The buoyancy effects on the turbulence structure in unstably‐stratified shear flow generated by cooling the top of the layer in an open channel were investigated. Measurements were made of the characteristics of the turbulent fluctuations; turbulence intensities, correlation coefficients, joint probability density functions, and coherence‐phase relationships. The results show that the buoyancy‐driven motions cause substantial changes in the turbulence structure. Of the buoyancy‐driven motions, the intermittent downward motion contributes mainly to the turbulent transport of heat in the vertical direction. A parameter which characterizes the stability dependence of the turbulence structure is the local gradient Richardson number Ri, and the turbulence quantities are well correlated with Ri. A theoretical spectral equation model is applied to the stratified flow and well compared with the experimental results.