The phenomenon of atmospheric flow over a two-dimensional surface obstruction, such as a building (modeled as a rectangular block, a fence or a forward-facing step), is analyzed by three methods: (1) an inviscid free streamline approach, (2) a turbulent boundary layer approach using an eddy viscosity turbulence model and a horizontal pressure gradient determined by the inviscid model, and (3) an approach using the full Navier-Stokes equations with three turbulence models; i.e., an eddy viscosity model, a turbulence kinetic-energy model and a two-equation model with an additional transport equation for the turbulence length scale. A comparison of the performance of the different turbulence models is given, indicating that only the two-equation model adequately accounts for the convective character of turbulence. Turbulence flow property predictions obtained from the turbulence kinetic-energy model with prescribed length scale are only insignificantly better than those obtained from the eddy viscosity model. A parametric study includes the effects of the variation of the characteristics parameters of the assumed logarithmic approach velocity profile. For the case of the forward-facing step, it is shown that in the downstream flow region an increase of the surface roughness gives rise to higher turbulence levels in the shear layer originating from the step corner.

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