Numerical Simulation of Roll Vortices in the Convective Boundary Layer

Roll vortices,which often appear when cold air outbreaks over warm ocean surfaces,are an important system for energy and substance exchange between the land surface and atmosphere.Numerical simulations were carried out in the study to simulate roll vortices in the convective boundary layer(CBL).The results indicate,that with proper atmospheric conditions,such as thermal instability in the CBL,stable stratification in the overlying layer and suitable wind shear,and a temperature jump between the two layers in a two-layer atmosphere,convective bands appear after adding initial pulses in the atmosphere.The simulated flow and temperature fields presented convective bands in the horizontal and roll vortices in the crosswind section. The structure of the roll vortices were similar to those observed in the cloud streets,as well as those from analytical solutions.Simulations also showed the influence of depth and instability strength of the CBL, as well as the stratification above the top of the CBL,on the orientation spacing and strength of the roll vortices.The fluxes caused by the convective rolls were also investigated,and should perhaps be taken into account when explaining the surface energy closure gap in the CBL.     

VORTEX MOTIONS IN THE ATMOSPHERIC CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY LAYER

Large vortices with scales ranging from hundreds meters to tens of kilometers are generallyfound in the atmospheric convective boundary layer(CBL).These vortices play important roles in the vertical transport of momentum,heat,water vaporand other tracers in the boundary layer.On the basis of the view of interaction between theconvection in CBL and the gravity waves in the upper stable layer the authors developed aconvection-wave theory on the formation of large vortices.According to the theory thewavenumber spectrum of the large vortices mainly depends on the atmospheric conditions in bothof the upper and lower layers,such as wind speed,wind direction shear,stratification as well astemperature jump.In the present paper satellite image and weather data in a case of cold air outbreak over warmocean are analyzed to study every stage of the convective processes,such as cloud street,convective cell as well as their transformation.According to the theory the wavenumbercompositions for cloud street and convective cell are calculated,respectively,on the basis of theatmospheric conditions at every stage.The distributions of vertical motions,convergent band anddisturbed interface are obtained and compared with the cloud patterns in the convective processes.Thus the study seems to offer a likely explanation for the origin of large vortices in CBL.     

VORTEX MOTIONS IN THE ATMOSPHERIC CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY LAYERM*

Large vortices with scales ranging from hundreds meters to tens of kilometers are generally found in the atmospheric convective boundary layer(CBL).These vortices play important roles in the vertical transport of momentum,heat,water vapor and other tracers in the boundary layer.On the basis of the view of interaction between the convection in CBL and the gravity waves in the upper stable layer the authors developed a convection-wave theory on the formation of large vortices.According to the theory the wavenumber spectrum of the large vortices mainly depends on the atmospheric conditions in both of the upper and lower layers,such as wind speed,wind direction shear,stratification as well as temperature jump.In the present paper satellite image and weather data in a case of cold air outbreak over warm ocean are analyzed to study every stage of the convective processes,such as cloud street,convective cell as well as their transformation.According to the theory the wavenumber compositions for cloud street and convective cell are calculated,respectively,on the basis of the atmospheric conditions at every stage.The distributions of vertical motions,convergent band and disturbed interface are obtained and compared with the cloud patterns in the convective processes.Thus the study seems to offer a likely explanation for the origin of large vortices in CBL.     

大气对流边界层中的涡漩结构

大气边界层中存在尺度从几百米到几十公里的大涡漩运动。它们在边界层中动量、热量、水汽等垂直输送中起重要作用。作者从边界层中对流和上部稳定层中波动相互作用的观点，发展得出大涡结构的对流波动理论。根据此理论，大涡的波谱构成主要由上、下层大气中风向、风速、层结以及两层之间的温度跃变等因素决定。本文根据卫星云图和天气资料分析了一次冷空气爆发流经暖洋面上形成云街、对流单体以及它们之间的相互演化的过程，并用对流波动理论，依据各阶段的大气条件计算出它们的波数构成，并得出了垂直速度、辐合带、界面扰动的分布，解释了云街、对流单体的形成、结构及相互转化的原因     

