A Case Study of Turbulence in the Nocturnal Boundary Layer During the Indian Summer Monsoon

Observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment-Integrated Ground Observation Campaign (CAIPEEX-IGOC) provide a rare opportunity to investigate nocturnal atmospheric surface-layer processes and surface-layer turbulent characteristics associated with the low-level jet (LLJ). Here, an observational case study of the nocturnal boundary layer is presented during the peak monsoon season over Peninsular India using data collected over a single night representative of the synoptic conditions of the Indian summer monsoon. Datasets based on Doppler lidar and eddy-covariance are used for this purpose. The LLJ is found to generate nocturnal turbulence by introducing mechanical shear at higher levels within the boundary layer. Sporadic and intermittent turbulent events observed during this period are closely associated with large eddies at the scale of the height of the jet nose. Flux densities in the stable boundary layer are observed to become non-local under the influence of the LLJ. Different turbulence regimes are identified, along with transitions between turbulent periods and intermittency. Wavelet analysis is used to elucidate the presence of large-scale eddies and associated intermittency during nocturnal periods in the surface layer. Although the LLJ is a regional-scale phenomenon it has far reaching consequences with regard to surface-atmosphere exchange processes.     

Investigating the Dominant Source for the Generation of Gravity Waves during Indian Summer Monsoon Using Ground-based Measurements

Over the tropics,convection,wind shear(i.e.,vertical and horizontal shear of wind and/or geostrophic adjustment comprising spontaneous imbalance in jet streams) and topography are the major sources for the generation of gravity waves.During the summer monsoon season(June-August) over the Indian subcontinent,convection and wind shear coexist.To determine the dominant source of gravity waves during monsoon season,an experiment was conducted using mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere(MST) radar situated at Gadanki(13.5 N,79.2 E),a tropical observatory in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent.MST radar was operated continuously for 72 h to capture high-frequency gravity waves.During this time,a radiosonde was released every 6 h in addition to the regular launch(once daily to study low-frequency gravity waves) throughout the season.These two data sets were utilized effectively to characterize the jet stream and the associated gravity waves.Data available from collocated instruments along with satellite-based brightness temperature(TBB) data were utilized to characterize the convection in and around Gadanki.Despite the presence of two major sources of gravity wave generation(i.e.,convection and wind shear) during the monsoon season,wind shear(both vertical shear and geostrophic adjustment) contributed the most to the generation of gravity waves on various scales.     

一次暴风雪过程中的中尺度重力波特征及其影响

应用地面自动气象站观测资料、数字化多普勒天气雷达探测资料和WRFV2.2.1中尺度数值模拟资料,分析了中尺度重力波与基本气流的相互作用,以及重力波活动对暴雪和大风天气的重要影响。结果表明,在波导中传播的中尺度重力波能够与基本气流进行动量交换,使得对流层中上层4.5—8 km气层内的水平平均风速趋于均匀,形成斜穿整个对流层的饱和湿空气急流,即"湿急流"。在高空急流出口区激发的垂直向下传播的重力波,使基本气流的水平风速在垂直方向上出现了加速和减速的交替变化,水平风加速的气层,反射率增大;水平风减速的气层,反射率减小。随着波动下传及其随基本气流的移动,反射率回波强度沿高空风的方向(由西南向东北)出现周期性变化,回波带呈西北—东南走向,强回波中心之间为宽约40 km的弱回波区。重力波下传期间,当地面气压迅速下降时,东北风快速增长,风向有明显的改变,反射率强度开始减弱;气压脊线过后,反射率降低到最低点。地面大风中心出现在反射率回波强度周期性变化的地带,沿西南—东北方向间隔着分布。雷达探测表明,对流层低层风速在风向切变层上下边界对称相等,因此推测在重力波与切变层汇合的高度层存在垂直环流,由风切变层上下边界附近的西南气流和东北气流与受重力波影响形成的垂直方向上的上升和下沉气流共同组成。切变层上方的动量通过垂直环流的下沉支到达地面,强风中心对应着下沉气流,出现在降水回波开始减弱之际。     

