Influence of canyon-induced flows on flow and dispersion over adjacent plains

Summary The study investigates two effects that a valley or canyon opening onto a plain can have on flow and contaminant dispersion over the downwind plain. The first effect is the channeling of strong ambient flow by the canyon when the wind is nearly aligned with the canyon axis. Two cases showed that these conditions produced a region of focused flow downwind of the canyon mouth. The second effect is the formation of canyon exit jets on nights with weaker ambient flow. In two case studies under these conditions strong exit jets formed that were several hundred meters deep. The jets remained narrow and strong at least 10 km onto the plains, and in one of the cases the jet extended more than 20 km over the plains. These deep jets only lasted 2–3 h, and they had a small but significant effect on surface-released tracer transport as indicated by surface sampling. We hypothesize that the near-surface advection of tracer was accomplished by a thin katabatic layer of flow, and that an elevated release or elevated sampling would have indicated a greater effect of the exit jet on tracer transport.With 18 Figures     

Effect of Vertical Wind Shear on Concentration Fluctuation Statistics in a Point Source Plume

Measurements of concentration fluctuation intensity, intermittency factor, and integral time scale were made in a water channel for a plume dispersing in a well-developed, rough surface, neutrally stable, boundary layer, and in grid-generated turbulence with no mean velocity shear. The water-channel simulations apply to full-scale atmospheric plumes with very short averaging times, on the order of 1–4 min, because plume meandering was suppressed by the water-channel side walls. High spatial and temporal resolution vertical and crosswind profiles of fluctuations in the plume were obtained using a linescan camera laser-induced dye tracer fluorescence technique. A semi-empirical algebraic mean velocity shear history model was developed to predict these concentration statistics. This shear history concentration fluctuation model requires only a minimal set of parameters to be known: atmospheric stability, surface roughness, vertical velocity profile, and vertical and crosswind plume spreads. The universal shear history parameter used was the mean velocity shear normalized by surface friction velocity, plume travel time, and local mean wind speed. The reference height at which this non-dimensional shear history was calculated was important, because both the source and the receptor positions influence the history of particles passing through the receptor position.     

Interannual spring Wyrtki jet variability and its regional impacts

The role of spring Wyrtki jets in modulating the equatorial Indian Ocean and the regional climate is an unexplored problem. The source of interannual variability in the spring Wyrtki jets is explored in this study. The relationship between intraseasonal and interannual variability from 1958 to 2008 and its relation with Indian Summer Monsoon is further addressed. Analysis reveals that the interannual variability in spring Wyrtki jets is controlled significantly by their intraseasonal variations. These are mostly defined by a single intraseasonal event of duration 20 days or more which either strengthens or weakens the seasonal mean jet depending on its phase. The strong spring jets are driven by such intraseasonal westerly wind bursts lasting for 20-days or more, whereas the weak jets are driven by weaker intraseasonal westerlies. During the years of strong jets, the conventional westward phase propagation of Wyrtki jets is absent and instead there is an eastward phase propagation indicating the possible role of Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) in strengthening the spring Wyrtki jets. These strong intraseasonal westerly wind bursts with eastward phase propagation during strong years are observed mainly in late spring and have implications on June precipitation over the Indian and adjoining land mass. Anomalously strong eastward jets accumulate warm water in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO), leading to anomalous positive upper ocean heat content and supporting more local convection in the east. This induces subsidence over the Indian landmass and alters monsoon rainfall by modulating monsoon Hadley circulation. In case of weak current years such warm anomalies are absent over the eastern EIO. Variations in the jet strength are found to have strong impact on sea level anomalies, heat content, salinity and sea surface temperature over the equatorial and north Indian Ocean making it a potentially important player in the north Indian Ocean climate variability.     

1956年1月到3月上旬亚洲上空大气环流的结构

根据1956年1月到3月上旬亚洲地区高空资料,对亚洲大陆上空的大气环流进行了探讨。作者得出了下列的事实: 1)在上述时间期限内的平均情况表明,亚洲大陆上空存在着二支急流。这二支急流在东经140°经度上已经汇合。 2)二支急流在东亚部分都表现有向东加速的现象。南支急流自东经75°就开始明显地向东加速。而北支急流的加速自东经100°附近才开始。 3)东亚大陆上大气的斜压性主要是集中在高原的附近。 另外对上述现象也作了一些初步的研究。作者认为西藏高原的存在对大气环流有下列三方面的影响: 1)高原加强了大气的斜压性,并且在高原南方形成垂直环流。因而强烈的加速了南支急流。 2)高原的存在使得南北二支急流在其东侧互相接近,显然地影响了急流的加速。 3)高原保证了南支急流强大而且稳定,这就是说每天每年同季的变化都小。     

