A DEFINITIVE APPROACH TO TURBULENCE STATISTICAL STUDIES IN PLANETARY BOUNDARY-LAYERS

A method for comprehensive statistical data analysis is presented. It includes a procedure for selection of segments within a data record, w here data can be considered stationary, allowing the computation of st atistical parameters (from data over selected segments) and their conf idence intervals (estimating the statistical reliability of the parame ters). The method is illustrated by analyzing the vertical component o f the wind velocity data collected by research aircraft flights over L ake Michigan during Project LESS (Lake Effect Snow Studies). The resul ts indicate that for skewness and kurtosis, the requirements for accep table ''averaging distances'' are less limiting than the required dist ances for corresponding third- and forth-order moments.