Flow Complexity Recognition in Moderately Complex Terrain

 

Lidar provides a widely accepted approach to wind speed measurement. With this technology, as with other forms of remote sensing, the usual assumption is that flow is homogeneous across the entire volume of measurement. However, in complex terrain this assumption can no longer be made, especially with respect to wind speeds at different heights (see Figure 1). This article considers two different approaches to wind speed measurement in moderately complex terrain and, by way of illustration, draws upon real-world examples.