Large-Eddy Simulation of Katabatic Flows

A large-eddy simulation model with rotated coordinates and an open boundary is used to simulate the characteristics of katabatic flows over simple terrain. Experiments examine the effects of cross winds on the development of the slope-flow boundary layer for a steep (20°) slope and the role of drainage winds in preventing turbulence collapse on a gentle slope (1°). For the steep flow cases, comparisons between model average boundary-layer velocity, temperature deficit, and turbulence kinetic energy budget terms and tower observations show reasonable agreement. Results for different cross slope winds show that as the cross slope winds increase, the slope flow deepens faster and behaves more like a weakly stratified, sheared boundary layer. Analysis of the momentum budget shows that near the surface the flow is maintained by a balance between downslope buoyancy forcing and vertical turbulence flux from surface drag. Above the downslope jet, the turbulence vertical momentum flux reverses sign and acceleration of the flow by buoyancy is controlled by horizontal advection of slower moving ambient air. The turbulence budget is dominated by a balance between shear production and eddy dissipation, however, buoyancy and pressure transport both are significant in reducing the strength of turbulence above the jet. Results from the gentle slope case show that even a slight terrain variation can lead to significant drainage winds. Comparison of the gentle slope case with a flat terrain simulation indicates that drainage winds can effectively prevent the formation of very stable boundary layers, at least near the top of sloping terrain.     

Sea surface wind stress and drag coefficients: The hexos results

Turbulent fluxes have been measured in the atmospheric surface layer from a boom extending upwind from the Dutch offshore research platform Meetpost Noordwijk (MPN) during HEXMAX (Humidity Exchange over the Sea Main Experiment) in October–November, 1986. We started out to study eddy flux of water vapour, but discrepancies among simultaneous measurements made with three different anemometers led us to develop methods to correct eddy correlation measurements of wind stress for flow distortion by nearby objects. We then found excellent agreement among the corrected wind stress data sets from the three anemometers on the MPN boom and with eddy correlation measurements from a mast on a tripod. Inertial-dissipation techniques gave reliable estimates of wind stress from turbulence spectra, both at MPN and at a nearby ship. The data cover a range of wave ages and the results yield new insights into the variation of sea surface wind stress with sea state; two alternative formulas are given for the nondimensional surface roughness as a function of wave age.     

Analysis on the Interaction between Turbulence and Secondary Circulation of the Surface Layer at Jinta Oasis in Summer

The kinetic energy variations of mean flow and turbulence at three levels in the surface layer were calculated by using eddy covariance data from observations at Jinta oasis in 2005 summer.It is found that when the mean horizontal flow was stronger,the turbulent kinetic energy was increased at all levels,as well as the downward mean wind at the middle level.Since the mean vertical flow on the top and bottom were both negligible at that time,there was a secondary circulation with convergence in the upper half and divergence in the lower half of the column.After consideration of energy conversion,it was found that the interaction between turbulence and the secondary circulation caused the intensification of each other.The interaction reflected positive feedback between turbulence and the vertical shear of the mean flow.Turbulent sensible and latent heat flux anomaly were also analyzed.The results show that in both daytime and at night,when the surface layer turbulence was intensified as a result of strengthened mean flow,the sensible heat flux was decreased while the latent heat flux was increased.Both anomalous fluxes contributed to the cold island effect and the moisture island effect of the oasis.     