On the Turbulence in the Upper Part of the Low-Level Jet: An Experimental and Numerical Study

The characteristics of low-level jets (LLJ) observed at the “Centro de Investigacion de la Baja Atmósfera” (CIBA) site in Spain are analysed, focussing on the turbulence generated in the upper part of the jet, a feature that is still to be thoroughly understood. During the Stable Boundary Layer Experiment in Spain (SABLES) 1998, captive balloon soundings were taken intensively, and their analyses have highlighted the main characteristics of the jet’s wind and temperature structure, leading to a composite profile. There are indications that the turbulence has a minimum at the level of the wind maximum, with elevated turbulence in a layer at a height between two and three times that of the LLJ maximum, but no direct measurements of turbulence were available at these heights. In September 2001, a 100-m tower at the same site was re-instrumented to give turbulence measurements up to 96.6 m above ground level. All occurrences of LLJ below this height between September 2002 and June 2003 have been selected and significant turbulence above the LLJ has been found. Simulations with a single-column turbulence kinetic energy model have been made in order to further investigate the generation of elevated turbulence. The results correlate well with the measurements, showing that in the layer above the LLJ, where there is significant shear and weakly stable stratification, conditions are conducive to the development of turbulence.     

边界层对流对示踪物抬升和传输影响的大涡模拟研究

利用"西北干旱区陆气相互作用野外观测实验"加密观测期间敦煌站的实测资料以及大涡模式, 通过一系列改变地表热通量和风切变的敏感性数值试验, 分析了地表热通量和风切变对边界层对流的强度、形式, 以及对对流边界层结构和发展的影响。模拟结果显示风切变一定, 增大地表热通量时, 由于近地层湍流运动增强, 向上输送的热量也较多, 使对流边界层变暖增厚, 而且边界层对流的强度明显增强, 对流泡发展的高度也较高。当地表热通量一定, 增大风切变时, 由于风切变使夹卷作用增强, 将逆温层中的暖空气向下卷入混合层中, 使对流边界层增暖增厚, 但是对流泡容易破碎, 对流的强度也较弱。另外通过在模式近地层释放绝对浓度为100的被动示踪物方法, 用最小二乘法定量地分析了地表热通量和风切变分别与示踪物抬升效率和传输高度的关系。分析结果表明, 风切变小于10.5×10-3 s-1时, 增大地表热通量加强了上层动量的下传, 使示踪物的抬升效率也线性增大;地表热通量小于462.5 W m-2时, 增大风切变减弱了边界层对流的强度, 从而使示踪物的抬升效率减弱。当风切变一定时, 示踪物的平均传输高度随地表热通量增加而增大, 而地表热通量一定, 只有风切变大于临界值时, 示踪物平均传输高度才随风切变的增加而增大, 而临界风速的大小由地表热通量决定。     

Aircraft-Based Measurements Of Turbulence Structures In The Katabatic Flow Over Greenland

Turbulence structures in the katabatic flow in the stable boundary layer (SBL) over the ice sheet are studied for two case studies with high wind speeds during the aircraft-based experiment KABEG (Katabatic wind and boundary layer front experiment around Greenland) in the area of southern Greenland. The aircraft data allow the direct determination of turbulence structures in the katabatic flow. For the first time, this allows the study of the turbulence structure in the katabatic wind system over the whole boundary layer and over a horizontal scale of 80 km.The katabatic flow is associated with a low-level jet (LLJ), with maximum wind speeds up to 25 m s^-1. Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and the magnitude of the turbulent fluxes show a strong decrease below the LLJ. Sensible heat fluxes at the lowest level have values down to -25 W m^-2. Latent heat fluxes are small in general, but evaporation values of up to +13 W m^-2 are also measured. Turbulence spectra show a well-defined inertial subrange and a clear spectral gap around 250-m wavelength. While turbulence intensity decreases monotonously with height above the LLJ for the upper part of the slope, high spectral intensities are also present at upper levels close to the ice edge. Normalized fluxes and variances generally follow power-law profiles in the SBL.Terms of the TKE budget are computed from the aircraft data. The TKE destruction by the negative buoyancy is found to be very small, and the dissipation rate exceeds the dynamical production.     

