Midtroposphere Wind Speed Spectra from Long-Term Wind Profiler Measurements

Abstract

This study of a 5-yr continuous record of midtropospheric horizontal wind components from a radar wind profiler operating at Fleming, Colorado, shows a broad spectral peak centered around a period of 1 week and a minimum at about 4 months, in addition to the expected 1-yr peak. However, when the records are separated according to seasons, the pattern becomes more complicated, with several distinct peaks and clear differences between the summer and winter behavior emerging. In this paper the different spectral patterns observed are presented and the synoptic-scale features in the weather that could produce them are speculated on.