An Objective Analysis Technique for Constructing Three-Dimensional Urban-Scale Wind Fields

Abstract

An objective analysis procedure for generating mass-consistent, urban-scale three-dimensional wind fields is presented together with a comparison against existing techniques. The algorithm employs terrain following coordinates and variable vertical grid spacing. Initial estimates of the velocity field are developed by interpolating surface and upper level wind measurements. A local terrain adjustment technique, involving solution of the Poisson equation, is used to establish the horizontal components of the surface field. Vertical velocities are developed from successive solutions of the continuity equation followed by an iterative procedure which reduces anomalous divergence in the complete field. Major advantages of the procedure are that it is computationally efficient and allows boundary values to adjust in response to changes in the interior flow. The method has been successfully tested using field measurements and problems with known analytic solutions.