Operating ranges of meteorological wind tunnels for the simulation of convective boundary layer (CBL) phenomena

The operating ranges of meteorological wind tunnels for convective boundary-layer (CBL) simulation are defined in this paper based on a review of the theoretical and practical limitations of the flow phenomena and the facilities available. Wind-tunnel operating ranges are limited by the dimensions of the simulated circulations and of the tunnel itself, the tunnel flow speed and turbulence processes, and the characteristics of the measurement instrumentation. When it is desired to simulate both the CBL and the behavior of other flows imbedded within the boundary layer, such as power-plant plume rise and dispersion, then additional constraints exist on the fluid modeling process. The capabilities of meteorological wind tunnels can also be extended through the judicious use of boundary and side wall flow controls.     

正压大气中尺度半平衡和准平衡动力学模式

应用描写正压大气运动的基本方程组，分析了中尺度大气运动的物理特征，指出非平衡强迫运动是引起中尺度重要天气演变的根本原因。中尺度动力学方程组是中尺度动力学理论研究的基础，因此，结合中尺度大气运动的基本特征，依据严格的尺度分析理论和摄动理论，简化基于流体力学和热力学的大气动力学方程组使之能够恰当地描述出中尺度运动的基本特征，对于中尺度动力学的发展是极为必要的。基于非线性平衡方程所得到的半平衡和准平衡动力学模式分别与半地转和准地转模式极为相似，它们可以较精确地描述中尺度大气运动的基本特征，因而，可作为中尺度动力学研究的理论基础。将准平衡动力学模式应用于中尺度涡旋系统的研究，结论表明中尺度平衡涡旋系统主要是受梯度风控制，其流场和气压场的发展演变则由一个演化方程来描写，获得了较为理想的结果。     

Effects of land-surface heterogeneity on numerical simulations of mesoscale atmospheric boundary layer processes

Landscape heterogeneity that causes surface flux variability plays a very important role in triggering mesoscale atmospheric circulations and convective weather processes. In most mesoscale numerical models, however, subgrid-scale heterogeneity is somewhat smoothed or not adequately accounted for, leading to artificial changes in heterogeneity patterns (e.g., patterns of land cover, land use, terrain, and soil types and soil moisture). At the domain-wide scale, the combination of losses in subgrid-scale heterogeneity from many adjacent grids may artificially produce larger-scale, more homogeneous landscapes. Therefore, increased grid spacing in models may result in increased losses in landscape heterogeneity. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting model in this paper, we design a number of experiments to examine the effects of such artificial changes in heterogeneity patterns on numerical simulations of surface flux exchanges, near-surface meteorological fields, atmospheric planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes, mesoscale circulations, and mesoscale fluxes. Our results indicate that the increased heterogeneity losses in the model lead to substantial, nonlinear changes in temporal evaluations and spatial patterns of PBL dynamic and thermodynamic processes. The decreased heterogeneity favor developments of more organized mesoscale circulations, leading to enhanced mesoscale fluxes and, in turn, the vertical transport of heat and moisture. This effect is more pronounced in the areas with greater surface heterogeneity. Since more homogeneous land-surface characteristics are created in regional models with greater surface grid scales, these artificial mesoscale fluxes may have significant impacts on simulations of larger-scale atmospheric processes.     

Wind tunnel modeling of small-scale meteorological processes

After introductory remarks on similarity laws to be satisfied in wind tunnel experiments simulating small-scale meteorological processes, mean and turbulence characteristics of wind tunnel boundary layers are presented and compared with the characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer. The results are used to evaluate the possibilities and limitations of physical modeling of pollutant dispersion in general. In the second part of the paper, the potential of wind tunnels to solve micro-meteorological problems of real practical interest will be demonstrated. The example involves the investigation of the effects of building downwash on ground-level concentrations for flue gases discharged from natural draft wet cooling towers.     

Analysis And Simulation Of Surface-Layer Winds Using Multiplicative Cascade Models With Self-Similar Probability Densities

Statistical analysis techniques based on multiplicative cascades are investigated for use with surface-layer wind data sets collected in the atmospheric boundary layer over flat farm land. The data were found to exhibit multiscaling statistics, allowing the surface-layer winds to be simulated with the use of multiplicative random cascades. The study found evidence that, for the surface-layer at least, these cascade models (andhence the methods of multifractal analysis) should be applied in separate ways to the microscale inertial range, and the mesoscale. This is at odds with the view found in the existing literature, which proposes a `universal multifractal' model to replace the widely held view that there exists separate microscale, mesoscale and synoptic scales for which the processes governing each are different. At least two separate ranges of scaling are suggested for surface-layer wind data, corresponding to the microscale inertial range and the mesoscale. For the case of the mesoscale range, a self-similar distribution of weighting factors was found for the wind speed data themselves, rather than for an intermediate (dissipation) field, as is required for themicroscale data.     

