| 23 Feb 2026
An experimental campaign to measure turbulence in the marine boundary layer
Abstract. There is a lack of measurement data on the spatial structure of turbulence at heights greater than 100 m in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MBL). Consequently, turbulence models like the Mann and Kaimal models, which are referred to in industry standards, have not been validated at the operational heights of large offshore wind turbines. To address this gap, we carried out an experimental campaign using a total of five lidars placed at two locations on the west coast of Denmark. This setup allowed us to measure the horizontal wind components at the intersections of the lidar beams which were 150 m to 250 m above the sea surface. As a result, lateral coherence can be assessed up to separations of 240 m. Due to differences in data quality from each lidar, the data availability at each intersection point was different, being in the range between 17 % and 50 % over the entire 360° sector. The statistics of the wind speed and direction showed trends that match the expectations for the measurement site and the vertical profiles of the wind speed were found to agree with simulation data from the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). Thus, this measurement dataset can be used to test and validate turbulence models in the MBL at heights relevant for offshore wind turbines.
Competing interests: Two of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of Wind Energy Science.
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