What Is Wind Shear Profile?
Wind shear profile describes how wind speed, and sometimes wind direction, changes with height above the ground or sea surface. It is a vertical picture of the atmosphere’s motion, showing whether the wind becomes stronger, weaker, or differently oriented as altitude increases.
This profile matters because air near the surface is slowed by friction from terrain, vegetation, buildings, or waves, while higher layers often move faster and more smoothly. In wind resource assessment systems, the wind shear profile helps determine how much airflow actually crosses the full height of a turbine rotor rather than just a single measurement point.
Engineers and atmospheric scientists use wind shear profiles to estimate turbine loads, predict energy yield, study boundary-layer structure, and understand how momentum is transferred through the lower atmosphere.
Example:
A lidar system can measure a wind shear profile by comparing wind speeds at multiple heights above the same site.
Related Concepts:
- Atmospheric Boundary Layer
- Wind Vector
- Turbulence Intensity
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