Wind variability in the northwestern part of the Black Sea from the offshore fixed platform observation data

Abstract

The statistically ensured estimates of characteristics of temporal variability of wind speed and wind direction are obtained on the basis of observations carried out in 1996-2001 at the offshore fixed platform in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. The maximum values of monthly mean wind speed (more than 8 m/s) are registered in the cold half-year and the minimum ones (~4 m/s), in summer. The moderate winds of northern and southern directions dominate during the whole year. Using the Pearson's chi-squared test, it is demonstrated that the wind speed follows the normal distribution law during the most part of observation period. The largest deviations from the normal law are timed to the periods of existence of intensive large-scale anomalies in the ocean-atmosphere system. A significant alternation of both synoptic and lower-frequency intramonthly wind speed fluctuations with typical periods of~10-15 days is revealed. Their peak amplitude was registered in the fall and winter season of 1997/98, i.e., it was observed during the mature phase of one of the most intensive El Niños during the whole period of instrumental observations. At that time, the energy of intramonthly low-frequency wind speed fluctuations (~4 m 2 /s 2 ) was equal to the energy of fluctuations within the synoptic range of the spectrum.

Evaluating the effects of land use and cover change on the decrease of surface wind speed over China in recent 30 years using a statistical downscaling method

“…The distinct decrease of the surface wind speed (SWS) has been reported by several studies in different regions, such as in the Mediterranean and Adriatic areas (Pirazzoli and Tomasin 2003), the Black Sea region (Garmsshov and Polonskii 2011), Europe (Najac et al 2009;Smits et al 2005), North America (Greene et al 2012;He et al 2010; 1 3…”

Comparing satellite and meteorological data on wind velocity over the Black Sea

“…The velocity and direction of wind at a height of ~40 m have been measured since 1996 on the Golitsyno 4 platform located on the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea at a distance of ~50 km from the coast [12]. The results obtained in [12] are used by us to validate QuikSCAT data and estimate the quality of data from the regional MM5 and global ERA Interim, NCEP, and MERRA reanalyses.…”

“…In the west, the distance from the platform to the Crimean Peninsula is 63 km and, in the north, the distance from the plat form to the coast of Ukraine is 58 km. This platform is a pile construction consisting of four blocks; the orien tation and location of the platform are shown in [12]; here, the depth of the sea is 30 m. An M63 MP sensor to measure the velocity and direction of wind was mounted on the tower (the highest point of the plat form) at a height of 37 m above sea level. All parame ters were recorded with a discreteness of 3 h (1996-2002) and 1 h (2008-2009), and the velocity and direction of wind were averaged over 10 min.…”

Urbanization Effects on Surface Wind in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area Using a Fan-Sector Method

“…Based on meteorological measurements, a noticeable decrease in surface wind speeds (SWS) mainly before 2010 has been revealed by numerous studies across the globe such as China [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ], North America [ 9 , 10 ], and Europe [ 11 , 12 ], as well as other regions [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. The decrease in SWS was possibly attributed to the increased surface roughness due to the changes in land use and land cover.…”