Articles | Volume 9, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1381-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1381-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Jun 2024
Research article |
| 25 Jun 2024
| 25 Jun 2024
Simulating low-frequency wind fluctuations
Department of Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Jakob Mann
Department of Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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Abdul Haseeb Syed, Jakob Mann, Andreas Platis, and Jens Bange
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 125–139, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-125-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-125-2023, 2023
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Wind turbines extract energy from the incoming wind flow, which needs to be recovered. In very large offshore wind farms, the energy is recovered mostly from above the wind farm in a process called entrainment. In this study, we analyzed the effect of atmospheric stability on the entrainment process in large offshore wind farms using measurements recorded by a research aircraft. This is the first time that in situ measurements are used to study the energy recovery process above wind farms.
Isadora L. Coimbra, Jakob Mann, José M. L. M. Palma, and Vasco T. P. Batista
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 287–303, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-287-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-287-2025, 2025
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Dual-lidar measurements are explored here as a cost-effective alternative for measuring the wind at great heights. From measurements at a mountainous site, we showed that this methodology can accurately capture mean wind speeds and turbulence under different flow conditions, and we recommended optimal lidar placement and sampling rates. This methodology allows the construction of vertical wind profiles up to 430 m, surpassing traditional meteorological mast heights and single-lidar capabilities.
Liqin Jin, Mauro Ghirardelli, Jakob Mann, Mikael Sjöholm, Stephan Thomas Kral, and Joachim Reuder
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2721–2737, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2721-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2721-2024, 2024
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Three-dimensional wind fields can be accurately measured by sonic anemometers. However, the traditional mast-mounted sonic anemometers are not flexible in various applications, which can be potentially overcome by drones. Therefore, we conducted a proof-of-concept study by applying three continuous-wave Doppler lidars to characterize the complex flow around a drone to validate the results obtained by CFD simulations. Both methods show good agreement, with a velocity difference of 0.1 m s-1.
Liqin Jin, Jakob Mann, Nikolas Angelou, and Mikael Sjöholm
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 6007–6023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6007-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6007-2023, 2023
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By sampling the spectra from continuous-wave Doppler lidars very fast, the rain-induced Doppler signal can be suppressed and the bias in the wind velocity estimation can be reduced. The method normalizes 3 kHz spectra by their peak values before averaging them down to 50 Hz. Over 3 h, we observe a significant reduction in the bias of the lidar data relative to the reference sonic data when the largest lidar focus distance is used. The more it rains, the more the bias is reduced.
Nikolas Angelou, Jakob Mann, and Camille Dubreuil-Boisclair
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1511–1531, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1511-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1511-2023, 2023
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This study presents the first experimental investigation using two nacelle-mounted wind lidars that reveal the upwind and downwind conditions relative to a full-scale floating wind turbine. We find that in the case of floating wind turbines with small pitch and roll oscillating motions (< 1°), the ambient turbulence is the main driving factor that determines the propagation of the wake characteristics.
Wei Fu, Alessandro Sebastiani, Alfredo Peña, and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 677–690, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-677-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-677-2023, 2023
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Nacelle lidars with different beam scanning locations and two types of systems are considered for inflow turbulence estimations using both numerical simulations and field measurements. The turbulence estimates from a sonic anemometer at the hub height of a Vestas V52 turbine are used as references. The turbulence parameters are retrieved using the radial variances and a least-squares procedure. The findings from numerical simulations have been verified by the analysis of the field measurements.
Abdul Haseeb Syed, Jakob Mann, Andreas Platis, and Jens Bange
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 125–139, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-125-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-125-2023, 2023
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Felix Kelberlau and Jakob Mann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5323–5341, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5323-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5323-2022, 2022
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Floating lidar systems are used for measuring wind speeds offshore, and their motion influences the measurements. This study describes the motion-induced bias on mean wind speed estimates by simulating the lidar sampling pattern of a moving lidar. An analytic model is used to validate the simulations. The bias is low and depends on amplitude and frequency of motion as well as on wind shear. It has been estimated for the example of the Fugro SEAWATCH wind lidar buoy carrying a ZX 300M lidar.
