e de energia cinética turbulenta foram similares àqueles obtidos com dados experimentais. Na região entre 1h e 4h (onde h corresponde à ix altura média do dossel florestal) os valores de várias grandezas aí observadas, tais como pressão, fluxo de momento, skewnesses de componentes de velocidade do vento e vorticidade sugerem que as estruturas coerentes se organizam na forma de rolos, com eixo de simetria perpendicular ao escoamento médio. Os resultados reforçam a importância de se considerar a física do ponto de inflexão no perfil vertical de velocidade do vento nas trocas turbulentas entre floresta e atmosfera

Intra- and interannual changes in isoprene emission from central Amazonia

Isoprene emissions are a key component in biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and the most significant global source is the Amazon rainforest. However, intra- and interannual variations in biological and environmental factors that regulate isoprene emission from Amazonia are not well understood and, thereby, are poorly represented in models. Here, with datasets covering several years of measurements at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in central Amazonia, Brazil, we (1) quantified canopy profiles of isoprene mixing ratios across seasons of normal and anomalous years and related them to the main drivers of isoprene emission - solar radiation, temperature, and leaf phenology; (2) evaluated the effect of leaf age on the magnitude of the isoprene emission factor (Es) from different tree species and scaled up to canopy with intra- and interannual leaf age distribution derived by a phenocam; and (3) adapted the leaf age algorithm from the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) with observed changes in Es across leaf ages. Our results showed that the variability in isoprene mixing ratios was higher between seasons (max during the dry-to-wet transition seasons) than between years, with values from the extreme 2015 El Niño year not significantly higher than in normal years. In addition, model runs considering in situ observations of canopy Es and the modification on the leaf age algorithm with leaf-level observations of Es presented considerable improvements in the simulated isoprene flux. This shows that MEGAN estimates of isoprene emission can be improved when biological processes are mechanistically incorporated into the model.This research was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF funds 01LB1001A; Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication; FINEP/MCTIC contract 01.11.01248.00); UEA; FAPEAM; LBA/INPA; and SDS/CEUC/RDS-Uatumã. It was also supported by grant nos. NSF-PRFB-1711997 and NSF-1754163. The article processing charges for this open-access publication were covered by the Max Planck Society.Peer reviewe

The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO): Overview of pilot measurements on ecosystem ecology, meteorology, trace gases, and aerosols

The Amazon Basin plays key roles in the carbon and water cycles, climate change, atmospheric chemistry, and biodiversity. It has already been changed significantly by human activities, and more pervasive change is expected to occur in the coming decades. It is therefore essential to establish long-term measurement sites that provide a baseline record of present-day climatic, biogeochemical, and atmospheric conditions and that will be operated over coming decades to monitor change in the Amazon region, as human perturbations increase in the future. The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) has been set up in a pristine rain forest region in the central Amazon Basin, about 150 km northeast of the city of Manaus. Two 80 m towers have been operated at the site since 2012, and a 325 m tower is nearing completion in mid-2015. An ecological survey including a biodiversity assessment has been conducted in the forest region surrounding the site. Measurements of micrometeorological and atmospheric chemical variables were initiated in 2012, and their range has continued to broaden over the last few years. The meteorological and micrometeorological measurements include temperature and wind profiles, precipitation, water and energy fluxes, turbulence components, soil temperature profiles and soil heat fluxes, radiation fluxes, and visibility. A tree has been instrumented to measure stem profiles of temperature, light intensity, and water content in cryptogamic covers. The trace gas measurements comprise continuous monitoring of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and ozone at five to eight different heights, complemented by a variety of additional species measured during intensive campaigns (e.g., VOC, NO, NO2, and OH reactivity). Aerosol optical, microphysical, and chemical measurements are being made above the canopy as well as in the canopy space. They include aerosol light scattering and absorption, fluorescence, number and volume size distributions, chemical composition, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations, and hygroscopicity. In this paper, we discuss the scientific context of the ATTO observatory and present an overview of results from ecological, meteorological, and chemical pilot studies at the ATTO site. © Author(s) 2015

