Tetroon flights across a ridge

Two series of tetroon flights across a long reasonably two-dimensional ridge with crest elevation of about 100 m were performed during the summers of 1977 and 1978. All of the tetroons were ballasted to float at an equilibrium level of 100 m above the ground. The first series was released in the daytime. Large instabilities were observed during windy neutral atmospheric conditions as well as on days with strong thermal convection. Under more stable conditions the air flow was observed to reflect the structure of the terrain more closely. The second series of tetroons was released on clear nights when stable atmospheric conditions prevailed. The natural wavelengths for these flights were approximately the same as the total base width of the ridge (~1.5 km). Some implications for pollutant dispersion calculations in areas of complex terrain are discussed.