Roll Vortices and Boundary-Layer Development during a Cold Air Outbreak

The development of the boundary layer during a cold air outbreak in the FramStrait is documented by aircraft measurements. The convection was organisedinto roll vortices with aspect ratios increasing from 2.9 near the ice edgeto more than 6 at 100 km further downstream. This increase coincides with anincrease of the latent heat release in the cloud layer. The stability parameter-zi/L varies from about zero at the ice edge to 30 at a distance of 200 kmdownstream over open water where the satellite picture still shows cloudstreets. The increase is mainly due to the deepening of the boundary layer.The turbulent vertical sensible and latent heat fluxes near the surface amountto 400 W m^-2 within a 300 km off-ice zone. 25% of the upward heat fluxin the subcloud layer is carried out by organised roll motions. Experimentswith a 2-dimensional non-hydrostatic model show a similar roll aspect ratio inthe first 50 km, but further downstream where condensational heating is moreimportant the modelled roll wavelengths are distinctly smaller than the observedones.     

On formation of convective roll vortices by internal gravity waves: A theoretical study

Summary The linearized atmospheric equations system is solved analytically in a two layer model. The solutions show that the thermal disturbance located at the interface can induce internal gravity wave, which propagates downstream in the stable layer and brings about flow disturbances in the lower unstable layer. Motion of roll vortices with flow pattern similar to that found in the convective cloud street forms in the lower part of the upper layer and the upper part of the lower layer. If proper content of water vapor exists the cloud lines presenting small angle with the mean wind appear at the top of the lower layer. The effects of the wind speed and the temperature structures of the atmosphere in the lower convective layer and the overlying stable layer on the characteristics of the roll vortices are also discussed in this study.With 7 Figures     

Observations of longitudinal roll vortices during arctic cold air outbreaks over open water

An evolving convective Arctic planetary boundary layer (PBL) containing longitudinal roll vortices (rolls) was observed with aircraft data during the 1983 Marginal Ice Zone Experiment and the 1984 Arctic Cyclone Experiment.The PBL is observed to grow rapidly as the very cold and dry air flows off the ice over the relatively warm water. There is very large sensible heat flux, a result of the large surface-air temperature differences. Coherent structures were identified in these PBL's by use of power, coherence squared and phase spectra of the data. A systematic method of separating the rolls from organized thermal plumes was devised, based on theoretical characteristics for roll circulations and the resulting modified mean wind profile. The rapid mixing by the rolls aids in the establishment of equilibrium and an observed adiabatic modified mean Ekman layer. Rolls that form in a thermally neutral atmosphere over ice have different characteristics than those that appear in the unstable stratification over water. The rolls become increasingly more convective in character with distance from the ice edge. They have aspect ratios (wavelength/PBL height) that decrease with distance from the ice edge in agreement with linear theory. This is in contrast to the cloud street wavelength to inversion height ratio which is observed to increase downwind from the ice edge.     

Comparison of Measured and Numerically Simulated Turbulence Statistics in a Convective Boundary Layer Over Complex Terrain

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model can be used to simulate atmospheric processes ranging from quasi-global to tens of m in scale. Here we employ large-eddy simulation (LES) using the WRF model, with the LES-domain nested within a mesoscale WRF model domain with grid spacing decreasing from 12.15 km (mesoscale) to 0.03 km (LES). We simulate real-world conditions in the convective planetary boundary layer over an area of complex terrain. The WRF-LES model results are evaluated against observations collected during the US Department of Energy-supported Columbia Basin Wind Energy Study. Comparison of the first- and second-order moments, turbulence spectrum, and probability density function of wind speed shows good agreement between the simulations and observations. One key result is to demonstrate that a systematic methodology needs to be applied to select the grid spacing and refinement ratio used between domains, to avoid having a grid resolution that falls in the grey zone and to minimize artefacts in the WRF-LES model solutions. Furthermore, the WRF-LES model variables show large variability in space and time caused by the complex topography in the LES domain. Analyses of WRF-LES model results show that the flow structures, such as roll vortices and convective cells, vary depending on both the location and time of day as well as the distance from the inflow boundaries.     