Studying an interaction between tropical cyclones and jet streams using the numerical simulation data

Discussed are the results of studying an evolution of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the Pacific Ocean using the data of computation of ETA and WRF NMM mesoscale numerical atmospheric models. Computed are the trajectories of TCs and the fields of meteorological variables in the typhoons, of the wind speed and kinetic energy in the subtropical jet stream during the development of Parma, Melor, and Lupit typhoons. Carried out are the analysis and comparison of computed fields of pressure, wind, kinetic energy, and trajectories of TCs obtained using these models and their comparison with the actual fields. It is demonstrated that both models computed rather well the complex trajectories and the fields of wind and kinetic energy varying in the course of the interaction. Proposed is an explanation of processes taking place during the interaction between the vortices and the subtropical jet stream and the polar front.     

干旱区绿洲诱发的中尺度运动的模拟及其关键因子的敏感性实验

利用一个非静力平衡的、高分辨的、二维中尺度大气数值模式，并在仅考虑简单过程的情况下，模拟了干旱区中绿洲所诱发的中尺度运动，并进行了这种中尺度大气运动的强度对绿洲水平尺度、绿洲与周围环境的水平热力差异、大尺度背景场水平风速和大尺度地表加热率等一些重要物理参数关系的敏感性实验研究。研究发现：中尺度大气运动强度随水平热力差异的增大而加强，随背景场水平风速和大尺度地表加热率增强而分别减弱。但随绿洲水平尺度的变化并不像前三个因子一样为单调函数，而是在绿洲水平尺度为20km时中尺度大气运动最强，绿洲水平尺度更大或更小时中尺度大气运动强度均会减弱。通过统计甘肃省河西地区的绿洲水平尺度分布规律，发现绿洲分布最集中的尺度在15－25km，与模拟所得到的能源发最强中尺度运动的绿洲水平尺度基本一致。     

On the consideration of mesoscale transports in climate modelling

Summary The dynamical effect of land surface heterogeneity on heat fluxes in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is investigated using numerical simulations with a non-hydrostatic model over a wide range of grid resolutions. It is commonly assumed that mesoscale or dynamical fluxes associated with mesoscale and convective circulations simulated by a high-resolution model (subgrid (SG) model) on the subgrid scale of a climate model (large-scale (LS) model) represent additional processes in the ABL, which are not considered by the turbulence scheme of the LS-model, and which can be parameterized using the SG-model. The present study investigates the usefulness of this methodology for small-scale and large-scale idealized heterogeneities using a SG-model resolving mesoscale or even microscale circulations to compute the mesoscale fluxes on the scale of the LS-model. It is shown that the dynamical transports as derived from the SG-model should not be used to correct the parameterized turbulent fluxes of the LS-model. The reason is that the subgrid circulations simulated by the SG-model interact with the fields of wind and scalars in the ABL, which results in reduced turbulent fluxes in the ABL. Thus the methodology of previous studies to use mesoscale/dynamical fluxes for the correction of flux profiles simulated by climate models seems to be questionable.     

Numerical simulation of cold easterly circulations over the Canadian Western Plains using a mesoscale boundary-layer model

Arctic outbreaks over the Canadian Western Plains during the late spring period frequently take the form of a cold east-northeasterly flow over a warmer, sloping surface. A mesoscale numerical model is developed in an attempt to simulate such circulations. Following Lavoie (1972) the atmospheric structure of the cold air mass is represented by three layers: a constant flux layer in contact with the earth's surface, a well-mixed planetary boundary layer capped by an inversion, and a deep stratum of overlying stable air. Averaging the set of governing primitive equations through the depth of the mixed layer yields predictive equations for the horizontal wind components, potential temperature, specific humidity, and the height of the inversion. Time-dependent calculations are limited to this layer by parameterizing the interactions between the mixed layer and both the underlying and overlying layers. Precipitation from limited convective clouds, and latent heat within the layer are included in terms of mesoscale variables.A 47.6-km by 47.6-km grid mesh of 1369 points covering the Canadian Prairie Provinces is used to represent the variables. The governing equations are solved numerically with terrain influences, surface roughness, temperature variations, and moisture fluxes allowed to perturb the mixed layer from its initial conditions until resultant mesoscale boundary-layer weather patterns evolve.The mean spring topographic precipitation pattern is successfully reproduced by the simulated late spring upslope flow with limited convective precipitation. Mesoscale planetary boundary-layer weather patterns appear to exert a dominant control over the location and intensity of perturbations in the spring precipitation pattern. The elimination of surface heating significantly reduces the area and intensity of precipitation. A case study based on observed initial conditions showed that the model could reproduce a persistent limited convective precipitation pattern maintained by upslope flow and that a low-level trough exerts a marked influence on the location and the intensity of the precipitation.     

