Electromagnetic wave propagation through simulated atmospheric refractivity fields

Large-eddy simulation (LES) provides three-dimensional, time-dependent fiel ds of turbulent refractivity in the atmospheric boundary layer on spatial s cales down to a few tens of meters. These fields are directly applicable to the computation of electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation in the megahertz range but not in the gigahertz range. We present an approximate technique f or extending LES refractivity fields to the smaller scales needed for calcu lating EM propagation at gigahertz frequencies. We demonstrate the techniqu e by computing refractivity fields through 128(3) LES, extending them to sm aller scales in two dimensions, and using them in a parabolic equation EM p ropagation model. At 0.263 GHz the very small scale structure in the extend ed fields has a negligible effect on the predicted EM levels. At 2 GHz, how ever, it increases the predicted levels by 15-25 dB. We relate these result s to the refractivity structure sampled by EM waves at 0.263 and 2 GHz. We also show that at long range an EM field calculated through an LES-based re fractivity field is generally less coherent and significantly weaker than o ne computed from a "plywood" (i.e., stratified, range-independent) model of the small-scale refractivity field. We give a physical explanation for the differences in the EM fields computed in these two ways. Finally, although the plywood model gives results that fit the EM levels observed in the rec ent Variability of Coastal Atmospheric Refractivity (VOCAR) experiment, it is not physically realistic. The instantaneous top of the atmospheric bound ary layer is known to be sharp and horizontally varying, and we show that u sing such a top also yields a fit to the VOCAR data.