Kolmogorov's description of the inertial subrange is a well-supported concept of turbulent flow that plays a critical role in atmospheric dynamics; however, defining the bandwidth of the inertial subrange remains challenging. Emerging capabilities in airborne Doppler wind lidar are improving the accuracy and resolution of 3D wind measurements by utilizing multiple fixed-direction beams on a single aircraft. This advancement allows for new insight into atmospheric turbulence. Simultaneous measurements of line-of-sight variance of wind velocity in different directions contain information about both horizontal and vertical components of the Reynolds Stress Tensor. From these measurements, isotropy of turbulence could be quantified at a range of length scales, and an upper boundary could be investigated for the inertial subrange of the sampled atmosphere. This method is demonstrated using an LES-based simulation of airborne lidar measurements in turbulent boundary layer flow.
Kasic et al. (Thu,) studied this question.