Estudo comparativo da estrutura da turbulência atmosférica na camada limite superficial acima da floresta primária e região desmatada da Amazônia: análise de ondeletas aplicadas à detecção de estruturas correntes

Fast response turbulent data measured in micrometeorological towers located at the Caxiuanã Reserve, PA, (54m height), the Rebio-Jaru, RO, (60m height) and the Fazenda Nossa Senhora, RO, (4,04m height) have been analysed. A comparative study of coherent structures detection above experimental sites with distinct roughness surface conditions, forest and pasture, has been performed. The wavelet of Morlet has been used to identify the occurrence scale of coherent structures in temperature series data. Mean time and space scales of the coherent structures above two surfaces with different surface roughnesses have bean compared: for Caxiuanã and Fazenda Nossa Senhora experimental sites. Atmospheric stability parameters have been calculated to provide information to study the variability of coherent structures and its relationship with atmospheric stability conditions. For the Rebio-Jaru experimental site, the inflexional point height concerning the mean wind velocity vertical profile above and inside the forest canopy has been to determined, too. Finally, to better understand the earlier findings regarding turbulent mixing coherent structures characteristics, correlation coefficients between the vertical velocity and temperature time series have been calculated: a) for the measured data; b) for the wavelet coefficients on the time-scale of coherent structures occurrence. The results have shown clear differences between coherent structures occurrence scales above rough surfaces, as forestas, and smoother surfaces, as pastures. Above forest, under near neutral conditions, oscillation patterns with 80s time-scale are dominant, probably associated with “like rolls” structures. However, lesser was the inflexional point height of the wind profile, lesser was the coherent structures time-scale, probably as a consequence of the greater dissipation effect resulting of the impact action of the canopy physical structure upon the flow turbulent eddies. Further, correlation coefficients between the vertical velocity and the temperature calculated from the wavelet coefficients on the timescale of coherent structures occurrence are clearly greater than the ones resulting of the measured data (all available time-scales). Overall, the results suggest that there are crucial changes in the turbulence structure of the flows above deforested regions comparatively with the ones above pristine forest in Amazonia.IIEB - Instituto Internacional de Educação do BrasilForam analisados dados turbulentos de resposta rápida, coletados em torres micrometeorológicas de 54 metros de altura em Caxiuanã-Pa, de 60 metros de altura na Rebio-Jarú-Ro e em torre de 4,04 metros de altura na Fazenda Nossa Senhora-Ro. Foi desenvolvido estudo comparativo de detecção de estruturas coerentes em dados obtidos acima de florestas e pastagem, portanto sob diferentes condições de rugosidade superficial. Aplicou-se a Transformada em Ondeletas de Morlet para identificar a escala de ocorrência das estruturas coerentes nos sinais de temperatura. Comparou-se a duração média e o comprimento médio das estruturas coerentes para duas.superfícies com rugosidades superficiais diferentes: Caxiuanã e Fazenda Nossa Senhora. Parâmetros de estabilidade atmosférica foram calculados para propiciar um estudo da variabilidade das estruturas coerentes em função das condições de estabilidade atmosférica. Foi calculado sobre a Rebio-Jarú a altura do ponto de inflexão do perfil vertical da velocidade do vento médio e a partir do valor do mesmo observou-se uma nítida correlação deste com a escala de ocorrência das estruturas coerentes. Finalmente, foram calculados os coeficientes de correlação para os sinais brutos e na escala de ocorrência das estruturas coerentes com a finalidade de melhor compreender os resultados de um ponto de vista da ação das estruturas coerentes na mistura turbulenta. Os resultados mostram um comportamento marcadamente diferente, no que diz respeito à floresta e à pastagem. Observou-se que em superfícies rugosas, tais com florestas, em condições próximas da neutralidade, predominam padrões de oscilações associados as escalas temporais da ordem de 80 s, as quais provavelmente, são manifestações de estruturas do tipo "rolos". No entanto, à medida que a altura do ponto de inflexão se aproximou do topo do dossel ocorreu uma diminuição na duração das estruturas coerentes. Além disso, foi observado que o coeficiente de correlação calculado na escala de ocorrência das estruturas coerentes foi consideravelmente maior que o mesmo calculado para o sinal bruto. Tais resultados sugerem mudanças significativas na estrutura da turbulência em regiões desmatadas comparativamente àquelas em que foram mantidas as florestas primárias da Amazônia

