A CLIMATOLOGY OF EPSILON (ATMOSPHERIC DISSIPATION)

Abstract

Kolmogorov's structure functions for the longitudinal and transverse components of locally homogeneous isotropic turbulence are combined vectorially to obtain an expression which permits the evaluation of ? (atmospheric dissipation rate) from climatological data. This is used to derive climatological patterns of ? in the free atmosphere from Crutcher's upper wind statistics of the Northern Hemisphere. The latter are combined with Kung's boundary-layer values to estimate the distribution of total atmospheric dissipation over the Northern Hemisphere.