Wei Fu, Alfredo Peña, and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 831–848, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-831-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-831-2022, 2022
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Measuring the variability of the wind is essential to operate the wind turbines safely. Lidars of different configurations have been placed on the turbines’ nacelle to measure the inflow remotely. This work found that the multiple-beam lidar is the only one out of the three employed nacelle lidars that can give detailed information about the inflow variability. The other two commercial lidars, which have two and four beams, respectively, measure only the fluctuation in the along-wind direction.
Nikolas Angelou, Jakob Mann, and Ebba Dellwik
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2255–2268, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2255-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2255-2022, 2022
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In this study we use state-of-the-art scanning wind lidars to investigate the wind field in the near-wake region of a mature, open-grown tree. Our measurements provide for the first time a picture of the mean and the turbulent spatial fluctuations in the flow in the wake of a tree in its natural environment. Our observations support the hypothesis that even simple models can realistically simulate the turbulent fluctuations in the wake and thus predict the effect of trees in flow models.
Pedro Santos, Jakob Mann, Nikola Vasiljević, Elena Cantero, Javier Sanz Rodrigo, Fernando Borbón, Daniel Martínez-Villagrasa, Belén Martí, and Joan Cuxart
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 1793–1810, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1793-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1793-2020, 2020
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This study presents results from the Alaiz experiment (ALEX17), featuring the characterization of two cases with flow features ranging from 0.1 to 10 km in complex terrain. We show that multiple scanning lidars can capture in detail a type of atmospheric wave that can happen up to 10 % of the time at this site. The results are in agreement with multiple ground observations and demonstrate the role of atmospheric stability in flow phenomena that need to be better captured by numerical models.
Martin Dörenkämper, Bjarke T. Olsen, Björn Witha, Andrea N. Hahmann, Neil N. Davis, Jordi Barcons, Yasemin Ezber, Elena García-Bustamante, J. Fidel González-Rouco, Jorge Navarro, Mariano Sastre-Marugán, Tija Sīle, Wilke Trei, Mark Žagar, Jake Badger, Julia Gottschall, Javier Sanz Rodrigo, and Jakob Mann
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 5079–5102, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-5079-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-5079-2020, 2020
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This is the second of two papers that document the creation of the New European Wind Atlas (NEWA). The paper includes a detailed description of the technical and practical aspects that went into running the mesoscale simulations and the microscale downscaling for generating the climatology. A comprehensive evaluation of each component of the NEWA model chain is presented using observations from a large set of tall masts located all over Europe.
Pedro Santos, Alfredo Peña, and Jakob Mann
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-960, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-960, 2020
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We show that the vector of vertical flux of horizontal momentum and the vector of the mean vertical gradient of horizontal velocity are not aligned, based on Doppler wind lidar observations up to 500 m, both offshore and onshore. We illustrate that a mesoscale model output matches the observed mean wind speed and momentum fluxes well, but that this model output as well as idealized large-eddy simulations have deviations with the observations when looking at the turning of the wind.
Robert Menke, Nikola Vasiljević, Johannes Wagner, Steven P. Oncley, and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 1059–1073, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1059-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-1059-2020, 2020
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Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 519–541, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-519-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-519-2020, 2020
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Charlotte B. Hasager, Andrea N. Hahmann, Tobias Ahsbahs, Ioanna Karagali, Tija Sile, Merete Badger, and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 5, 375–390, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-375-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-5-375-2020, 2020
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Dominique P. Held and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 4, 421–438, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-4-421-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-4-421-2019, 2019
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Dominique P. Held and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 4, 407–420, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-4-407-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-4-407-2019, 2019
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Felix Kelberlau and Jakob Mann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 1871–1888, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-1871-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-1871-2019, 2019
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Lidars are devices that can measure wind velocities remotely from the ground. Their estimates are very accurate in the mean but wind speed fluctuations lead to measurement errors. The presented data processing methods mitigate several of the error causes: first, by making use of knowledge about the mean wind direction and, second, by determining the location of air packages and sensing them in the best moment. Both methods can be applied to existing wind lidars and results are very promising.