A numerical study of cloud streets in the planetary boundary layer

A two-dimensional numerical model is used to study the influence of small non-precipitating clouds on horizontal roll vortices in the planetary boundary layer. The model explicitly represents the large-scale two-dimensional motions whilst small-scale eddies are parameterized by a buoyancy dependent mixing-length hypothesis. It is applied to conditions corresponding to an observed case of cloud street formation.     

2005年12月山东半岛暴雪成因及多尺度信息特征

利用常规天气资料、地面加密观测资料、卫星云图资料和多普勒雷达产品,对2005年12月山东半岛特大雪灾作了综合分析。研究表明,这次的冷流降雪归因于前期气温和海温偏高、冷空气势力偏强引起的海陆温差大、半岛北面临海的丘陵地形以及海岸锋等因素,地面自动站、雷达、卫星等多种尺度的特征信息清楚地揭示了其结构和演变。利用改进的简化伴随模式,对12月6日的烟台单站多普勒雷达资料进行了三维风场反演,结果表明,海陆热力差异和山脉对于向岸风的摩擦辐合作用形成了中尺度海岸锋,它引起了低层浅对流的产生。高空补充弱冷空气和降雪的潜热释放进一步激发了垂直上升运动,使对流活动发展加强,引起强降雪。当高空弱冷空气引起的系统性辐合上升运动与低层海岸线附近的海岸锋引起的中尺度辐合上升运动叠加时,降雪特别强烈。     

The Influence of Thermal Effects on the Wind Speed Profile of the Coastal Marine Boundary Layer

The wind speed profile in a coastal marine environment is investigated with observations from the measurement program Rødsand, where meteorological data are collected with a 50 m high mast in the Danish Baltic Sea, about 11 km from the coast. When compared with the standard Monin—Obukhov theory the measured wind speed increase between 10 m and 50 m height is found to be systematically larger than predicted for stable and near-neutral conditions. The data indicate that the deviation is smaller for short (10–20 km) distances to the coast than for larger (>30 km) distances. The theory of the planetary boundary layer with an inversion lid offers a qualitative explanation for these findings. When warm air is advected over colder water, a capping inversion typically develops. The air below is constantly cooled by the water and gradually develops into a well-mixed layer with near-neutral stratification. Typical examples as well as scatter plots of the data are consistent with this explanation. The deviation of measured and predicted wind speed profiles is shown to be correlated with the estimated height and strength of the inversion layer.     

Bivariate conditional sampling of buoyancy flux during an intense cold-air outbreak

Buoyancy fluxes in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) for the cloud street regime, observed during the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment (GALE), have been analyzed using the technique of joint frequency distribution. For the lower half of the MABL, the results suggest that the buoyancy flux is mainly generated by the rising thermals and the sinking compensating ambient air, and is mainly consumed by the entrainment and detrainment of thermals, penetrative convection, and the entrainment from the MABL top.The results are compared to those from previous studies of mesoscale cellular convection (Air-Mass Transformation Experiment, AMTEX), the dry convective boundary layer, and the trade-wind MABL. For the lower MABL, the quadrant buoyancy fluxes, fractional coverages, and flux intensities are in good agreement with those of mesoscale cellular convection (AMTEX) and the dry convective boundary layer. The results suggest that, if the buoyancy flux is primarily driven by the temperature flux, the physical processes for generating buoyancy flux mentioned above are about the same for the lower boundary layers over land and ocean, even with different convective regimes. For the trade-wind MABL, the buoyancy flux is mainly driven by the moisture flux; the quadrant flux intensities are stronger than those of the other three studies except for the buoyant updrafts (thermals). These results suggest that the entrainment and detrainment of thermals are more effective in the trade-wind MABL than in the boundary layers driven by the temperature flux.Scale analysis of the buoyancy flux is in good agreement with that of AMTEX. For the lower half of the MABL, the buoyancy flux is mainly generated by the intermediate scale (200 m to 2 km), which includes the dominant convective thermals in the surface layer and the mixed layer. The scale smaller than 200 m is important only in the surface layer. The scale larger than 2 km, which includes the roll vortices, increases its significance upward. While most of the positive and negative fluxes are associated with the updrafts for the intermediate scale, the downdrafts are as important as updrafts for the larger scale.ST Systems Corporation, Lanham, MD, 20706, U.S.A.     

