Vertical Turbulent Diffusion in a Stably Stratified Fluid

Abstract

The vertical turbulent diffusion coefficient in a stably stratified fluid is derived analytically. This derivation does not require that the flux Richardson number be known or specified. The resulting expression for the diffusion coefficient is compared with the previous stratospheric results of Lilly et al. (1974) and its applicability to atmospheric diffusion and clear air turbulence is discussed.