Richard J.A.M. Stevens

Professor at the University of Twente

Wind energy · Turbulence · Environmental flows

Publication 113 · Atmospheric turbulence

Geostrophic Drag Law in Conventionally Neutral Atmospheric Boundary Layer

L. Liu, X. Lu, R.J.A.M. Stevens, Boundary-Layer Meteorol 190, 37 (2024).

Read the article Open-access version (university repository)

Main finding

A four-constant geostrophic drag law simplifies the relation between surface drag, rotation and the stable cap in the tested conventionally neutral boundary layers. Its test remains within the same LES code family and assumes high Zi; the reported domain/damping inconsistency and uncertainty limits remain unresolved.

Geostrophic drag law coefficients against the Zilitinkevich number
How to read the figure. The geostrophic drag law coefficients A and B against the Zilitinkevich number, from nineteen conventionally neutral boundary layer simulations, with the paper's simplified parametrisation drawn through them; a competing prediction underestimates the second coefficient over the same range. The test sits within one code family at high Zilitinkevich number and carries no uncertainty bounds, so it supports the four-constant form rather than validating it generally. Figure 4 gives the drag coefficient and the cross-isobaric angle. Open the full-resolution figure. Figure 3. L. Liu et al. (2024). No separate licence is stated here; consult the original publication and credited source before reuse.

Why this matters

Rotation, surface drag, and the stable cap jointly control the wind/pressure mismatch.

Research context

Geostrophic drag law for conventionally neutral atmospheric boundary layers… (read the finding) supplies the calibration dataset, code lineage, and earlier GDL coefficients. Universal Wind Profile for Conventionally Neutral Atmospheric Boundary Layers (read the finding) supplies additional plotted prior LES points. Vertical structure of conventionally neutral atmospheric boundary layers (read the finding) supplies analytical support for the streamwise normalized-gradient assumption. These reused inputs are dependencies rather than independent validation.

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