暴雨中尺度系统数值模拟与动力诊断研究

本文总结了近年来我们在暴雨中尺度系统数值模拟与动力诊断研究领域的主要成果。从广义位涡理论、梅雨锋及变形锋生、暴雨中尺度系统的不稳定性、有限区域风场分解技术对暴雨中尺度系统的识别、中尺度波流相互作用理论以及数值模拟研究等方面进行了分类概括。对暴雨中尺度系统数值模拟与动力诊断的研究回顾表明,雷达资料同化进入模式有效地改进了对中尺度系统发生、发展的模拟结果;一些新的物理量,如非均匀饱和位涡、对流涡度矢量、变形场锋生以及有限区域风场分解方法等在暴雨中尺度系统及热带对流发展诊断分析中得到了广泛应用。同时,波流相互作用理论也被应用到了中尺度系统发展的动力分析研究中。     

The Askervein Hill Project: Wind-tunnel simulations at three length scales

Wind-tunnel simulations of neutrally-stable atmospheric boundary-layer flow over an isolated, low hill (Askervein) have been carried out at three different length scales in two wind-tunnel facilities. The objectives of these simulations were to assess the reliability with which changes in mean wind and turbulence structure induced by the prototype hill on boundary-layer flow can be reproduced in the wind tunnel, and to determine the relative impact of certain modelling approaches (surface roughness, model scale, measurement techniques, etc.) on the quality of the simulations. The wind-tunnel results are compared with each other and with full-scale data and are shown in general to model the prototype flow very well. The effects of relaxing the criterion of aerodynamic roughness of the model surface were limited to certain regions in the lee of the hill and were linked to separation phenomena.     

Numerical Simulation Experiment of Land Surface Physical Processes and Local Climate Effect in Forest Underlying Surface

Based on the basic principles of atmospheric boundary layer and plant canopy micrometeorology, a forest underlying surface land surface physical process model and a two-dimensional atmospheric boundary layer numerical model are developed and numerical simulation experiments of biosphere and physiological processes of vegetation and soil volumetric water content have been done on land surface processes with local climate effect. The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with realistic observations, which can be used to obtain reasonable simulations for diurnal variations of canopy temperature, air temperature in canopy, ground surface temperature, and temporal and spatial distributions of potential temperature and vertical wind velocity as well as relative humidity and turbulence exchange coefficient over non-homogeneous underlying surfaces. It indicates that the model developed can be used to study the interaction between land surface process and atmospheric boundary layer over various underlying surfaces and can be extended to local climate studies. This work will settle a solid foundation for coupling climate models with the biosphere.     

Mesoscale Heat Transport Over Complex Terrain By Slope Winds – A Conceptual Model And Numerical Simulations

Vertical heat fluxes induced by mesoscale thermally driven circulations maycontribute significantly to the subgrid-scale fluxes in large-scale models (e.g.,general circulation models). However, they are not considered in these modelsyet. To gain insight into the importance and possible parameterisation of themesoscale flux associated with slope winds, an analytical (conceptual) modelis developed to describe the relationship between the mesoscale heat flux andatmospheric and land-surface characteristics. The analytical model allows usto evaluate the mesoscale flux induced by slope winds from only a few profilemeasurements within a domain. To validate the analytical model the resultingheat flux profiles are compared to profiles of highly resolved wind and temperaturefields obtained by simulations with a mesoscale numerical model.With no or moderate synoptic wind the mesoscale heat flux generated by the slopewind circulation may be as large as, or even larger than, the turbulent fluxes at thesame height. At altitudes lower than the crest of the hills the mesoscale flux is alwayspositive (upward). Generally it causes cooling within the boundary layer and heatingabove. Despite the simplifications made to derive the analytical model, it reproducesthe profiles of the mesoscale flux quite well. According to the analytical model, themesoscale heat flux is governed by the temperature deviation at the slope surface, thedepth of the slope-wind layer, the large-scale lapse rate, and the wavelength of thetopographical features.     

