To quantify its wind energy potential the wind climate of the mountainous Yukon has been examined through data analysis and numerical modelling. Using many surface climate stations and radiosondes it was determined that the region's atmosphere is generally stably stratified, causing air to flow horizontally around mountain obstacles. The mesoscale model MC2, a non-hydrostatic and compressible model, has been used to simulate the mean wind climate of the steep mountainous Yukon with the intent to produce a reliable wind energy map. Early results of full scale simulations initialized with the standard NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis provided erroneous results for wind speeds and directions when compared to measurements. A detailed assessment of [...]
