Effects of local accelerations and baroclinity on the mean structure of the atmospheric boundary layer over the sea

Substitution of the geostrophic wind by the actual upper wind in the equations of motion for the boundary layer implies less sensitivity of the mean wind to inertial effects. This is confirmed by observations, although the problem of computing time or spatial derivatives from scattered data reduces the accuracy and the clarity of the results. It is found that acceleration (deceleration) increases (decreases) the cross-isobar angle whereas the geostrophic drag coefficient is a minimum (maximum) for crosswind acceleration (deceleration). On the other hand, cold air advection increases the cross-isobar angle whereas the geostrophic drag coefficient is a maximum when the thermal wind is parallel to the surface wind. The universal functions A _m and B _m based on vertically averaged winds are also rather insensitive to inertial influences.     

The influence of geostrophic shear on the cross-isobar angle of the surface wind

A Simple slab model of the planetary boundary layer is extended to include vertical shear of the geostrophic wind. The layer depth is assumed to be determined by a Richardson number criterion. The cross-isobar angle for the surface wind is given in terms of the drag coefficient, the Froude number of the layer, and the angle between the thermal wind and the surface isobars. The theoretical results resemble the observations rather well.     

A baroclinic planetary boundary-layer model,and its application to the Wangara data

Nondimensional parameters characteristic of the outer part of the planetary boundary layer have been determined by fitting a simple, Ekman-type theory to a number of averaged, observed velocity distributions, using the Wangara data of Clarke et al. (1971). The theoretical model is based on constant eddy viscosity in the outer layer and a linear variation of the geostrophic wind with height. At the lower boundary of the outer layer, the condition is applied that stress and velocity are parallel. This yields an equation for the cross-isobar angle as a function of drag coefficient, depth coefficient and nondimensional thermal wind.The data could be sorted into three well-defined, distinct groups, each characterized by a more or less constant value of the depth coefficient. The group with the lowest value of this parameter contains most of the nighttime data, the middle group the remaining nighttime data and most of the daytime ones, and the group with the largest depth, daytime data with cold air advection. The difference between the lowest and highest depth coefficients found here is about a factor of three.Within each group separately, the theoretically derived cross-isobar angle agrees remarkably well with the observed one, as a function of thermal wind.     

Sea surface winds derived from cloud motion vectors over the tropical Atlantic

The relationship between satellite-derived low-level cloud motion, surface wind and geostrophic wind vectors is examined using GATE data. In the trades, surface wind speeds can be derived from cloud motion vectors by the linear relation: V = 0.62 V _s + 1.9 m s^–1 with a mean scatter of ±1.3 m s^–1. The correlation coefficient between surface and satellite wind speed is 0.25. Considering baroclinicity, i.e., the influence of the thermal wind, the correlation coefficient does not increase, because of the uncertainty of the thermal wind vectors. The ratios of surface to geostrophic wind speed and surface to satellite wind speed are 0.7 and 0.8, respectively, with a statistical uncertainty of ±0.3. Calculations of the ratio of surface to geostrophic wind speed on the basis of the resistance law yield V/V _g = 0.8 ± 0.2, in agreement with experimental results. The mean angle difference between the surface and the satellite wind vectors amounts to - 18 °, taking into account baroclinicity. This value is in good agreement with the mean ageostrophic angle - 25 °.     

Vorticity,divergence, and vertical velocity in a baroclinic boundary layer with a linear variation of the geostrophic wind

The Ekman-Taylor problem for the planetary boundary layer is solved in the case of a thermal wind which varies linearly with height. The upper boundary condition is a vanishing ageostrophic wind, while the lower boundary condition is continuity of the stress vector across the interface between the planetary boundary layer and the surface layer. The latter condition is used to determine the magnitude and the direction of the wind at the bottom of the Ekman layer.Theoretical hodographs are compared with observed hodographs based on five years of ohservations from Ship N in the Pacific, giving fair agreement.The divergence, the vorticity, and the vertical velocity are calculated through the Ekman layer with emphasis on differences between the classical barotropic and the baroclinic cases; these differences are significant, especially in the vertical velocities as compared to the standard approximation.An extension of the present study to include thermal stratification is desirable.     

The inland boundary layer at low latitudes

Observations from the Koorin boundary-layer experiment in Australia (latitude 16 °S) were analysed in a study of the nocturnal jet development. For geostrophic winds in the range 10–20 m s^-1, ageostrophic wind magnitudes of 5–10m s^-1 were common above the surface layer near sunset, with cross-isobar flow angles of about 40 °. The jet that then developed by midnight was probably the result of these large ageostrophic winds, strong surface cooling and favourable baroclinity and sloping terrain.The analysis is supported by numerical model calculations with special emphasis on the role of long-wave radiative cooling on turbulent decay. Decay is rapid in the presence of radiation, although there is little influence on stress divergence levels.Evidence of sea-breeze influences on the jet evolution, and on features of deeply penetrating sea breezes in general, will be presented and discussed in part 2 of this study (submitted to Boundary-Layer Meteorol.).     