Cold air outbreak during MASEX: Lidar observations and boundary-layer model test

Lidar observations of boundary-layer development during a cold air outbreak over the Atlantic Ocean were examined. Very rapid rise rates were measured in the first 20 km off the coast. A large region of partial cloudiness was found to exist between the totally clear region near shore and the overcast region far from the coast. As the layer became overcast, rise rate of the boundary layer tripled, suggesting a direct relation between cloudiness and entrainment. Boundary-layer evolution was reasonably well simulated by a simple slab model. The model was not capable of predicting the area of partial cloudiness, nor the region of rapid entrainment near the coast.     

Modelling the arctic convective boundary-layer with different turbulence parameterizations

Different parameterizations of subgrid-scale fluxes are utilized in a nonhydrostatic and anelastic mesoscale model to study their influence on simulated Arctic cold air outbreaks. A local closure, a profile closure and two nonlocal closure schemes are applied, including an improved scheme, which is based on other nonlocal closures. It accounts for continuous subgrid-scale fluxes at the top of the surface layer and a continuous Prandtl number with respect to stratification. In the limit of neutral stratification the improved scheme gives eddy diffusivities similar to other parameterizations, whereas for strong unstable stratifications they become much larger and thus turbulent transports are more efficient. It is shown by comparison of model results with observations that the application of simple nonlocal closure schemes results in a more realistic simulation of a convective boundary layer than that of a local or a profile closure scheme. Improvements are due to the nonlocal formulation of the eddy diffusivities and to the inclusion of heat transport, which is independent of local gradients (countergradient transport).     

Roll Vortices in the Boundary Layer Caused by a Concave Wind Profile: A Theoretical Study

The present study solves a two-layer atmospheric wave equation model with a lower atmosphere concave wind profile and cold-air outbreak over sea, while simultaneously proving that such a wind shear may cause neutral boundary layer roll vortices in the presence of disturbing sources upstream. Without thermal effects, the wind shear-induced waves have band structures at the top of the boundary layer that are similar to cloud street patterns observed over sea. This study proves that dynamic and thermal effects can act independently to initiate the roll vortices in the lower atmosphere. At the same time, a quantitative comparison shows that dynamic effects play a large role in the formation of roll vortices in the initial stage of cold-air outbreak and will be surpassed by thermal effects soon after surface heating commences.     

Analysis of Determinants for an Enhanced and Long-lasting Coastal Convective System by Means of a Case Study(26 July 2011)

A precipitation system developed continuously along the western coastline of the Korean Peninsula and created considerable precipitation both along the coast and inland on 26 July 2011. In this study, the causes for this nearshore convective system are investigated from observations and the results of model experiments. Three-dimensional radar fields clearly show that a change of wind at the surface border played an important role in the development of the nearshore convection system. The simulation results, which are very similar to the observations, show that the surface border generated and maintained the convergence zone. The roughness change enhanced the convergence, and the interaction between the deepening cold pool and downward flow maintained the convergence zone. The surface mechanical discontinuity affected by the roughness change between sea and land formed the convergence (gradient of wind stress),which induced momentum transfer to the upper layer. The cold pool created a steep gradient of potential temperature and provided the reason for the propagated convergence zone with the downward flow. The maximum value of the surface change factor, which comprises the influencing factors for the long-lasting convective system, reflects the enhancement of the system at the coast.     