The vertical profile of concentration fluctuations in near-surface plumes

Field experiments on concentration fluctuations have frequently measured horizontal cross-sections of fluctuation statistics through plumes at fixed heights near the surface, but have not considered the effect of height above the ground in any detail. A set of tracer experiments designed to measure vertical profiles of concentration fluctuations in plumes, with a range of source heights, is described, and profiles of statistics are presented. Considerable variation of the statistics with both source and detector height is found. Near the surface, fluctuation intensity is a minimum and the time and length scales of the fluctuations are greatly increased. Profiles are consistent with the idea that concentration fluctuations near the surface are like those higher up at a greater distance from the source. Lowering the source height reduces the fluctuation intensity at all heights, and also alters the form of the concentration PDF. Results may be explained by the reduced length scale of sheargenerated turbulence near the surface causing enhanced small-scale mixing, which rapidly smooths out much of the fine structure with the plume.     

浙北梅雨季低空急流特征及其与暴雨的关系

应用2004-2011年常规探空资料、浙江北部雨量资料和2011年NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,对梅雨季影响浙北的西南低空急流进行统计,并在此基础上对急流活动与浙北暴雨的关系进行了分析,为浙江北部梅雨期暴雨的预报提供实际参考价值.结果表明:西南风低空急流在700 hPa层上出现次数最多,自上而下减少,其活动有明显的日变化特征,早晨增强,傍晚减弱;在不同类型的低空急流中,以SJ型、DJU型和TJ型居多,而DJL型急流偏少.浙北梅雨季暴雨发生前近90％伴有急流活动,其中DJU型急流较多;夜间暴雨比白天暴雨更依赖于低空急流,夜间暴雨发生前12h即有低空急流建立.2011年6月中旬的暴雨集中期对应着两次西南风低空急流的增强过程,低空急流最大风速出现在600 hPa附近并向低层伸展.     

急流对海河南系一次特大暴雨影响的数值试验

利用ＭＭ４中尺度模式,模拟了１９９６年８月发生在太行山南段的一次特大暴雨过程。采用对比试验的方法,先后研究了减弱低空急流和减弱高空急流后,降水及物理量的变化。数值试验结果表明,低空急流和高空急流对本次暴雨过程的形成与维持均有促进作用;相比之下,低空急流对暴雨的影响更为显著。     

The rise of forced plumes in a stably stratified crossflow

Solutions are found describing the rise of turbulent buoyant plumes in a neutral or stably stratified crossflow from a source having finite fluxes of buoyancy, momentum and volume. Plumes from such sources are known as forced plumes. The solutions arise from a unified theory having one disposable parameter, the entrainment constant, and they describe a wide range of behaviour of plumes and jets in a crossflow. Solutions for buoyant plumes indicate that, for any given source, heights of rise are reduced with increased crossflow velocity and increased stratification while for constant environmental parameters, heights of rise are increased with increased fluxes of source buoyancy and momentum and are decreased with source radius. Maximum dilutions occur in plumes from small sources with relatively large buoyancy fluxes in light crossflows with small stratification.     

Analyses of summer lightning activity and precipitation in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean

The lightning activity and precipitation in two 3-hour time intervals in the grid boxes of 0.25 × 0.25° over East and Central Mediterranean during the summer of 2005 and 2006 are analysed. The results show that the frequency distribution of the precipitation amount is shifted towards larger values for the cases with lightning as compared with the cases without lightning. It was found that the number of cases with 3-hour accumulated rainfall greater than 10 mm was bigger when lightning occurred (65%) than when it was absent (35%). Investigation of diurnal and spatial distributions of lightning shows that the afternoon flash density peak is associated mainly with lightning over the land, which is in accordance with the results of earlier works. The early morning flash density peak is associated mainly with flashes over the sea. High correlation coefficients (0.89 during the morning hours and 0.98 during afternoon) were found between rain rate (mm/h) and average flash density (fl/km²) when flash density is averaged in logarithmic intervals of rain rate.     

The effect of the subtropical jet on the rainfall over southern China in January 2008

ABSTRACT The third precipitation episode of China＇s great snowstorms of 2008 was analyzed using station observations and ECMWF six-hourly data. The variation of the shape of the upper-level subtropical jet played an important role in the rainfall over south- ern China. With the eastward movement of the trough, the jet shape changed from two straight jets to a tilting jet over China and then it moved southward. With these variations, the south-north movement of ascending flow and precipitation area over southern China occurred.     

北极低空急流和低层逆温特征观测分析

利用北冰洋冰表面热量平衡计划1997年10月中旬至1998年10月上旬的探空气球探测结果,分析了北极地区近地层逆温和低空急流特征.结果表明,96％的观测时次(11:15和23:15,协调世界时)出现近地层逆温,其中22％的逆温为贴地逆温,70％的逆温厚度在250～850 m之间,冬半年贴地逆温发生频率、逆温层厚度和逆温层内的温度变化都明显要大于夏半年.全年间低空急流出现频率为41％,平均高度为520 m,最大频率出现在150 m附近,70％的急流出现在600m高度以下.急流平均风速为10.6m·s-1,风速在4～13 m·s-1范围内的急流约占总数的75％,东和东南方向为全年急流的主导风向.根据对急流核和地面风速之间转换角分布的分析,惯性震荡可能是北极低空急流的主要成因.     