Robert Menke, Nikola Vasiljević, Jakob Mann, and Julie K. Lundquist
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 2713–2723, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2713-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2713-2019, 2019
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Alfredo Peña, Ebba Dellwik, and Jakob Mann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 237–252, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-237-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-237-2019, 2019
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Dominique P. Held and Jakob Mann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 6339–6350, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6339-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6339-2018, 2018
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Robert Menke, Nikola Vasiljević, Kurt S. Hansen, Andrea N. Hahmann, and Jakob Mann
Wind Energ. Sci., 3, 681–691, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-681-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-681-2018, 2018
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Jakob Mann, Alfredo Peña, Niels Troldborg, and Søren J. Andersen
Wind Energ. Sci., 3, 293–300, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-293-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-3-293-2018, 2018
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Turbulence is usually assumed to be unmodified by the stagnation occurring in front of a wind turbine rotor. All manufacturers assume this in their dynamic load calculations. If this assumption is not true it might bias the load calculations and the turbines might not be designed optimally. We investigate the assumption with a Doppler lidar measuring forward from the top of the nacelle and find small but systematic changes in the approaching turbulence that depend on the power curve.
Nikola Vasiljević, José M. L. M. Palma, Nikolas Angelou, José Carlos Matos, Robert Menke, Guillaume Lea, Jakob Mann, Michael Courtney, Luis Frölen Ribeiro, and Vitor M. M. G. C. Gomes
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 3463–3483, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3463-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3463-2017, 2017
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In this paper we present a methodology for atmospheric multi-Doppler lidar experiments accompanied with the description and results from the Perdigão-2015 experiment, where the methodology was demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first time that steps leading to the acquisition of high-quality datasets from field studies are described and systematically defined and organized.
Alfredo Peña, Jakob Mann, and Nikolay Dimitrov
Wind Energ. Sci., 2, 133–152, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-133-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-2-133-2017, 2017
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Nacelle lidars are nowadays extensively used to scan the turbine inflow. Thus, it is important to characterize turbulence from their measurements. We present two methods to perform turbulence estimation and demonstrate them using two types of lidars. With one method we can estimate the along-wind unfiltered variance accurately. With the other we can estimate the filtered radial velocity variance accurately and velocity-tensor parameters under neutral and high wind-speed conditions.
Ryan Kilpatrick, Horia Hangan, Kamran Siddiqui, Dan Parvu, Julia Lange, Jakob Mann, and Jacob Berg
Wind Energ. Sci., 1, 237–254, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-1-237-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-1-237-2016, 2016
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This paper contributes to the scientific knowledge of flow behaviour over complex topography by extending the physical modelling work of the flow over the Bolund Hill escarpment, a test case for the validation of numerical models in complex terrain for wind resource assessment. The influence of inflow conditions on the flow over the topography has been examined in detail using a large-scale topographic model at high resolution at the unique WindEEE dome wind research facility.
G. A. M. van Kuik, J. Peinke, R. Nijssen, D. Lekou, J. Mann, J. N. Sørensen, C. Ferreira, J. W. van Wingerden, D. Schlipf, P. Gebraad, H. Polinder, A. Abrahamsen, G. J. W. van Bussel, J. D. Sørensen, P. Tavner, C. L. Bottasso, M. Muskulus, D. Matha, H. J. Lindeboom, S. Degraer, O. Kramer, S. Lehnhoff, M. Sonnenschein, P. E. Sørensen, R. W. Künneke, P. E. Morthorst, and K. Skytte
Wind Energ. Sci., 1, 1–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-1-1-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-1-1-2016, 2016
C. F. Abari, A. T. Pedersen, E. Dellwik, and J. Mann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 4145–4153, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-4145-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-4145-2015, 2015
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Continuous-wave coherent Doppler lidars (CW CDL) are a class of short-range wind lidars. This paper presents the measurement results from a field campaign where the performance of a recently built all-fiber image-reject homodyne CW CDL is compared against a sonic anemometer. The results are weighed against another instrument, i.e., a CW CDL benefiting from a heterodyne receiver. The results show that the new system has a superior measurement performance, especially for close-to-zero velocities.
