A Time Series Sodar Simulator Based on Large-Eddy Simulation

Abstract

A sodar simulator capable of producing time series data emulating sodar signals has been developed and tested. The atmospheric fields used to populate the sodar simulator are taken from output of a large-eddy simulation code. The characteristics of the sodar (number and zenith angle of beams, beamwidth, transmit frequency, range resolution, etc.) are defined by the user to allow emulation of existing systems. The range of the reflected acoustic signal is calculated based upon a temperature-dependent speed of sound. Realistic acoustic background noise is simulated using filtered white noise. The raw acoustic time series data are processed using a Fourier transform to yield acoustic Doppler spectra, from which the radial velocities are calculated. The design of the simulator allows for the testing of and comparisons between various signal-processing techniques and averaging periods. An example case of feeding the sodar simulator with large-eddy simulation data representative of a developing convective boundary layer is presented and discussed.