Wave disturbances associated with the red river valley severe weather outbreak of 10–11 April 1979

Summary An analysis of mesoscale gravity wave events during the severe weather outbreak in the Red River Valley on 10–11 April 1979 is presented utilizing surface pressure data and the 3 h rawinsonde data from the AVE-SESAMEI special network. The unique data set provided by the SESAME field experiment makes it possible to relate the wavelike characteristics observed at the surface to the variability of the temperature, humidity, and wind fields over a deep tropospheric layer that act to initiate and sustain the waves over long distances and time periods.Three different wave events (A, B, and C) were identified via spectral analysis and cross-correlation techniques. They all have similar periods, approximately 3 h, but different phase velocities. All three wave events are generated and propagate in the exit region or anticyclonic side of upperlevel jet streaks. Convection and wind shear are shown to be unlikely contributors to the generation of event A, which is probably related to the development of a strong divergent field in association with an upper-tropospheric jet streak and to the ensuing mass adjustment process. Events B and C also appear in a region of strong ageostrophic motion associated with an upper-level jet streak. However, the low values of the Richardson number (Ri) at the critical levels of these two waves suggest vertical wind shear as a likely contributor to their generation and/or maintenance. A linear stability analysis confirms, with unprecedent spatial and temporal resolution, that a modal structure is present in the atmosphere whose characteristics are consistent with those of waves B and C.Three-hourly rawinsonde data show strong temporal and spatial variability throughout the troposphere in the wind, temperature, and humidity fields when the waves are present. Convective systems, as detected by radar, are closely linked to the waves, although not in a consistent manner: cells intensify or develop at the passage of a wave trough in event A, at the passage of a wave ridge in event C, and at the passage of a wave trough or ridge in event B, depending on the geographic location of the cells. For all three events, maximum rainfall recorded at the surface is associated with a wave ridge with a time lag of approximately 1 h.With 20 Figures     

Energy- and Flux-Budget Turbulence Closure Model for Stably Stratified Flows. Part II: The Role of Internal Gravity Waves

We advance our prior energy- and flux-budget (EFB) turbulence closure model for stably stratified atmospheric flow and extend it to account for an additional vertical flux of momentum and additional productions of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), turbulent potential energy (TPE) and turbulent flux of potential temperature due to large-scale internal gravity waves (IGW). For the stationary, homogeneous regime, the first version of the EFB model disregarding large-scale IGW yielded universal dependencies of the flux Richardson number, turbulent Prandtl number, energy ratios, and normalised vertical fluxes of momentum and heat on the gradient Richardson number, Ri. Due to the large-scale IGW, these dependencies lose their universality. The maximal value of the flux Richardson number (universal constant ≈0.2–0.25 in the no-IGW regime) becomes strongly variable. In the vertically homogeneous stratification, it increases with increasing wave energy and can even exceed 1. For heterogeneous stratification, when internal gravity waves propagate towards stronger stratification, the maximal flux Richardson number decreases with increasing wave energy, reaches zero and then becomes negative. In other words, the vertical flux of potential temperature becomes counter-gradient. Internal gravity waves also reduce the anisotropy of turbulence: in contrast to the mean wind shear, which generates only horizontal TKE, internal gravity waves generate both horizontal and vertical TKE. Internal gravity waves also increase the share of TPE in the turbulent total energy (TTE = TKE + TPE). A well-known effect of internal gravity waves is their direct contribution to the vertical transport of momentum. Depending on the direction (downward or upward), internal gravity waves either strengthen or weaken the total vertical flux of momentum. Predictions from the proposed model are consistent with available data from atmospheric and laboratory experiments, direct numerical simulations and large-eddy simulations.     