A. Sathe, J. Mann, N. Vasiljevic, and G. Lea
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 729–740, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-729-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-729-2015, 2015
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A so-called six-beam method is proposed to measure atmospheric turbulence using a ground-based wind lidar. This method is presented as an alternative to the so-called velocity azimuth display (VAD) method that is routinely used in commercial wind lidars, and which usually results in significant averaging effects of measured turbulence.
A. Sathe and J. Mann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 3147–3167, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-3147-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-3147-2013, 2013
E. Branlard, A. T. Pedersen, J. Mann, N. Angelou, A. Fischer, T. Mikkelsen, M. Harris, C. Slinger, and B. F. Montes
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 1673–1683, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1673-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1673-2013, 2013
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Ye Liu, Timothy W. Juliano, Raghavendra Krishnamurthy, Brian J. Gaudet, and Jungmin Lee
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This study explores how wind and power predictions can be improved by introducing local forcing of measurement data in a numerical weather model, while taking into account the presence of neighboring wind farms. Practical implications for the wind energy industry include insights for informed offshore wind farm planning and decision-making strategies using open-source models, even under adverse weather conditions.
Mohammad Golam Mostafa Khan and Mohammed Rafiuddin Ahmed
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1277–1298, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1277-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1277-2023, 2023
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A robust technique for wind resource assessment with a Bayesian approach for estimating Weibull parameters is proposed. Research conducted using seven sites' data in the tropical region from 1° N to 21° S revealed that the three-parameter (3-p) Weibull distribution with a non-zero shift parameter is a better fit for wind data that have a higher percentage of low wind speeds. Wind data with higher wind speeds are a special case of the 3-p distribution. This approach gives accurate results.
Sue Ellen Haupt, Branko Kosović, Larry K. Berg, Colleen M. Kaul, Matthew Churchfield, Jeffrey Mirocha, Dries Allaerts, Thomas Brummet, Shannon Davis, Amy DeCastro, Susan Dettling, Caroline Draxl, David John Gagne, Patrick Hawbecker, Pankaj Jha, Timothy Juliano, William Lassman, Eliot Quon, Raj K. Rai, Michael Robinson, William Shaw, and Regis Thedin
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1251–1275, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1251-2023, 2023
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The Mesoscale to Microscale Coupling team, part of the U.S. Department of Energy Atmosphere to Electrons (A2e) initiative, has studied various important challenges related to coupling mesoscale models to microscale models. Lessons learned and discerned best practices are described in the context of the cases studied for the purpose of enabling further deployment of wind energy. It also points to code, assessment tools, and data for testing the methods.
Miguel Sanchez Gomez, Julie K. Lundquist, Jeffrey D. Mirocha, and Robert S. Arthur
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1049–1069, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1049-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1049-2023, 2023
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The wind slows down as it approaches a wind plant; this phenomenon is called blockage. As a result, the turbines in the wind plant produce less power than initially anticipated. We investigate wind plant blockage for two atmospheric conditions. Blockage is larger for a wind plant compared to a stand-alone turbine. Also, blockage increases with atmospheric stability. Blockage is amplified by the vertical transport of horizontal momentum as the wind approaches the front-row turbines in the array.
Stephanie Redfern, Mike Optis, Geng Xia, and Caroline Draxl
Wind Energ. Sci., 8, 1–23, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-8-1-2023, 2023
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As wind farm developments expand offshore, accurate forecasting of winds above coastal waters is rising in importance. Weather models rely on various inputs to generate their forecasts, one of which is sea surface temperature (SST). In this study, we evaluate how the SST data set used in the Weather Research and Forecasting model may influence wind characterization and find meaningful differences between model output when different SST products are used.