东亚高空急流协同变化研究新进展

东亚高空急流是东亚大气环流系统的重要组成部分,对东亚地区的天气和气候具有重要影响。以往对东亚高空急流的研究多关注副热带急流及其对天气气候的影响,近年来,学者们在明确区分东亚副热带急流和极锋急流的基础上,从东亚副热带急流和极锋急流协同变化的视角,对东亚高空急流的变化规律和机理及其对我国气候异常的影响,开展了一系列研究,揭示出副热带急流和极锋急流强度的反位相协同变化是以副热带急流强（弱）伴随着极锋急流弱（强）为其主要配置形式和模态,并对应着特定的大气环流形势以及相应的气温和降水异常分布,与冬季冷空气活动、梅雨期降水、极端事件、冬季风等具有密切关系。本文聚焦东亚高空急流协同变化方面的最新研究成果,从东亚高空急流协同变化规律、高空急流协同变化的热力和动力学影响机理、高空急流协同变化气候效应、高空急流与中高纬低频遥相关型的联系等方面进行较为全面的总结,以加深东亚高空急流活动基本特征和变化规律的认识。     

Experimental Measurements of Expected Mass Fraction in a Contaminant Plume

The sudden release of a quantity of gas into the atmospheric boundary layer produces a contaminant cloud. The expected mass fraction function provides a relatively simple measure of the contaminant concentration values found within the cloud and represents the ensemble-averaged fraction of the conserved release mass found at the different contaminant concentration intervals as the cloud evolves. The plume generated by a line source in grid turbulence is used to investigate the expected mass fraction function as it applies to scalar concentration values found on a typical line normal to the plume axis. Simultaneous particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence are used to measure velocity and concentration fields, respectively. The measured expected mass fraction functions are observed to be approximately self-similar when concentration values are normalized by the centreline mean concentration. The moments of the expected mass fraction function are observed to be simply related to the centreline moments of the probability density function of scalar concentration. Arguments based on a source fluid, non-source fluid decomposition of the scalar probability density function are used to explain these observations. The results are compared with the theoretical and experimental results established for a line source of scalar in grid turbulence.     

平面标定法在闪电光学观测中的应用

针对闪电光学观测资料定量分析的需求,采用张正友平面标定法结合便携式平面靶标,实现了闪电外场试验中光学观测设备的现场标定,为消除光学系统成像畸变对闪电通道特征分析的影响提供了一种便捷的途径。使用此方法对广州高建筑物雷电观测站(TOLOG)的6套闪电光学观测设备进行了标定,结果表明:光学观测设备搭载同类型镜头时,焦距越短图像的畸变越明显; 图像中视线与光轴的夹角越大,径向畸变的影响越明显,采用鱼眼镜头获得的闪电通道图像在靠近边缘的位置畸变的影响会超过25%;通过对配备焦距为8 mm鱼眼镜头的单反相机以及配备焦距为8 mm广角镜头的高速摄像机同时获取的闪电光学同步资料进行畸变校正后,发现获取的图像畸变校正前后闪电通道总体长度差异分别为12.9%和4.5%;经过畸变校正后不同设备获取的闪电通道图像比原图拥有更好的一致性。      

Preliminary climatology of southern Africa extreme weather: 1973–1992

Summary Preliminary climatological statistics of extreme weather events over the southern Africa region are established through analysis of daily weather maps of the South African Weather Bureau for a twenty year peiod, 1973–1992. Influences of global warming and inter-annual variability imposed by El Nino events, amongst others, are sought. Notable trends include a decrease in the frequency of station days with rainfall > 70 mm and an increase in station days with temperature > 38°C. Correlations offer some insights to extreme climate associations. Lows over the land in the west and over the sea to the east display consistent interannual variability, despite opposing rainfall regimes. Agreement in extreme temperature statistics in all regions suggest that drought is widespread over southern Africa. Rainfall in the north is negatively related to lows over the sea to the south. A potential mechanism underlying the inverse relationship between midlatitude and sub-tropical storminess is the development of a vorticity dipole associated with the westerly jet stream. This is investigated in an El Nino-influenced case study.With 9 Figures     

Highly Time Resolved Measurements of OH during POPCORN Using Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Tropospheric hydroxyl radical (OH) concentrations were measured by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) during the POPCORN field campaign in August 1994 at a rural site in the North East of Germany. Ambient air spectra were recorded by tuning the laser wavelength over a spectral region covering the Q11(3), Q21(3), and P11(1) rotational transitions of the (0-0) band in the A-X system of OH around 308 nm. The observed spectra clearly identify the OH radical in the atmosphere. Besides the OH absorption lines there was no sign of any other narrow-band spectral structure nearby demonstrating the high specificity of the method. For OH measurements with a typical time resolution of 60–100 seconds per data point the laser wavelength was tuned repetitively over small spectral intervals covering the peak position of the P11(1) OH-line and background positions. A total of 2300 measurements were recorded including diurnal cycles of OH with more than 300 data points. The OH as well as the LIF background signal data will be presented. In a first analysis the background signal will be characterized and the correlation between OH and the ozone photolysis frequency will be derived.     