Nocturnal CO2 exchange over a tall forest canopy associated with intermittent low-level jet activity

Summary Nocturnal eddy-covariance carbon dioxide fluxes have uncertainties arising from non-stationary atmospheric processes. Low-level jets (LLJ) are one of the prominent nocturnal boundary-layer phenomena observed over non-mountainous terrain, and are capable of generating shear and turbulence close to the ground. The influence of intermittent LLJ activity on nocturnal carbon dioxide exchange measurements is investigated using wind profile observations and eddy-covariance flux measurements over a tall forest canopy. Results suggest that the buildup and venting of CO₂ are closely associated with LLJ activity during the night. Of significance in quantifying nocturnal fluxes, this paper demonstrates how low-level jet activity introduces sporadic coupling between the canopy and the atmosphere.     

非地转平衡流激发的重力惯性波对梅雨锋暴雨影响的动力学研究

文中以 2 0 0 0年 6月 1～ 3日的一次梅雨锋暴雨过程为例 ,通过数值模拟 ,得到了降雨区和强度都与实况基本吻合的结果。进一步利用数值模拟场 ,比较详细地分析了大尺度环流调整后的地转平衡被破坏、非平衡流出现、低空急流建立、重力波发生与传播对暴雨过程的影响。研究表明 ,副高的西伸北跳可以造成局部地转平衡被破坏 ,引起环流的适应调整 ,以建立新的平衡。在这一过程中 ,会出现与之相适应、配合的低空急流和重力波的发生 ;重力波的频散有利于急流中心大风区的传播 ,引导气流和水汽集中区对传播方向有显著影响 ;低空急流的建立则是导致暴雨发生的重要条件之一。通过对高时空密度中尺度数值模拟资料的分析 ,可以较清晰地反映出上述结果。     

On the Formation of an Elevated Nocturnal Inversion Layer in the Presence of a Low-Level Jet: A Case Study

We report on observed nocturnal profiles, in which an inversion layer is located at the core of a low-level jet, bounded between two well-mixed layers. High-resolution vertical profiles were collected during a field campaign in a small plain in the Israeli desert (Negev), distant 100 km from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. During the evening hours, the synoptic flow, superposed on the late sea breeze, forms a low-level jet characterized by a maximum wind speed of 12 m s ⁻¹ at an altitude of 150 m above the ground. The strong wind shear at the jet maximum generates downward heat fluxes that act against the nocturnal ground cooling. As a result, the typical ground-based nocturnal inversion is “elevated” towards the jet centre, hence a typical early morning thermal profile is observed a few hours after sunset. Since the jet is advected into the region, its formation does not depend on the presence of a surface nocturnal inversion layer to decouple the jet from surface friction. On the contrary, here the advected low-level jet acts to hinder the formation of such an inversion. These unusual temperature and wind profiles are expected to affect near-ground dispersion processes.     

DYNAMIC STUDY ON INFLUENCE OF INERTIAL GRAVITY WAVES INDUCED BY UNBALANCED FLOW ON MEIYU FRONT HEAVY RAIN*

The Meiyu front heavy rain process in 1-3 June 2000 is numerically simulated in this paper, and results are then analyzed to show the effects of geostrophic balance collapse,unbalanced flow occurrence,low level jet (LLJ) development,and gravity waves genesis and propagation on the rainstorm.Analyses indicate that the sudden northwest movement of subtropical high may destruct the local geostrophic balance,leading to an increase in the local pressure gradient and the occurrence of ageostrophic flow,and meanwhile the adjustment of circulation starts to build a new balance.During the process,an LLJ and gravity waves appear correspondingly.The dispersion of unbalanced energy through the divergence/convergence of the geostrophic departure winds, promotes the propagation of strong wind cores along the LLJ,and the dispersion direction is influenced by the steering flow and the moisture concentration area.The development of LLJ is one of important conditions,which induces the heavy rain especially in the left front part of the jet where the convergence and shear of winds occur.It is also found that the genesis of disturbance, meso-vortex,and meso-convective system provides a favorable condition for the rainstorm.The above results are clearly illustrated by the high spatial and temporal resolution simulation data from a mesoscale numerical model.     

