Characteristics of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer in Nantucket Sound

Characteristics of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) in Nantucket Sound are described using meteorological and oceanographic observations collected on an offshore scientific met-ocean data acquisition tower. The data monitoring system includes two independent meteorological systems, each composed of wind speed and direction sensors installed at three levels on opposite sides of the 60-m steel monopole tower. The study was motivated by the necessity to accurately predict the vertical offshore wind profile for the design of a wind farm in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts. The analysis of the collected data has revealed certain site-specific peculiarities in the ABL structure. In particular, ABL properties and the wind profile are notably affected by the proximity of the site to the coast