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Effects of Unstable Thermal Stratification on Vertical Fluxes of Heat and Momentum in Urban Areas

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Abstract

A Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes microscale model is used for the simulation of the effect of unstable thermal stratification on the flow within an aligned configuration of building-like cubes as used in Santiago et al. (Urban Clim 9:115–133, 2014). The spatially-averaged results show increased dispersive fluxes, turbulent length scales and sectional drag coefficient. An extension of K-theory is presented to parametrize the sum of the turbulent and dispersive fluxes, and the length scale and drag coefficient increases are parametrized as functions of the ratio of buoyant and inertial forces. This approach improves the results of urban canopy parametrization simulations inside and above the urban canyon and represents the first attempt to account for the dispersive fluxes and the effect of solar radiation on the flow.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Dr. Scott Krayenhoff for his help in revising the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, 1 Arts Link, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 117570, Singapore

    Andres Simón-Moral

  2. Atmospheric Pollution Division, Environmental Department, CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense 40, Ed. 3, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Andres Simón-Moral, Jose Luis Santiago & Alberto Martilli

Authors
  1. Andres Simón-Moral
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  2. Jose Luis Santiago
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  3. Alberto Martilli
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Correspondence to Andres Simón-Moral.

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Simón-Moral, A., Santiago, J.L. & Martilli, A. Effects of Unstable Thermal Stratification on Vertical Fluxes of Heat and Momentum in Urban Areas. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 163, 103–121 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-016-0211-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-016-0211-4

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