Nocturnal Low-Level Jet Characteristics Over Kansas During Cases-99

Characteristics and evolution of the low-level jet (LLJ)over southeastern Kansas were investigated during the 1999 Cooperative Surface-AtmosphereExchange Study (CASES–99) field campaign with an instrument complement consisting of ahigh-resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL), a 60 m instrumented tower, and a triangle of Dopplermini-sodar/profiler combinations. Using this collection of instrumentation we determined thespeed U_X, height Z_X and direction D_X of the LLJ. We investigate here the frequencyof occurrence, the spatial distribution, and the evolution through the night, of these LLJcharacteristics. The jet of interest in this study was that which generates the shear and turbulencebelow the jet and near the surface. This was represented by the lowest wind maximum.We found that this wind maximum, which was most often between 7 and 10 m s¹,was often at or just below 100 m above ground level as measured by HRDL at the CASEScentral site. Over the 60 km profiler–sodararray, the topography varied by 100 m. The wind speed anddirection were relatively constant over this distance (with some tendency for strongerwinds at the highest site), but Z_X was more variable. Z_X was occasionally about equal at allthree sites, indicating that the jet was following the terrain, but more often it seemed to berelatively level, i.e., at about the same height above sea level. Z_X was also more variable thanU_X in the behaviour of the LLJ with time through the night, and on some nights $U_X wasremarkably steady. Examples of two nights with strong turbulence below jet level were furtherinvestigated using the 60 m tower at the main CASES–99 site. Evidence of TKE increasing withheight and downward turbulent transport of TKE indicates that turbulence was primarilygenerated aloft and mixed downward, supporting the upside–down boundary layer notion in thestable boundary layer.     

Role of land surface parameterizations on modeling cold-pooling events and low-level jets

Land surface parameterization schemes play a significant role in the accuracy of meso-local scale numerical models by accounting for the exchange of energy and water between the soil and the atmosphere. The role of land surface processes during large-scale cold-pooling events was studied with two land surface schemes (LSMs) in the Advanced Research Weather Forecasting model (ARW). Model evaluation was complex due to the surface and boundary layer interactions at different temporal and spatial scales as revealed by a scale dependent variance analysis. Wavelet analysis was used for the first time to analyze the model errors with specific focus on land surface processes. The ARW model was also evaluated for the formation of a low-level jet (LLJ). It is shown that vertical resolution in the model boundary layer played a significant role in determining the characteristics of LLJ, which influenced the lower boundary layer structure and moisture distribution. The results showed that the simulated low-level jet over southern Georgia was sensitive to the land surface parameterization and led to a significant difference in the boundary layer exchange. The jet shear played a crucial role in the maintenance of turbulence and weak shear caused excessive radiative cooling leading to unrealistic cold pools in the model. The results are important for regional downscaling as the excessive cold pools that are simulated in the model can go unnoticed.     

Organised Motion in a Tall Spruce Canopy: Temporal Scales,Structure Spacing and Terrain Effects

This study investigates the organised motion near the canopy-atmosphere interface of a moderately dense spruce forest in heterogeneous, complex terrain. Wind direction is used to assess differences in topography and surface properties. Observations were obtained at several heights above and within the canopy using sonic anemometers and fast-response gas analysers over the course of several weeks. Analysed variables include the three-dimensional wind vector, the sonic temperature, and the concentration of carbon dioxide. Wavelet analysis was used to extract the organised motion from time series and to derive its temporal scales. Spectral Fourier analysis was deployed to compute power spectra and phase spectra. Profiles of temporal scales of ramp-like coherent structures in the vertical and longitudinal wind components showed a reversed variation with height and were of similar size within the canopy. Temporal scales of scalar fields were comparable to those of the longitudinal wind component suggesting that the lateral scalar transport dominates. The existence of a – 1 power law in the longitudinal power spectra was confirmed for a few cases only, with a majority showing a clear 5/3 decay. The variation of effective scales of organised motion in the longitudinal velocity and temperature were found to vary with atmospheric stability, suggesting that both Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and attached eddies dominate the flow with increasing convectional forcing. The canopy mixing-layer analogy was observed to be applicable for ramp-like coherent structures in the vertical wind component for selected wind directions only. Departures from the prediction of m = Λ _w L _s ⁻¹ = 8–10 (where Λ _w is the streamwise spacing of coherent structures in the vertical wind w and L _s is a canopy shear length scale) were caused by smaller shear length scales associated with large-scale changes in the terrain as well as the vertical structure of the canopy. The occurrence of linear gravity waves was related to a rise in local topography and can therefore be referred to as mountain-type gravity waves. Temporal scales of wave motion and ramp-like coherent structures were observed to be comparable.     