On nocturnal wind shear with a view to engineering applications

Wind shear data from 14 clear nights with low-level jet development are analysed up to heights of 200 m. Temporal variations of the magnitude of the shear vector and of the power-law exponent p are shown. The frequencies of occurrence of maximum shear and of p are examined and the effect of the product of geostrophic surface wind speed and mean layer temperature gradient on the shear is investigated.     

Geostrophic drag coefficients

Data on the relationship of the surface wind to the geostrophic wind at Porton Down, Salisbury Plain, are presented for various stability conditions and analysed in the light of the Rossbynumber similarity theory. For near-neutral conditions, the geostrophic drag coefficients for geostrophic wind speeds 5 to 15 m s^-1 are close to those found by other workers but at higher speeds the values are low. Comparisons of geostrophic and radar wind speeds for ⋍900-m height, suggest that undetectably small mean cyclonic curvatures of the trajectories of the air are responsible for this departure. A value of the geostrophic drag coefficient for the open sea at wind speeds around 8 m s^-1 (neutral conditions) is deduced from recent observations of the drag in relation to the surface wind, combined with the ratios of 900-mb radar wind to surface wind obtained from the North Atlantic weather ship data tabulations of Findlater et al. (1966).     

On the relation between surface wind and pressure gradient,especially in lower latitudes

Observations show that the angle between surface wind and isobar increases equatorward in low latitudes while the ratio of surface to geostrophic wind speed decreases. With the use of Southern Hemisphere winter fields of surface pressure and temperature over the oceans, and Rossby number similarity theory (including the effects of baroclinicity) in several different forms, the expected latitudinal variation of the angle and ratio has been computed. A check has also been made of mean ATEX and BOMEX data. It appear that the variations with latitude are probably mainly due to baroclinicity. With this factor taken into account, similarity theory fairly adequately explains the observations.A recently proposed form of similarity theory based on the assumption of very strong momentum mixing in the boundary layer was also tested. It predicts the equatorward increase of the angle, even without baroclinicity. Quantitatively the results of the test are not in good agreement with observation. However, the strong convective mixing assumed in the theory does not generally occur over the oceans, and this test must be regarded as inconclusive.     

Surface ocean response to synoptic-scale variability in wind stress and heat fluxes off south-central Chile

The effect of the high frequency (synoptic) variability of wind and heat fluxes upon the surface ocean off south-central Chile (west coast of South America) is investigated using a regional ocean model. We focus our analysis in austral summer, when the regional wind experiences significant day-to-day variability superimposed on a mean, upwelling favorable flow. To evaluate the nature and magnitude of these effects, we performed three identical simulations except for the surface forcing: the climatological run, with long-term monthly mean wind-stresses and heat fluxes; the wind-synoptic run, with daily wind stresses and climatological heat fluxes; and the full-synoptic run, with daily wind-stresses and daily fluxes. The mean currents and surface geostrophic EKE fields show no major differences between simulations, and agree well with those observed in this ocean area. Nevertheless, substantially more ageostrophic EKE is found in the simulations which include synoptic variability of wind-stresses, impacting the total surface EKE and diffusivities, particularly south of Punta Lavapie (37° S), where the lack of major currents implies low levels of geostrophic EKE. Summer mean SSTs are similar in all simulations and agree with observations, but SST variability along the coast is larger in the runs including wind-stress synoptic variability, suggesting a rather linear response of the ocean to cycles of southerly wind strengthening and relaxation. We found that coastal SST variability does not change significantly in the first tenths of kilometers from the shore when including daily heat fluxes, highlighting the prominent role of wind-driven upwelling cycles. In contrast, in the offshore region situated beyond the 50 km coastal strip, it is necessary to include synoptic variability in the heat fluxes to account for a realistic SST variability.     

BAROCLINITY AND NONLINEAR EKMAN PUMPING DYNAMICS

With the Ekman momentum approximation,the influence of atmospheric baroclinity on the dynamics of boundarylayer is studied.Some new results are obtained.These results show that the atmospheric baroclinity plays an importantrole in altering the horizontal velocity of Ekman boundary layer and its angle with the horizontal wind velocity compo-nent near the surface.There are three different physical factors affecting the nonlinear Ekman suction,the vertical mo-tion at the top of boundary layer:first,barotropic geostrophic relative vorticity at the ground;second,the thermal windvorticity induced by the baroclinity;and third,the nonlinear interaction between the barotropic geostrophic relativevorticity and the baroclinic thermal wind vorticity.These results may provide a better physical basis for theparameterization of boundary layer and the interpretation of the numerical modeling results.     

