Abstract
Micrometeorological data collected on towers are used to document slope flows on the sidewalls of main and tributary canyons. Six weeks of low-frequency, continuous data provide a background for comparison with data obtained during two nocturnal experiments. This comparison demonstrates the relatively strong drainage conditions during the experiments. The expected low-level wind speed maxima were observed, along with mass flux divergence down the 35° slopes. Profiles of turbulent kinetic energy, derived from high-frequency data taken during the two experiments, show a maximum near the canyon sidewalls. These features of the slope flows are disturbed occasionally on the main valley sidewall when the main valley flow impacts the sidewall; such disturbances are not observed in the tributary canyon.