Ondes de gravite interfaciales marginalement instables dans la couche limite planetaire

Wavelike motions within a strong morning inversion of the planetary boundary layer were investigated experimentally using two atmospheric research aircraft: an Aerocommander 280FL and a Cessna 206. The Aerocommander aircraft, instrumented for the measurement of rapid fluctuations of temperature, water vapour density and air velocities, was flown horizontally at different levels within the inversion layer in order to document adequate data on the wave motion. An example of such motions observed on 8 June, 1974 is described and analyzed in the present paper. The aircraft records obtained within the inversion layer at about 600 m above the ground show large fluctuations of the meteorological variables with well-defined amplitudes and wavelengths.Spectra and cross-spectra of temperature, water vapour density and air velocities were computed and analyzed to determine characteristics of gravity waves according to the method described by Metcalf (1975). These spectra exhibit a sharp maximum associated with high coherences at a particular wavelength. In this narrow spectral band, phase angles ±90 ° are obtained between vertical velocity and temperature as well as between vertical and horizontal velocities. These features suggest that observed motions are horizontally propagating trapped or evanescent waves. They enable us to estimate true wavelengths (500 m), wave vector azimuths, intrinsic frequencies and phase velocities of these waves. These results appear to be mutually consistent. Furthermore, it is possible to confirm these latter with the detailed vertical profiles of the boundary layer provided by the Cessna aircraft making spiral soundings. In this regard, the vertical structure of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency confirms that the waves are everywhere evanescent except within a thin highly stable layer between the diurnal mixed layer and the overlapping inversion. Moreover, examination of the wind profiles reveals that the interfacial vertical wind shear might be a relevant parameter reducing phase velocities. Such a conclusion is also supported by the observed wave vector directions which appear to be closely parallel to the wind shear vectors at the 600-m level. Additional confirmation is found by comparing the observed wavelengths to those predicted by applying the hydrodynamical stability model of Hazel (1972) to the measured profiles. Although the wind shear clearly plays a role in wave development, local heat flux and temperature variance values show that in this case the instability is only a marginal and sporadic event embedded in nearly neutral waves. Accordingly, it is argued that the observed motions are interfacial waves at the inversion base level, the amplitude and wave vector azimuth of which are controlled by the vertical wind shear.

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Ondes de gravite interfaciales marginalement instables dans la couche limite planetaire

Résumé Des ondes de gravité interfaciales progressives sont étudiées à l'aide de deux avions dans la couche limite planétaire. Les spectres des vitesses et de la température fournissent les directions et vitesses de propagation. La comparaison des résultats aux profils verticaux du vent et de la température montre que ces ondes sont marginalement instables sous l'effet du cisaillement vertical du vent.

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IOPG, 12, avenue des Landais - 63001 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex.

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Complexe Scientifique des Cézeaux BP 45 - 63170 Aubiere.     

