Vinddreifingu

Vinddreifingu is a term used in meteorology and wind engineering to refer to the distribution of wind speeds and directions within a defined area or time period. Derived from vind meaning wind and dreifingu meaning distribution, it encompasses speed statistics, directional statistics, and their temporal variability. The concept is used to summarize wind behavior for planning, design, and risk assessment.

In practice, wind speed distributions are often modeled with the Weibull distribution, with parameters fitted to observed data from weather stations, masts, or remote sensors. Wind direction distributions are represented using circular statistics, such as the von Mises distribution, or by wind rose diagrams that show frequency by compass sector. Vinddreifingu also covers temporal patterns, including diurnal and seasonal variation, as well as gustiness and intermittency.

Applications include wind energy resource assessment and turbine siting, design of wind-affected infrastructure, and urban planning to mitigate wind-related hazards. It also supports climate studies of wind regimes and helps in forecasting and risk analysis for severe weather events. Limitations include spatial heterogeneity, uneven data coverage, and the need to choose appropriate time scales and models for different environments.

The concept has evolved with advances in sensing technologies (such as lidar and radar) and statistical methods, enabling more accurate site-specific characterizations of wind fields and improved forecasting of wind-related loads.

See also: Wind energy, Meteorology, Weibull distribution, Circular statistics, Wind rose.