Statistical analysis of building-induced turbulence at an airport

Building-induced turbulence may affect aviation safety, e.g., when the aircraft is about to land at an airport. Observations of such flow have been conducted at the Hong Kong International Airport using short-range LIDAR (SRL). Statistical analysis of the radial velocity, namely, the longitudinal structure function, is described herein. It is found that the classical Kolmogorov theory for homogeneous turbulence applies to LIDAR observations of building-disrupted airflow. Some distinctive features of the turbulent flow are also discussed, notably velocity streaks and tiny anticyclones at the hectometer scale. The potential impact on a landing aircraft is examined and compared to flight data. The results in this paper could be useful for studying building-induced turbulence at other airports around the world.