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The vertical wind profile at Mildred Lake, Alberta
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- Author(s) / Creator(s)
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A study of the winds of the Alberta Tar Sands region was performed by the MEP Company from 1974 to 1976. The objectives of this study were to establish the wind climatology of the region in order to predict the dispersion of emissions from the Syncrude plant. Detailed studies of the vertical, horizontal and diurnal variation of the wind velocity were performed. The raw data consisted of pibal and minisonde soundings taken at least twice daily during the period of the field experiment. In addition, three periods of intensive studies, one during the winter and two during the summer, were performed. The field results were transformed into vertical profiles of the temperature, potential temperature, and wind velocity. Two models of the vertical profile of the wind, a power law model and a geostrophic model, were evaluated. The power law model was generally the better model in that it produced smaller RMS errors more often than the geostrophic model. The geostrophic model was more successful during winter limited mixing. Several levels were tested as a reference height for the power law. The best height was found to be 183 metres. The exponent of the power law varied considerably with the stability, while the actual reference height used made relatively little difference, considering the entire data set. The diurnal variation of the wind was found to have typical characteristics. Surface winds had maximum values at the time of maximum heating and minimum values during mid-morning.
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- Date created
- 1977
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- Type of Item
- Report
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- License
- Conditions of Use M.E.P. Company, 1977. The vertical wind profile at Mildred Lake, Alberta. Syncrude Canada Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta. Professional Paper 1977-1. 62 pp. Permission for non-commercial use, publication or presentation of excerpts or figures is granted, provided appropriate attribution (as above) is cited. Commercial reproduction, in whole or in part, is not permitted without prior written consent. The use of these materials by the end user is done without any affiliation with or endorsement by Syncrude Canada Ltd. Reliance upon the end user's use of these materials is at the sole risk of the end user.