An empirical-analytical model of the vertical wind speed profile above and within an Amazon forest site

The present study considers the mean wind velocity profiles measured from a 60 m high tower in the Rebio-Jarú forest (10 ° 04.7 ′ S, 61 ° 52.0 ′ W), located in the Brazilian northwestern state of Rondônia. The data were collected during the wet season as part of an intensive campaign of the large scale biosphere–atmosphere experiment in Amazonia. Nine cup anemometers were vertically placed to provide a good estimate of the inflection point height of the mean wind velocity profile. The resulting data were used to formulate a mean vertical wind speed profile, ū(z), based on key parameters such as the inflection point height and the leaf area index. The modified hyperbolic tangent function was used to provide a more flexible fit to the experimental data. An exponential term was also added to the ū(z) function, so that it can assume the appropriate ‘s’ shape near the ground. Thus, some parameters were incorporated into the analytical profile function to enable more flexibility. The presented results demonstrate that the profile is a good fit to the experimental data measured above and within the Amazon forest canopy. © 2015 Royal Meteorological Societ

Coherent structures detected in the unstable atmospheric surface layer above the Amazon forest

Some characteristics of the turbulence structure above primary forest localized in the south-western Amazon are analyzed. The data was collected in 60. m height meteorological tower erected in Rebio-Jarú Reserve, Brazil. The Morlet's wavelet is used to detect coherent structures (CS) "ramp" time scales from turbulent virtual temperature data measured above forest, under day-time conditions. It is shown that there is a close relationship between time scale of the coherent structure (TCS) and the height to the inflection point in the mean wind speed profile (IP). A time scale associated with the IP is used to provide useful information on inside canopy penetration flow in order to be compared with the CS time-scale. The results show a very robust correlation between these two time scales (for 144 half-hourly data sets, a correlation coefficient value of 0.9 have been obtained). Such results provide new insights regarding shear instability and turbulent eddy characteristics above tall vegetation, in the surface roughness sub-layer (SRS). © 2013 Elsevier Ltd

Usando a altura do ponto de inflexão no perfil do vento para a obtenção de perfis adimensionais acima da floresta amazônica

The most turbulent vortices that populate the forest-atmosphere interface have canopy height length scales. These vortices are mainly responsible for turbulent exchanges between inside and above canopy region. Thus, we used the vertical wind profiles obtained by 10 anemometers installed inside and above the forest canopy of the Rebio-Jarú experimental site, in the Amazon Rainforest. A third degree polynomial function was developed to better fit the wind profile and therefore estimate the inflection point height of the vertical wind profile (zi) a length scale associated with wind shear (Ls), and the wind speed at height zi. These length and velocity scales were used to obtain better fits for the dimensional wind profiles and turbulence statistical moments. Three dimensionless profile models were compared using friction velocity, wind velocity in zi and wind velocity at canopy height. It was observed that the dimensionless profiles using the velocity and shear calculated at zi provided support for the elaboration of more realistic parameterization of the turbulent exchange processes that occur both at the forest-atmosphere interface and inside the canopy.A maioria dos vórtices turbulentos que povoam a interface floresta-atmosfera apresentam escalas de comprimento da ordem da altura do dossel. Esses vórtices são os principais responsáveis por trocas turbulentas entre o interior do dossel e a região acima da floresta. Posto isso, recorreu-se aos perfis verticais do vento, obtidos por 10 anemômetros instalados dentro e acima do dossel florestal do sítio experimental Rebio-Jarú/RO, na floresta amazônica. Uma função polinomial de terceiro grau foi desenvolvida com o objetivo de se obter um melhor ajuste ao perfil vertical do vento e, consequentemente, estimar a altura do ponto de inflexão deste perfil (zi), uma escala de comprimento associada ao cisalhamento do vento (Ls) e a velocidade do vento na altura zi. Essas escalas de comprimento e velocidade foram usadas para a obtenção de melhores ajustes para os perfis adimensionais do vento e de momentos estatísticos da turbulência. Foram comparado três modelos de perfis adimensionais utilizando velocidade de fricção, a velocidade do vento em zi e a velocidade do vento na altura do dossel. Observou-se que os perfis adimensionais com as informações da velocidade e do cisalhamento em zi forneceram um melhor suporte para a elaboração de parametrizações mais realistas dos processos de troca turbulenta que ocorrem tanto na interface floresta-atmosfera quanto no interior do dossel

