Concerning the Use of Routine Meteorological Data in Estimating Atmospheric Diffusion Parameters

Abstract

By using an integrated form of the Businger-Dyer flux-gradient equations, routine measurements of wind speed and vertical temperature difference in the surface layer are related to low-level atmospheric turbulence and stability. It is suggested that surface wind speed and vertical temperature difference can be used directly to determine the vertical plume diffusion parameter for unstable conditions without using the conventional Pasquill stability index. Their application in the conventional stability scheme, for both stable and unstable conditions, is also discussed in detail.