TY - JOUR

T1 - Influence of Atmospheric Flow Structure on Optical Turbulence Characteristics

AU - Shikhovtsev, Artem Y.

AU - Kovadlo, Pavel G.

AU - Lezhenin, Anatoly A.

AU - Korobov, Oleg A.

AU - Kiselev, Alexander V.

AU - Russkikh, Ivan V.

AU - Kolobov, Dmitrii Y.

AU - Shikhovtsev, Maxim Y.

N1 - This research was funded by the RSF grant No. 22-29-01137.

PY - 2023/2

Y1 - 2023/2

N2 - This article discusses the quality of astronomical images under conditions of moderate small-scale turbulence and varying meso-scale airflows above the Baikal Astrophysical Observatory (BAO). We applied a Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, as well as statistical estimations of the Fried parameter from the differential motion of the solar images. The simulations were performed with a fairly high horizontal resolution within a large area of 1600 × 1600 km. A high horizontal resolution provides representative estimations of atmospheric characteristics and correct accounting of large-scale air advection. We considered the influence of atmospheric motions over the cold water area of Lake Baikal, as well as meso-scale vortex structures over rough terrain on solar image quality. A better understanding of structured turbulent small-scale motions and optical turbulence over rough terrain may help to develop advanced methods for diagnostics and prediction of image quality. For the first time, we have shown that the BAO is located at the periphery of a meso-scale atmospheric vortex structure with an anticyclonic direction of airflows in the daytime. An increase in image quality was associated with weakening airflows over Lake Baikal and a decrease in the intensity of wind speed fluctuations. Calculated spectra of atmospheric turbulence in the daytime were close to the classical form. At night and in the morning, the spectra had a steeper slope on small scales. Deformations of the spectra were due to the suppression of turbulence under stable stratification of the atmosphere. The characteristic horizontal scales of the transition from “−5/3” to ∼“−3” spectral slope were 2–2.5 km. The results obtained using the WRF model and analysis of optical turbulence strength (namely, the Fried parameter) indicated that the parameterization schemes used in the WRF model were accurate.

AB - This article discusses the quality of astronomical images under conditions of moderate small-scale turbulence and varying meso-scale airflows above the Baikal Astrophysical Observatory (BAO). We applied a Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, as well as statistical estimations of the Fried parameter from the differential motion of the solar images. The simulations were performed with a fairly high horizontal resolution within a large area of 1600 × 1600 km. A high horizontal resolution provides representative estimations of atmospheric characteristics and correct accounting of large-scale air advection. We considered the influence of atmospheric motions over the cold water area of Lake Baikal, as well as meso-scale vortex structures over rough terrain on solar image quality. A better understanding of structured turbulent small-scale motions and optical turbulence over rough terrain may help to develop advanced methods for diagnostics and prediction of image quality. For the first time, we have shown that the BAO is located at the periphery of a meso-scale atmospheric vortex structure with an anticyclonic direction of airflows in the daytime. An increase in image quality was associated with weakening airflows over Lake Baikal and a decrease in the intensity of wind speed fluctuations. Calculated spectra of atmospheric turbulence in the daytime were close to the classical form. At night and in the morning, the spectra had a steeper slope on small scales. Deformations of the spectra were due to the suppression of turbulence under stable stratification of the atmosphere. The characteristic horizontal scales of the transition from “−5/3” to ∼“−3” spectral slope were 2–2.5 km. The results obtained using the WRF model and analysis of optical turbulence strength (namely, the Fried parameter) indicated that the parameterization schemes used in the WRF model were accurate.

KW - WRF

KW - meso-scales

KW - turbulence

UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85147816987&partnerID=40&md5=6d5f33a07d6b838a2eb28b176114ada7

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/c2476e92-0bc9-3172-bc0e-f1acdfb63230/

U2 - 10.3390/app13031282

DO - 10.3390/app13031282

M3 - Article

VL - 13

JO - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)

JF - Applied Sciences (Switzerland)

SN - 2076-3417

IS - 3

M1 - 1282

ER -