Characterization and Comparison of Aerodynamic Roughness Lengths Using Ground-Based Photography and Sonic Anemometry
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 7
Abstract
In this study, two methods used to estimate surface terrain conditions () surrounding Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) stations in tropical cyclone-prone regions were analyzed. The first method utilized ground-based photography from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Research Division’s Tropical Cyclone Wind Exposure Documentation Project (WEDP). The second applied a modified effective method using ASOS wind data. Comparisons reveal that WEDP estimates are typically larger in magnitude and do not account for changes in upstream . Variability in the estimates showed a distinctly skewed nature in the probability distributions, which may have some physical meaning. It was also shown that standardized maximum 1-min sustained wind speeds using both the WEDP and MM2010 median estimates for short fetch lengths can have differences as large as 15%. The MM2010 estimates were also compared with single weighted mean estimates to be incorporated in the next version of the U.S. wind loading standard and suggest that a single weighted mean value does not effectively capture the variability of the terrain with respect to wind direction.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Dr. Emil Simiu, as well as Dr. Forrest Masters for his guidance and understanding of the MM2010 method and the accompanying data. A special thank you is offered to Dr. Matthew Mason from the University of Queensland for reviewing this article and providing insightful suggestions to enhance the arguments and findings of this research. The authors also want to sincerely thank the reviewers for their detailed comments and suggestions. The reviewers’ insight has greatly contributed to the analysis and results presented in this paper.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 7 • July 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 3, 2016
Accepted: Dec 7, 2016
Published online: Mar 3, 2017
Published in print: Jul 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Aug 3, 2017
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