Air–Sea/Land Interaction in the Coastal Zone

Atmospheric turbulence measurements made at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility (FRF) located on the Atlantic coast near the town of Duck, North Carolina during the CASPER-East Program (October–November 2015) are used to study air–sea/land coupling in the FRF coastal zone. Turbulence and mean meteorological data were collected at multiple levels (up to four) on three towers deployed at different landward distances from the shoreline, with a fourth tower located at the end of a 560-m-long FRF pier. The data enable comparison of turbulent fluxes and other statistics, as well as investigations of surface-layer scaling for different footprints, including relatively smooth sea-surface conditions and aerodynamically rough dry inland areas. Both stable and unstable stratifications were observed. The drag coefficient and diurnal variation of the sensible heat flux are found to be indicators for disparate surface footprints. The drag coefficient over the land footprint is significantly greater, by as much as an order of magnitude, compared with that over the smooth sea-surface footprint. For onshore flow, the internal boundary layer in the coastal zone was either stable or (mostly) unstable, and varied dramatically at the land-surface discontinuity. The offshore flow of generally warm air over the cooler sea surface produced a stable internal boundary layer over the ocean surface downstream from the coast. While the coastal inhomogeneities violate the assumptions underlying Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST), any deviations from MOST are less profound for the scaled standard deviations and the dissipation rate over both water and land, as well as for stable and unstable conditions. Observations, however, show a poor correspondence with MOST for the flux-profile relationships. Suitably-averaged, non-dimensional profiles of wind speed and temperature vary significantly among the different flux towers and observation levels, with high data scatter. Overall, the statistical dependence of the vertical gradients of scaled wind speed and temperature on the Monin–Obukhov stability parameter in the coastal area is weak, if not non-existent.     

Aircraft Observations of Sea-Surface Turbulent Fluxes Near the California Coast

Aircraft turbulence data from the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network project were analyzed and compared to the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) bulk parametrization of turbulent fluxes in an ocean area near the coast of California characterized by complex atmospheric flow. Turbulent fluxes measured at about 35 m above the sea surface using the eddy-correlation method were lower than bulk estimates under unstable and stable atmospheric stratification for all but light winds. Neutral turbulent transfer coefficients were used in this comparison because they remove the effects of mean atmospheric conditions and atmospheric stability. Spectral analysis suggested that kilometre-scale longitudinal rolls affect significantly turbulence measurements even near the sea surface, depending on sampling direction. Cross-wind sampling tended to capture all the available turbulent energy. Vertical soundings showed low boundary-layer depths and high flux divergence near the sea surface in the case of sensible heat flux but minimal flux divergence for the momentum flux. Cross-wind sampling and flux divergence were found to explain most of the observed discrepancies between the measured and bulk flux estimates. At low wind speeds the drag coefficient determined with eddy correlation and an inertial dissipation method after corrections were applied still showed high values compared to bulk estimates. This discrepancy correlated with the dominance of sea swell, which was a usually observed condition under low wind speeds. Under stable atmospheric conditions measured sensible heat fluxes, which usually have low values over the ocean, were possibly affected by measurement errors and deviated significantly from bulk estimates.     

The subcloud-layer eddy kinetic energy budget of a microburst-producing thunderstorm determined from jaws dual-Doppler measurements

Dual-Doppler data collected from 1646 to 1648 MDT on 14 July, 1982 in Colorado were employed to study the eddy kinetic energy budget in the subcloud layer of a microburst-producing thunderstorm during its mature stage. Each term in the budget equation was computed from the Doppler-derived winds and retrieved thermodynamic fields within the 10 by 10 km horizontal domain. Results show that in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) where the microburst dominates, the turbulent flow extracts energy from the mean flow in order for the microburst to maintain its strong diverging outflow at low levels. The vertical transport of eddy kinetic energy is predominantly downward in the low layer due to the organized downdrafts in the microburst area. The horizontal flux convergence (divergence) of eddy kinetic energy by the mean and eddying motions is approximately balanced by that of the vertical flux divergence (convergence). Similarly, the contributions from the pressure and buoyancy production terms are nearly in balance. As a result, a net change of the eddy kinetic energy generation in the subcloud layer is relatively small in comparison with the individual term in the budget equation.     