基于多普勒测风激光雷达的低空急流观测研究

基于相干多普勒测风激光雷达于2018年8月在山东德州获取的为期一个月的风廓线观测数据,进行了低空急流的判定、识别与统计分析。参考BONNER对低空急流的判定标准,对1 500 m高度以下的每10 min平均风廓线数据进行低空急流识别与统计,急流发生频率仅为3.6%。参考张世丰对低空急流的判定标准,统计了350 m高度以下10 min平均风廓线的低空急流风速、高度、风向及风切变等结构特征。急流发生频率为24.9%,急流速度主要介于6～10 m·s-1之间,急流高度出现3个峰值,分别位于110 m、160 m和220 m左右,急流风向主要为偏东风和偏南风。结果表明,多普勒激光雷达可以获取高时空分辨率的风廓线数据,进而可以有效检测低空急流结构的存在及其特征。     

Improving the accuracy of tipping-bucket rain records using disaggregation techniques

We present a methodology able to infer the influence of rainfall measurement errors on the reliability of extreme rainfall statistics. We especially focus on systematic mechanical errors affecting the most popular rain intensity measurement instrument, namely the tipping-bucket rain-gauge (TBR). Such uncertainty strongly depends on the measured rainfall intensity (RI) with systematic underestimation of high RIs, leading to a biased estimation of extreme rain rates statistics. Furthermore, since intense rain-rates are usually recorded over short intervals in time, any possible correction strongly depends on the time resolution of the recorded data sets. We propose a simple procedure for the correction of low resolution data series after disaggregation at a suitable scale, so that the assessment of the influence of systematic errors on rainfall statistics become possible. The disaggregation procedure is applied to a 40-year long rain-depth dataset recorded at hourly resolution by using the IRP (Iterated Random Pulse) algorithm. A set of extreme statistics, commonly used in urban hydrology practice, have been extracted from simulated data and compared with the ones obtained after direct correction of a 12-year high resolution (1 min) RI series. In particular, the depth–duration–frequency curves derived from the original and corrected data sets have been compared in order to quantify the impact of non-corrected rain intensity measurements on design rainfall and the related statistical parameters. Preliminary results suggest that the IRP model, due to its skill in reproducing extreme rainfall intensities at fine resolution in time, is well suited in supporting rainfall intensity correction techniques.     

大暴雨过程中与急流相关气块的三维运动分析

用４８ｈ三维轨迹分析和物理量诊断分析相结合的方法研究了１９９１年７月上旬的一次大暴雨过程及其与高低空急流的联系。结果表明，暴雨区高空的气块来自高空急流的入口区，并穿过急流中心到达急流的出口区。雨区上空的辐散和２００ｈＰａ高空急流出口区气块的减速运动相联系。低层的暖湿空气来自于ＳＳＷ气流，并在低空急流中心的前方辐合上升。高空辐散所引起的低层减压使低空急流加强和低层暖湿空气的加速运动。     

Measurements of level-crossing statistics of concentration fluctuations in plumes dispersing in the atmospheric surface layer

The statistics of level crossings and local extremes in concentration fluctuations in plumes dispersing in the atmosphere have been investigated. A set of concentration fluctuation tracer experiments has been utilized to measure the statistical propertics of the upcrossing interval (inter-arrival time between consecutive concentration bursts), excursion duration (persistence or width of concentration bursts), and concentration amplitude (difference between the maximum and minimum concentrations between successive upcrossings) with respect to a range of concentration crossing levels. In particular, the effect of downwind distance and atmospheric stratification on the level-crossing statistics has been studied in detail. It is shown that the effect of increasing atmospheric stability on level-crossing statistics is similar to the effect of increasing distance from the source in the sense that level-crossing statistics of concentration fluctuations in stable stratification resemble those in neutral stratification, but at a greater downwind distance. It is also found that the distribution of the interval between consecutive upcrossings of a concentration level, as well as the duration of an excursion across a concentration level, can be approximated by a lognormal distribution, whereas the distribution of the concentration amplitude is best characterized by a gamma distribution. Some implications of these results for the modeling of level-crossing statistics of concentration fluctuations are discussed.