基于VDRAS的快速更新雷达四维变分分析系统

基于雷达资料快速更新四维变分同化 (RR4DVar) 技术和三维数值云模式,初步研发了一个针对对流尺度数值模拟的快速更新雷达四维变分分析系统。系统通过对京津冀6部多普勒天气雷达资料进行RR4DVar同化,并融合5 min自动气象站观测和中尺度数值模式结果,可快速分析得到12~18 min更新的低层大气三维动力、热力场的对流尺度结构特征。针对2009年7月22日发生在京津冀的一次强风暴个例,通过一系列敏感性试验,并利用局地加密资料进行检验对比,表明有效的雷达资料RR4DVar同化及自动气象站和中尺度模式资料融合方案、恰当的中尺度背景场设置和动力约束方法是获得合理结果的关键。研究也表明:恰当的系统配置能够模拟出与对流生消发展密切相关的近风暴环境特征,包括低层入流、垂直风切变、低层辐合上升和暖舌等,以及风暴自身形成的冷池、出流等与风暴演变密切相关的对流尺度结构。     

复杂地形下北京雷暴新生地点变化的加密观测研究

2008 年8 月14 日北京发生了雷暴群形式的局地暴雨,雷暴新生地点复杂多变,形成了多个γ 中尺度的强降水中心。本文利用近年来北京气象现代化建设取得的加密地面自动站、多普勒雷达、风廓线仪、微波辐射计等多种新型高时空分辨率观测资料及雷达四维变分同化系统（VDRAS）反演资料,通过精细分析地面（边界层）风场、温度场等的演变特征,讨论了雷暴新生地点变化的机制。结果表明:复杂地形与雷暴冷池出流作用相结合,主导了雷暴新生地点的变化,进而影响γ 中尺度强降水中心的变化;天气尺度高低空涡、槽的配合不一致,并且系统移动缓慢,以及对流层低层的弱的环境垂直风切变,是雷暴冷池结合复杂地形发挥雷暴新生地点主导作用的重要前提;复杂地形使得冷空气在一定范围内流动,在边界层产生碰撞和辐合,起到触发和增强对流作用,并使得对流风暴的形态和走向与地形呈现出紧密相关性;一定强度的冷池出流、边界层前期的暖湿空气和对流不稳定能量的积累,是冷池出流触发雷暴新生和演变的必要条件;北京周边地区的雷暴,通过其雷暴冷池出流沿着沟谷地形或向平原地区流动,与北京山谷或城区的边界层暖湿空气形成辐合抬升机制,触发雷暴新生。     

一次华北暴雨过程中边界层东风活动及作用

利用常规气象观测资料、NCEP 1°×1°逐6 h分析资料、微波辐射计资料及FY-2E气象卫星及雷达探测资料,针对2013年6月4日发生在北京及周边地区的一次暴雨过程中边界层东风活动及作用进行了天气学诊断分析,结果表明:对流性暴雨过程伴随有源自东北平原的边界层东风活动,东风活动具有尺度小、降温明显和湿度大等特点。暴雨过程是边界层东风和中低空暖式切变线、偏南风急流和500 hPa短波槽共同作用的结果;东风湿冷空气的锋面抬升和地形抬升作用共同加强了中低层暖湿气流的辐合上升运动,同时东风冷垫和地形抬升作用触发了雷暴的再次发生,相应雷暴具有高架对流特点。东风气流起到了边界层水汽输送作用,中低层偏南暖湿气流为暴雨的产生提供了充足的水汽和不稳定层结条件。     

日间对流边界层中的非局地动量混合

日间对流边界层最显著的结构特征是在热力作用下所形成的组织化对流。与小尺度湍涡不同的是，组织化对流具有边界层尺度的垂直相干性，可实现垂直贯穿边界层的非局地物质和能量传输。本文针对对流边界层中的动量混合，探究组织化对流对动量输送的贡献。以高精度大涡模拟数据为研究资料，通过傅里叶变换、本征正交分解和经验模态分解3种滤波方法，分离组织化对流和背景湍涡，计算与两者相关的非局地和局地动量通量，发现与组织化对流相关的非局地动量通量是总通量的重要组成部分，并主导混合层中的垂直动量输送。而后，基于协谱和相位谱分析，探究组织化对流的空间结构对动量传输的影响，发现在热力主导的不稳定环境中，单体型环流结构对动量的传输效率较低。而在风切较强的近中性环境中，滚涡型组织化结构可使垂直和水平流向扰动速度的相位差减小，从而提升动量传输效率。研究结果表明，边界层方案需要包含非局地动量通量项，其参数化应考虑整体稳定度对传输效率的影响。