Boundary-Layer Adjustment Over Small-Scale Changes of Surface Heat Flux

Four months of eddy correlation data collected over a grass field and a nearby sage brush community are analyzed to examine the adjustment of the boundary-layer structure as it flows from the heated brush to the snow-covered grass. The grass site includes a 34-m tower with seven levels of eddy correlation data. The midday heat flux over the snow-covered grass and bare ground surfaces is often downward particularly with melting conditions, while the corresponding heat flux over the brush is almost always upward. For most of these cases, a stable internal boundary layer over the snow is well defined in terms of vertical profiles of the buoyancy flux over the snow-covered grass. The stable internal boundary layer is generally embedded within a deeper layer of flux divergence corresponding to increasing upward heat flux with height above the internal boundary layer. With thin snow cover, the surface heat flux over the grass is weak upward due to heating of grass protruding above the snow so that the flow adjusts to a decrease of the upward surface heat flux in the downwind direction. This common case of an adjusting boundary layer contrasts with the formation of an internal boundary layer due to a change of sign of the surface heat in flux the downwind direction. The adjustment of the boundary layer to the decrease of the surface heat flux leads to vertical divergence of the upward heat flux in contrast to the usual heated boundary layer over homogeneous surfaces. The consequences of the cooling due to the vertical divergence of the heat flux are discussed in terms of the heat budget of the adjusting and internal boundary layers.     

华南沿海暖海雾过程中的湍流热量交换特征

湍流交换是海雾中的关键物理过程, 在海雾的热量和水汽平衡过程中起重要作用。本文根据2007年3月24～25日一次海雾的外场观测数据, 分析了海雾过程中近海面湍流热量交换特征; 并在区分风切变机械湍流与雾顶长波辐射冷却热力湍流的基础上, 着重分析了两种不同性质的湍流对海雾发展和维持的作用。结果表明: (1) 本次海雾是在西南低压和变性冷高压的控制下, 来自南海东部暖水区的空气平流在近岸冷海面上形成的暖海雾; 暖海雾中的湍流热量交换过程比冷海雾更为复杂; (2) 在暖海雾的形成和消散阶段, 风切变机械湍流的热量输送起主要作用; 而在发展和维持阶段, 既有风切变机械湍流的热量输送作用, 也有雾顶长波辐射冷却热力湍流的热量输送作用; (3) 风切变机械湍流向冷海面输送热量, 对近海面空气起到降温和增湿作用; 热力湍流同样向冷海面输送热量, 但对雾层起到增温和降湿作用; (4) 暖海雾中的湍流热量交换机制与雾层的非充分混合结构有密切关系。     

Turbulence intensity and turbulent kinetic energy parameters over a heterogeneous terrain of Loess Plateau

A deep understanding of turbulence structure is important for investigating the characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer, especially over heterogeneous terrain. In the present study, turbulence intensity and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) parameters are analyzed for different conditions with respect to stability, wind direction and wind speed over a valley region of the Loess Plateau of China during December 2003 and January 2004. The purpose of the study is to examine whether the observed turbulence intensity and TKE parameters satisfy Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST), and analyze the wind shear effect on, and thermal buoyancy function of, the TKE, despite the terrain heterogeneity. The results demonstrate that the normalized intensity of turbulence follows MOST for all stability in the horizontal and vertical directions, as well as the normalized TKE in the horizontal direction. The shear effect of the wind speed in the Loess Plateau region is strong in winter and could enhance turbulence for all stability conditions. During daytime, the buoyancy and shear effect together constitute the generation of TKE under unstable conditions. At night, the contribution of buoyancy to TKE is relatively small, and mechanical shearing is the main production form of turbulence.     

