  Statistical descriptions of coherent flow motions in the atmospheric boundary
layer have many applications in the wind engineering community. For instance,
the dynamical characteristics of large-scale motions in wall-turbulence play an
important role in predicting the dynamical loads on buildings, or the
fluctuations in the power distribution across wind farms. Davenport (Quarterly
Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 1961, Vol. 372, 194-211) performed
a seminal study on the subject and proposed a hypothesis that is still widely
used to date. Here, we demonstrate how the empirical formulation of Davenport
is consistent with the analysis of Baars et al. (Journal of Fluid Mechanics,
2017, Vol. 823, R2) in the spirit of Townsend's attached-eddy hypothesis in
wall turbulence. We further study stratification effects based on two-point
measurements of atmospheric boundary-layer flow over the Utah salt flats. No
self-similar scaling is observed in stable conditions, putting the application
of Davenport's framework, as well as the attached eddy hypothesis, in question
for this case. Data obtained under unstable conditions exhibit clear
self-similar scaling and our analysis reveals a strong sensitivity of the
statistical aspect ratio of coherent structures (defined as the ratio of
streamwise and wall-normal extent) to the magnitude of the stability parameter.