On the initiation of surface waves by turbulent shear flow

An analytical model is developed for the initial stage of surface wave generation at an air–water interface by a turbulent shear flow in either the air or in the water. The model treats the problem of wave growth departing from a flat interface and is relevant for small waves whose forcing is dominated by turbulent pressure fluctuations. The wave growth is predicted using the linearised and inviscid equations of motion, essentially following Phillips [Phillips, O.M., 1957. On the generation of waves by turbulent wind. J. Fluid Mech. 2, 417–445], but the pressure fluctuations that generate the waves are treated as unsteady and related to the turbulent velocity field using the rapid-distortion treatment of Durbin [Durbin, P.A., 1978. Rapid distortion theory of turbulent flows. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge]. This model, which assumes a constant mean shear rate Γ, can be viewed as the simplest representation of an oceanic or atmospheric boundary layer.For turbulent flows in the air and in the water producing pressure fluctuations of similar magnitude, the waves generated by turbulence in the water are found to be considerably steeper than those generated by turbulence in the air. For resonant waves, this is shown to be due to the shorter decorrelation time of turbulent pressure in the air (estimated as ∝ 1/Γ), because of the higher shear rate existing in the air flow, and due to the smaller length scale of the turbulence in the water. Non-resonant waves generated by turbulence in the water, although being somewhat gentler, are still steeper than resonant waves generated by turbulence in the air. Hence, it is suggested that turbulence in the water may have a more important role than previously thought in the initiation of the surface waves that are subsequently amplified by feedback instability mechanisms.     

重力波与对流耦合作用在一次山地突发性暴雨触发中的机理分析

利用欧洲中期天气预报中心（ECMWF）开发的新一代ERA5再分析资料、中国自动站与CMORPH降水产品融合的逐小时降水资料以及国家卫星气象中心FY-2G卫星云图资料,对2018年5月21～22日发生在四川盆地西南部的一次山地突发性暴雨过程中的重力波特征进行天气动力学分析。得到以下结果:此次山地突发性暴雨受到了波长约为150 km,周期为5 h的重力波活动的影响,是典型的β中尺度天气系统诱发的暴雨事件。此过程中的重力波主要是在地形和切变不稳定的共同作用下触发的。切变不稳定先于重力波的传播出现在下游降水区域,可表征切变不稳定的理查逊数对重力波传播方向及降水落区有很好指示作用。此次暴雨发生前,重力波中的上升支气流输送低层水汽到高空助力对流发展,而下沉支气流使得低层不稳定能量不断累积。随着东北低空急流的发展,在大气低层（700～800 hPa）东西风切变的过渡带内形成临界层,临界层不断吸收高空波动能量造成重力波能量下传,触发低层不稳定能量释放,促使对流不断加强,最终引发此次山地突发性暴雨。     

长江流域一次大暴雨过程的低空急流形成和影响机制分析

利用WRF模式对2016年6月30日—7月6日长江流域的一次大暴雨天气过程中的低空急流进行数值模拟,在成功模拟低空急流基础上,分析此次急流过程中可能的影响机制;同时对地形高度进行敏感性试验,分析地形因素对此次低空急流可能的影响。(1)此次低空急流发生时,东侧为西太平洋副热带高压,西侧则为西南涡。这种“东高西低”的高低压配置为低空急流的形成与发展提供了有利的背景场。(2)高空急流和低空急流的耦合作用是低空急流发展的一个重要背景条件。(3)垂直方向高空动量不断下传为低空系统的发展提供了动力支持,是低空急流发生的一个重要条件。(4)逆温和垂直风切变之间的正反馈机制是低空急流形成与加强的因素之一。(5)山体在急流生成及发展过程中对气流有摩擦和阻挡作用,这种阻挡作用随着山体地形高度的增加而有所加强,同时山脉的走向会改变原始的风向,使得急流前端超前或滞后。青藏高原有强背风波效应,它的绕流和挤压作用会使得低空气流表现为狭长的带状,使动量更加聚集从而风速增加形成低空急流。      

Gravity waves on the axis of low level jet and their instability

Using the wind data at mountain stations, gravity waves on the axis of low level jet and their relation to rain clusters have been studied by means of the spectrum method. It is found that the spectrum densities of both wind and rainfall reach their maximums at the period of 8 h and the module between wind and rainfall also reach the maximum in that range. Both observation and theoretical study give the same con-clusion that the unstable development of gravity waves depends not only on the atmospheric stratification but also on the vertical shear of the environmental wind. The appearance of the jet-shape vertical profile of wind is favourable for the unstable development of gravity waves. The lower the height of the axis, the larger the growth rate of amplitude.