Reynolds-Number Dependence of Gas Dispersion Over a Wavy Wall

Direct numerical simulations of an Ekman layer are performed to study flow evolution during the response of an initially neutral boundary layer to stable stratification. The Obukhov length, L, is varied among cases by imposing a range of stable buoyancy fluxes at the surface to mimic ground cooling. The imposition of constant surface buoyancy flux , i.e. constant-flux stability, leads to a buoyancy difference between the ground and background that tends to increase with time, unlike the constant-temperature stability case where a constant surface temperature is imposed. The initial collapse of turbulence in the surface layer owing to surface cooling that occurs over a time scale proportional to \(L/u_*\), where \(u_*\) is the friction velocity, is followed by turbulence recovery. The flow accelerates, and a “low-level jet” (LLJ) with inertial oscillations forms during the turbulence collapse. Turbulence statistics and budgets are examined to understand the recovery of turbulence. Vertical turbulence exchange, primarily by pressure transport, is found to initiate fluctuations in the surface layer and there is rebirth of turbulence through enhanced turbulence production as the LLJ shear increases. The turbulence recovery is not monotonic and exhibits temporal intermittency with several collapse/rebirth episodes. The boundary layer adjusts to an increase in the surface buoyancy flux by increased super-geostrophic velocity and surface stress such that the Obukhov length becomes similar among the cases and sufficiently large to allow fluctuations with sustained momentum and heat fluxes. The eventual state of fluctuations, achieved after about two inertial periods (\(ft \approx 4\pi \)), corresponds to global intermittency with turbulent patches in an otherwise quiescent background. Our simplified configuration is sufficient to identify turbulence collapse and rebirth, global and temporal intermittency, as well as formation of low-level jets, as in observations of the stratified atmospheric boundary layer.     

Flow Adjustments Across Sea-Surface Temperature Changes

The adjustment of airflow across sea-surface temperature changes is examinedusing aircraft eddy-correlation data. Major features of the observed flow adjustmentare not included in the theory of internal boundary layers. However, the data samplesize and coverage are not sufficient to accurately quantify the additional influences.With flow from warm water over cooler water, substantial turbulence intermittentlydevelops above the newly formed surface inversion layer. The corresponding,spatially-averaged, downward momentum flux is stronger than that close to the surface.With stably stratified flow over modest increases of sea-surface temperature, areduction of stratification can trigger episodic shear generation of turbulence. Inthese cases, the primary role of increasing surface temperature in the downwinddirection is to induce shear generation of turbulence. With larger increases ofsurface temperature, upward heat flux generates turbulence, warms the air and generates a significant horizontal gradient of hydrostatic pressure. This contributionto the pressure field appears to strongly modify the flow. Major inadequacies inexisting data and future needs are noted.     

Turbulence and mixing in the boundary layer generated by shoaling internal waves

Over a range of incidence angles the energy of an internal wave propagating onto a sloping boundary is concentrated in a boundary layer on the slope. As a wave propagates upslope the change in its amplitude and interaction with the downslope flow remaining from previous waves results in the wave breaking and the generation of turbulence and mixing in the boundary layer. Measurements of the overturning and buoyancy scales on the slope show that turbulence is generated and decays during each wave cycle and that much of the energy input to mixing scales is extracted from density inversions generated by the wave-induced mean flow. A comparison with decaying turbulence behind a grid in a stratified water tunnel suggests that the criterion for the extinction of the buoyancy flux is similar in the two cases.     

Impacts of the Autumn Arctic Sea Ice on the Intraseasonal Reversal of the Winter Siberian High

During 1979–2015, the intensity of the Siberian high(SH) in November and December–January(DJ) is frequently shown to have an out-of-phase relationship, which is accompanied by opposite surface air temperature and circulation anomalies.Further analyses indicate that the autumn Arctic sea ice is important for the phase reversal of the SH. There is a significantly positive(negative) correlation between the November(DJ) SH and the September sea ice area(SIA) anomalies. It is suggested that the reduction of autumn SIA induces anomalous upward surface turbulent heat flux(SHF), which can persist into November, especially over the Barents Sea. Consequently, the enhanced eddy energy and wave activity flux are transported to mid and high latitudes. This will then benefit the development of the storm track in northeastern Europe. Conversely, when downward SHF anomalies prevail in DJ, the decreased heat flux and suppressed eddy energy hinder the growth of the storm track during DJ over the Barents Sea and Europe. Through the eddy–mean flow interaction, the strengthened(weakened)storm track activities induce decreased(increased) Ural blockings and accelerated(decelerated) westerlies, which makes the cold air from the Arctic inhibited(transported) over the Siberian area. Therefore, a weaker(stronger) SH in November(DJ) occurs downstream. Moreover, anomalously large snowfall may intensify the SH in DJ rather than in November. The ensemble-mean results from the CMIP5 historical simulations further confirm these connections. The different responses to Arctic sea ice anomalies in early and middle winter set this study apart from earlier ones.     