Merete Badger, Haichen Zuo, Ásta Hannesdóttir, Abdalmenem Owda, and Charlotte Hasager
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2497–2512, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2497-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2497-2022, 2022
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When wind turbine blades are exposed to strong winds and heavy rainfall, they may be damaged and their efficiency reduced. The problem is most pronounced offshore where turbines are tall and the climate is harsh. Satellites provide global half-hourly rain observations. We use these rain data as input to a model for blade lifetime prediction and find that the satellite-based predictions agree well with predictions based on observations from weather stations on the ground.
Hugo Rubio, Martin Kühn, and Julia Gottschall
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2433–2455, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2433-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2433-2022, 2022
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A proper development of offshore wind farms requires the accurate description of atmospheric phenomena like low-level jets. In this study, we evaluate the capabilities and limitations of numerical models to characterize the main jets' properties in the southern Baltic Sea. For this, a comparison against ship-mounted lidar measurements from the NEWA Ferry Lidar Experiment has been implemented, allowing the investigation of the model's capabilities under different temporal and spatial constraints.
Thomas Muschinski, Moritz N. Lang, Georg J. Mayr, Jakob W. Messner, Achim Zeileis, and Thorsten Simon
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2393–2405, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2393-2022, 2022
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The power generated by offshore wind farms can vary greatly within a couple of hours, and failing to anticipate these ramp events can lead to costly imbalances in the electrical grid. A novel multivariate Gaussian regression model helps us to forecast not just the means and variances of the next day's hourly wind speeds, but also their corresponding correlations. This information is used to generate more realistic scenarios of power production and accurate estimates for ramp probabilities.
William J. Shaw, Larry K. Berg, Mithu Debnath, Georgios Deskos, Caroline Draxl, Virendra P. Ghate, Charlotte B. Hasager, Rao Kotamarthi, Jeffrey D. Mirocha, Paytsar Muradyan, William J. Pringle, David D. Turner, and James M. Wilczak
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2307–2334, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2307-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2307-2022, 2022
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This paper provides a review of prominent scientific challenges to characterizing the offshore wind resource using as examples phenomena that occur in the rapidly developing wind energy areas off the United States. The paper also describes the current state of modeling and observations in the marine atmospheric boundary layer and provides specific recommendations for filling key current knowledge gaps.
Andrew Clifton, Sarah Barber, Alexander Stökl, Helmut Frank, and Timo Karlsson
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2231–2254, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2231-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2231-2022, 2022
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The transition to low-carbon sources of energy means that wind turbines will need to be built in hilly or mountainous regions or in places affected by icing. These locations are called
complexand are hard to develop. This paper sets out the research and development (R&D) needed to make it easier and cheaper to harness wind energy there. This includes collaborative R&D facilities, improved wind and weather models, frameworks for sharing data, and a clear definition of site complexity.
Frauke Theuer, Andreas Rott, Jörge Schneemann, Lueder von Bremen, and Martin Kühn
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 2099–2116, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2099-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2099-2022, 2022
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Remote-sensing-based approaches have shown potential for minute-scale forecasting and need to be further developed towards an operational use. In this work we extend a lidar-based forecast to an observer-based probabilistic power forecast by combining it with a SCADA-based method. We further aggregate individual turbine power using a copula approach. We found that the observer-based forecast benefits from combining lidar and SCADA data and can outperform persistence for unstable stratification.
Adithya Vemuri, Sophia Buckingham, Wim Munters, Jan Helsen, and Jeroen van Beeck
Wind Energ. Sci., 7, 1869–1888, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1869-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-1869-2022, 2022
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The sensitivity of the WRF mesoscale modeling framework in accurately representing and predicting wind-farm-level environmental variables for three extreme weather events over the Belgian North Sea is investigated in this study. The overall results indicate highly sensitive simulation results to the type and combination of physics parameterizations and the type of the weather phenomena, with indications that scale-aware physics parameterizations better reproduce wind-related variables.
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Short summary
Wind flow consists of swirling patterns of air called eddies, some as big as many kilometers across, while others are as small as just a few meters. This paper introduces a method to simulate these large swirling patterns on a flat grid. Using these simulations we can better figure out how these large eddies affect big wind turbines in terms of loads and forces.
Wind flow consists of swirling patterns of air called eddies, some as big as many kilometers...
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