Observing and Modeling the Vertical Wind Profile at Multiple Sites in and above the Amazon Rain Forest Canopy

We analyzed the vertical wind profile measured at six experimental tower sites in dense forest in the Amazon Basin and examined how well two simple models can reproduce these observations. In general, the vertical wind profile below the canopy is strongly affected by the forest structure. From the forest floor to 0.65h (where h = 35 m is the average height of the forest canopy for sites considered), the wind profile is approximately constant with height with speeds less than 1 ms−1. Above 0.65 to 2.25h, the wind speed increases with height. Testing these data with the Yi and Souza models showed that each was able to reproduce satisfactorily the vertical wind profile for different experimental sites in the Amazon. Using the Souza Model, it was possible to use fewer input variables necessary to simulate the profile

Influence of Atmospheric Stability on the flow dynamics within and above a dense Amazonian forest

This study provides a detailed analysis of the influence of atmospheric stratification on the flow dynamics above and within a dense forest for a 19-days campaign at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) site. Observations taken at seven levels within and above the forest along an 81-meter and a 325-meter towers allow a unique investigation of the vertical evolution of the turbulent field in the roughness sublayer and in the surface layer above it. Five different stability classes were defined on the basis of the behavior of turbulent heat, momentum and CO2 fluxes and variance ratio as a function of h/L stability parameter (where h is the canopy height and L is the Obukhov length). The novelty is the identification of a ‘super-stable’ (SS) regime (h/L>3) characterized by extremely low wind speeds, the almost completely suppression of turbulence and a clear dominance of submeso motions both above and within the forest. The obtained data classification was used to study the influence of atmospheric stratification on the vertical profiles of turbulent statistics. The spectral characteristics of coherent structures and of submeso motions (that may influence the energy and mass exchange above the Amazon forest) have been analyzed by wavelet analyses. The role of the main structures in momentum, heat and CO2 transport at the different levels inside and above the forest and in different diabatic conditions was thoroughly investigated through multiresolution and quadrant analyses. In unstable and neutral stability, the flow above the canopy appears modulated by ejections, whereas downward and intermittent sweeps dominate the transport inside the canopy. In the roughness sublayer (z £ 2h) the coherent structures dominating the transport within and above the canopy have a characteristic temporal scale of about 100 sec, whereas above this layer the transport is mainly driven by larger scale convection (temporal scale of about 15 min). In stable conditions the height of roughness sublayer progressively decreases with increasing stability reaching the minimum value (z<1.35h) in the SS regime. Above the canopy the flow is clearly dominated by ejections but characterized by a higher intermittency mainly in SS conditions. On the other hand, the rapid shear stress absorption in the highest part of the vegetation produces a less clear dominance of sweeps and a less defined role of odd and even quadrants inside the canopy in the transport of momentum, heat and CO2. In the weakly stable regime (0.1