Aircraft Observations Of The Mean And Turbulent Structure Of A Shallow Boundary Layer Over The Persian Gulf

Stable internal boundary layers form when warm air isadvected over a cooler surface, a common occurrence incoastal areas. The internal boundary layer deepenswith distance along-wind, eventually reachingequilibrium with the surface and becoming a fullydeveloped marine boundary layer. We presentobservations of the late stages of internalboundary-layer evolution made bythe U.K. Meteorological Office'sC-130 Hercules research aircraft over the Persian Gulfin April 1996. Northwesterly winds brought warm dryair from the surrounding desert landmass across thecooler waters of the Gulf. Loss of heat to the surfaceresulted in the formation of a shallow, stableinternal boundary layer downwind of the coast. The aircraftmeasurements were made several hundred kilometresdownwind, by which point the original deep convectiveboundary layer had been eroded away and the internalboundary layer was well developed, effectively a newmarine atmospheric boundary layer. Throughout most ofits depth the boundary layer was statically stable anda downward heat flux of approximately 15 W m^-2was observed; however, an exceptionally strong latentheat flux, in excess of 250 W m^-2 near thesurface, was sufficient to overcome the downwards heatflux and maintain weak buoyant convection in the lower30–50% of the boundary layer.Scaling of boundary-layer turbulence statistics usinglocal similarity theory produces results in agreementwith previous studies. Because of the strong humiditycontribution to the buoyancy flux, however, care isrequired with the definition of the similarity scales.It is usual for either the sensible heat or buoyancyflux to be used in the definitions of both thetemperature and length scales; the latter being usedover water where humidity plays a significant role indetermining stability. In the present case we findthat while the buoyancy flux is appropriate in thedefinition of the length scale, the temperature scalemust be defined in terms of the sensible heat flux.     

强风天气下边界层结构特征

近地层观测的强风运动表明,叠加在平均流动之上的脉动通常有两种,一种是随机的湍流脉动,还有一种具有相干结构的阵风扰动。分析表明,上层强风的剪切运动产生阵风,并向下传递能量,对近地层的通量传输起到重要作用。本文利用北京325 m气象塔、位于海拔1257 m的妙峰山测风塔和位于海拔1688 m的灵山测风塔的资料,分析了强风天气下,边界层上层出现阵风并向下传递的过程,进一步证实无论在近地层还是边界层上层,强风期间,叠加在平均流动上除了高频湍流脉动之外,还有周期为1~10分钟的阵风,即相干结构。阵风峰期有下沉运动,阵风谷期有上升运动。这些相干结构在边界层上层产生,向下运动和传播过程中受到平均气流梯度的切变作用和地面摩擦,破碎为湍流结构。边界层上层的阵风和湍流产生的动量通量向下传递,使得强风期间,边界层中阵风和湍流对通量具有同样的输送能力,对边界层中沙尘、污染物等气溶胶的传输具有重要作用。本研究为模式中进行通量输送参数化方案的修正提供了观测和理论依据。     

Effects of precipitation on the eddy exchange in a wind-driven sea

Effects of precipitation on the temperature and salinity profiles in the top 2 or 3 m of the sea are calculated for four models of turbulent exchange: (1) constant eddy exchange with depth; (2) drift-current eddy exchange; (3) eddy exchange produced by shear in the orbital velocity under a surface wave; and (4) drift current and wave turbulence acting together. The surface temperature and salinity are only weakly affected, but the density gradient can become significantly stabler. The resulting influence on the eddy exchange is modeled with empirical formulas employing the Richardson number. Stability strongly damps drift-current eddy exchange but has much less effect on the wave-induced turbulence.The energy budget shows an increase in turbulent dissipation near the surface for weak stability when the surface stress in assumed to remain constant. Beyond a critical Richardson number of about 0.9 energy consumed by turbulent energy dissipation decreases. This occurs more due to a reduction in mechanical energy production than because of energy being used for the redistribution of mass.     

