Abstract
Height extrapolation of wind velocity is frequently used in practical studies, such as wind energy calculations and air pollution modelling. The mean wind profile, i.e. measurements of wind speed as a function of height, is often described for engineering purposes by a “power law”, where there is an exponent value dependent on the atmospheric eddy fluctuations, meteorological lapse rate, and the environmental and topographical conditions. In practical studies, depending on the environmental conditions, the value is obtained rather arbitrarily and subjectively with a typical value of 0.14. In this short Note, perturbation methodology is applied to the power law, and consequently, an objective way of exponent determination is presented on the basis of the wind speed measurements at different heights. Finally, it is observed that the exponent is a function of the wind speed averages, standard deviations and the correlation coefficients between two wind speed time series at different heights.