An ice breeze mechanism for boundary-layer jets

The existence of a low-level (z=~1000 m) jet adjacent to a sea-ice boundary is investigated with a two-dimensional numerical model. A thermally-direct ice breeze circulation is induced by specifying an ice-sea surface temperature gradient, with the mean geostrophic wind parallel to the ice edge. Pressure changes associated with over-water mixed-layer development create an increase in geostrophic velocity that accounts for most of the increase in wind speed. A change in initial geostrophic wind direction has significant effects on location and intensity of the low-level jet; geostrophic winds parallel to the ice edge result in stronger jets than occur with cross-ice geostrophic winds. An inertial oscillation simulated by the model in 1-D makes a negligible contribution to the low-level jet.     

One-Equation Turbulence Modelling for Atmospheric and Engineering Applications

A new algebraic turbulent length scale model is developed, based on previous one-equation turbulence modelling experience in atmospheric flow and dispersion calculations. The model is applied to the neutral Ekman layer, as well as to fully-developed pipe and channel flows. For the pipe and channel flows examined the present model results can be considered as nearly equivalent to the results obtained using the standard k– model. For the neutral Ekman layer, the model predicts satisfactorily the near-neutral Cabauw friction velocities and a dependence of the drag coefficient versus Rossby number very close to that derived from published (G. N. Coleman) direct numerical simulations. The model underestimates the Cabauw cross-isobaric angles, but to a less degree than the cross-isobar angle versus Rossby dependence derived from the Coleman simulation. Finally, for the Cabauw data, with a geostrophic wind magnitude of 10 ms^–1, the model predicts an eddy diffusivity distribution in good agreement with semi-empirical distributions used in current operational practice.     

A numerical study of boundary-layer dynamics in a mountain valley

The characteristics of dynamics and thermodynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer in a part of the Colorado River Valley, centered around Lake Mohave, have been investigated by analysis of measurements conducted during a field program in late spring and early summer of 1986 and a series of numerical simulations by a three-dimensional second-moment turbulence-closure model. The model was validated against measurements described in a companion article (Engeret al., 1993). According to airsonde measurements performed on eight nights, the depth of the surface inversion was around 200 m with an average temperature gradient of about 30 K km^–1. Analysis of acoustic sounder data collected during one month revealed significant diurnal variations ofU andV wind-speed components related to slope and valley flows, respectively. Some of the dynamics properties have been explained by the simulation results. It has been shown that the appearance of supergeostrophic southerly valley flow is associated with the westerly component of the geostrophic flow. Since a westerly component of the geostrophic wind is quite common for this area in summer, this effect also explains the frequently observed southerly valley flow in summer. Elevated minima of the measured wind speed around valley ridges appear to be related to the interaction of conservation of momentum in theX andY directions. The critical direction of the geostrophic wind relevant for reversal of up-valley flow to down-valley flow has also been studied. The critical direction is about 300° for one of the measurement sites and, depending on the angle between valley axis and south-north direction, the critical direction is expected to vary by about 15–20°. The scale analysis of the simulated equations of motion and turbulence kinetic energy emphasizes the strong impact of meandering of the flow due to actual topographic complexity.     

On the Atmospheric Response to Urbanization and Open-Pit Mining under Various Geostrophic Wind Conditions

Summary  Simulations alternatively assuming a real landscape with and without open-pit mines and grown settlements were performed with a non-hydrostatic meteorological model of the meso-β-scale to elucidate whether the atmospheric response to such land-use changes is sensitive to the direction and magnitude of geostrophic wind. The results of simulations with the same geostrophic wind conditions substantiate that the daily domain-averages of the variables of state hardly differ for the different landscape realizations, except for cloud- and precipitating particles. However, land-use changes may significantly affect the local conditions over and downwind of the altered surfaces. The significant differences in the cloud- and precipitating particles, however, are not bound to the surroundings of land-use changes. The vertical component of wind vector, which is modified by the different heating of converted land-use, strongly affects cloud- and precipitation formation by the interaction cloud microphysics-dynamics. The magnitude of atmospheric response changes under the various directions and speeds of geostrophic wind for most of the field quantities and fluxes. Received February 10, 1999     