盘锦芦苇湿地近地面层湍流通量参数化方案研究

基于2005年盘锦芦苇湿地近地面层湍流通量和微气象梯度的连续观测,研究了芦苇湿地近地面层湍流通量参数化方案。结果表明,盘锦芦苇湿地近地面层经常维持弱稳定和弱不稳定层结。在不稳定层结(-0.4     

南极近地层大气的热量逆梯度输送现象

根据南极中山站观测结果 ,分析了南极地区近地层热量逆梯度输送的现象。结果表明南极地区在近地层逆温较明显时 ,常会出现热量逆梯度输送的现象 ;同时也探讨了近地层在稳定层结条件下 ,热量逆梯度输送通量的多尺度计算方法。计算结果表明 ,逆梯度输送的感热通量主要是由浮力湍涡的穿越能力决定的 ,而经典的梯度输送公式在该场合下无法使用。     

The Influence of Thermally-Induced Mesoscale Circulations on Turbulence Statistics Over an Idealized Urban Area Under a Zero Background Wind

The influence of mesoscale circulations induced by urban-rural differential surface sensible heat flux and roughness on convective boundary-layer (CBL) flow statistics over an isolated urban area has been examined using large-eddy simulation (LES). Results are analyzed when the circulations influence the entire urban area under a zero background wind. For comparison, the CBL flow over an infinite urban area with identical urban surface characteristics under the same background meteorological conditions is generated as a control case (without circulations). The turbulent flow over the isolated urban area exhibits a mix of streaky structure and cellular pattern, while the cellular pattern dominates in the control case. The mixed-layer height varies significantly over the isolated urban area, and can be lower near the edge of the urban area than over the rural area. The vertical profiles of turbulence statistics over the isolated urban area vary horizontally and are dramatically different from the control case. The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) sources include wind shear, convergence, and buoyancy productions, compared to only buoyancy production in the control case. The normalized vertical velocity variance is reduced compared to the control case except in the central urban area where it is little affected. The low-level flow convergence is mainly responsible for the enhanced horizontal velocity variance in the central urban area, while wind shear is responsible for the additional local maximum of the horizontal velocity variance near the middle of the CBL outside the central area. Parameterizations in the prognostic equation for TKE used in mesoscale models are evaluated against the LES results over the isolated urban area. We also discuss conditions under which the urban-induced circulations occur and when they may affect the entire urban area. Given that urban-induced circulations can influence the entire urban area within hours for an urban area of a realistic size, it is inappropriate to directly apply empirical relations of turbulence statistics derived under horizontally-homogenous flow conditions to an urban area.     

On the structure of supercritical western boundary currents

The structure of supercritical western boundary currents is investigated using a quasi-geostrophic numerical model. The basic flow is of meridional Munk balance, and the input boundary is perturbed by the most unstable wave solution obtained from linear spatial instability calculations. Self-preserving (or equilibrium) solutions are obtained for the model runs at Re=30, 60, 90, and 120, and their energy and vorticity budgets are analyzed. In an analogy with the laboratory turbulence of wall boundary layers, the western boundary layer is divided into inner and outer layers. In the inner layer, the mean energy is dissipated via direct viscous dissipation, while in the outer layer it is converted to the eddy energy via turbulence production. The main scenario is that the mean energy is produced in the inner layer via ageostrophic pressure work divergence, and it is partly removed due to viscous action within a narrow region near the wall, defined here as viscous sub-layer. The remaining portion is converted to the eddy energy via turbulence production in the outer layer, which is in turn transported to the inner layer, then again to the viscous sub-layer where it is ultimately dissipated. In the near-wall side, the vorticity balance of the mean flow is maintained by viscous effect and Reynolds flux divergence, while in the offshore side it is maintained by beta effect and Reynolds flux divergence. The length scale of the supercritical boundary current is roughly , where L_M is the Munk length, as observed from a dimensional analysis.