河西走廊一次特强沙尘暴的热力动力特征分析

使用NCEP再分析资料、高空和地面观测资料对2010年4月24日发生在河西走廊的一次特强沙尘暴天气进行了热力和动力作用诊断分析。结果表明:沙尘暴发生前,感热通量达最大值,湍流运动增强,增加了大气的不稳定性;大风沙尘暴发展和强盛期与动量通量大值区对应,动量通量对沙尘向上输送起了重要作用;在强锋区附近,地转关系被破坏,大风沙尘暴大气主要出现在变压梯度大,即变压风大的区域,变压风是产生地面强风的主要成分;河西走廊这次沙尘暴过程有明显锋生活动,锋生过程使锋面次级环流加强;水平螺旋度负值中心值越大,近地面层风速越大,大风沙尘暴天气主要出现在水平螺旋度负值中心前方与零值线之间;在河西走廊上空,高空急流沿等熵面穿越等位势高度面下滑到2000gpm,形成偏西风低空急流,低空急流的形成和维持在大风沙尘暴过程中起到关健作用。     

Inertially coupled Ekman layers

The inertial coupling model of the surface shear stress at the sea surface (Bye, 1995) which takes account of the surface wavefield, has been applied to couple the Ekman layers of the ocean and atmosphere. We determine the surface shear stress and geostrophic drag coefficient, under barotropic conditions. The results are expressed in terms of the shear between the inertially weighted (i.e. velocity×square root of the density) relative geostrophic velocities in the two fluids, in which the reference velocity need not be specified, a priori. We find, in particular, that the deflection of the relative surface geostrophic wind to the surface shear stress in naturally occurring seastates, is about 9°. In the application of the analysis to general circulation models, it is argued that, since the inertially weighted relative geostrophic velocities in air and water are of similar magnitude, this implies that the surface shear stress can be significantly reduced by the current component of the inertially weighted geostrophic shear, with a corresponding reduction in importance of the Ekman transport.     

涡旋Rossby波传播和台风切向风速变化的数值研究

设计了一个高分辨率f平面准地转正压涡度方程半谱模式，用以研究非线性对台风切向风速变化，以及不同初始异常条件下台风环流内涡旋Rossby波传播和台风切向风速变化特征。6类(14组)试验的数值结果表明：非线性使台风切向风速的增强减弱，可能使最大风速半径收缩。初始扰动中心位置对涡旋Rossby波传播和台风切向风速变化的影响明显。扰动中心在最大风速半径附近时，台风最大切向风速增强最多；异常中心在台风外区时，使最大切向风速减小。初始异常尺度(范围)减小对台风最大切向风速变化的影响减弱。双涡分布条件下，台风环流外区的涡旋使内区或近眼壁区对流涡旋对台风最大切向风速的影响减弱。     

边界层特征参数对边界层顶垂直速度的影响

本文从正斜压及有层结时的边界层相似理论及阻力定律出发，由边界层顶垂直速度与地面湍应力的关系求出了层结、粗糙度、它们的水平梯度及地转风的水平梯度、斜压性对w的影响的解析式，可用于模式计算。计算结果表明层结影响可使w差1-２个量级，不稳定时粗糙度影响也使w差几倍。除地转涡度决定w外，地转风、层结稳定度和粗糙度及其水平梯度也起了重要作用，还讨论了斜压性的影响。     

étude expérimentale de la couche limite de montagne

The characteristics of the boundary layer over complex terrain (Lannemezan - lat.: 43.7° N and, long.: 0.7 ° E) are analyzed for various scales, using measurements obtained during the COCAGNE Experiment. In this first part, the dynamic characteristics of the flow are studied with respect to atmospheric stability and the relief at small (~20 km) and medium scales (~100 km). These relief scales depend on the topographical profile of the Lannemezan Plateau along the dominant axis of the wind (E-W) and the Pyrénées Mountains located at the south of the experimental site. The terrain heterogeneities have a standard deviation of ~48 m and a wavelength of ~2 km.The averaged vertical profiles of wind speed and direction over the heterogeneous terrain are analyzed. The decrease of wind speed within the boundary layer is greater than over flat terrain (WANGARA Experiment). However, a comparison between ETTEX (complex terrain) and COCAGNE vertical wind speed profiles shows good agreement during unstable conditions. In contrast, during neutral conditions a more rapid increase with normalized height is found with COCAGNE than with ETTEX and WANGARA data. The vertical profiles of wind direction reveal an influence of the Pyrénées Mountains on the wind flow. The wind rotation in the BL is determined by the geostrophic wind direction-Pyrénées axis angle (negative deviation) as the geostrophic wind is connected with the Mountain axis.When the geostrophic wind does not interact with the Pyrénées axis, the mean and turbulent wind flow characteristics (drag coefficient C _D, friction velocity u _*) depend on the topography of the plateau. When the wind speed is strong (>6 m s ^-1), an internal boundary layer is generated from the leading edge of the Plateau.