Flow and Transport in the Obstacle Layer: First Results of the Micro-Scale Model MITRAS

A new atmospheric micro-scale chemistry, transport and stream model, MITRAS, has been developed within the Tropospheric Research Program (TFS). MITRAS is an obstacle resolving model solving simultaneously the governing equations for chemistry, pollutant transport including soot as well as for the flow and temperature field. The chemical reaction module is based on a simplified RACM mechanism. MITRAS has been tested against quality ensured wind tunnel data. The model results on soot and ozone concentrations as well as on the spatial representativeness of measurement sites underline the necessity for high-resolution flow simulations for case studies on close-to-source chemistry and pollutant transport within the urban canopy layer.     

Scale effects in wind tunnel modeling of an urban atmospheric boundary layer

Precise urban atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnel simulations are essential for a wide variety of atmospheric studies in built-up environments including wind loading of structures and air pollutant dispersion. One of key issues in addressing these problems is a proper choice of simulation length scale. In this study, an urban ABL was reproduced in a boundary layer wind tunnel at different scales to study possible scale effects. Two full-depth simulations and one part-depth simulation were carried out using castellated barrier wall, vortex generators, and a fetch of roughness elements. Redesigned “Counihan” vortex generators were employed in the part-depth ABL simulation. A hot-wire anemometry system was used to measure mean velocity and velocity fluctuations. Experimental results are presented as mean velocity, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress, integral length scale of turbulence, and power spectral density of velocity fluctuations. Results suggest that variations in length-scale factor do not influence the generated ABL models when using similarity criteria applied in this study. Part-depth ABL simulation compares well with two full-depth ABL simulations indicating the truncated vortex generators developed for this study can be successfully employed in urban ABL part-depth simulations.     

On the Parametrization of Urban Land Use in Mesoscale Models

The effects of urban structures on the distribution of meteorological variables can be included in mesoscale models by an appropriate parametrization. The different approaches are conventionally tested against wind profiles in the centre of the urban area while flow distortions around are not considered. In this study, the quality of different parametrizations in capturing the main wind-field modifications in, as well as around, a complex obstacle is investigated. The method applied consists of a building resolved microscale model and a mesoscale model including a suitable parametrization. The results demonstrate that a drag or a porosity approach can reproduce very satisfactorily the main characteristics of the airflow completely, while a simpler roughness length concept in general approximates the mean flow unsatisfactorily.     

A study of nonhydrostatic effects in idealized sea breeze systems

Nonhydrostatic effects in two-dimensional mesoscale sea breeze systems are investigated by numerical simulations. It is shown that nonhydrostatic effects are directly contributed by the vertical gradients of the vertical velocity variance as well as by the vertical accelerations. It is also shown that a K-type turbulence closure is not suitable in a nonhydrostatic primitive equation model, and a higher-order closure scheme should therefore be used. Results from hydrostatic and fully-nonhydrostatic models are compared for various surface and atmospheric background conditions, such as scale and strength of surface heating, geostrophic wind, stability, surface roughness contrast, Coriolis effect, etc. It is found that for strongly developed sea breeze cases, vertical gradients of vertical velocity variance contribute most to nonhydrostatic forcing in the lower layers, and that the resultant nonhydrostatic pressure gradient acts against the hydrostatic pressure gradient, so that nonhydrostatic simulations produce weaker systems than hydrostatic ones. For weak sea breeze systems, the difference between the two models tends to be small.     

South China Sea Monsoon Experiment （SCSMEX） and the East Asian Monsoon

The SCSMEX is a joint atmospheric and oceanic experiment by international efforts, aiming at studying the onset, maintenance, and variability of the South China Sea (SCS) summer monsoon, thus improving the monsoon prediction in Southeast and East Asian regions. The field experiment carried out in May-August 1998 was fully successful, with a large amount of meteorological and oceanographic data acquired that have been used in four dimensional data assimilations by several countries, in order to improve their numerical simulations and prediction. These datasets are also widely used in the follow-up SCS and East Asian monsoon study. The present paper has summarized the main research results obtained by Chinese meteorologists which cover six aspects: (1) onset processes and mechanism of the SCS summer monsoon; (2) development of convection and mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) during the onset phase and their interaction with large-scale circulation; (3) low-frequency oscillation and teleconnection effect; (4) measurements of surface fluxes over the SCS and their relationship with the monsoon activity; (5) oceanic thermodynamic structures, circulation, and mesoscale eddies in the SCS during the summer monsoon and their relationship with ENSO events; and (6) numerical simulations of the SCS and East Asian monsoon.     

沙漠绿洲非均匀分布引起的中尺度通量的数值模拟

为了研究大气环流模式次网格中尺度通量的参数化问题，本文发展了一个Pielke中尺度边界层与陆面过程的耦合模式，陆面过程模式中包括一个简单植被水热传输模式及一个裸土沙漠模式。利用这一耦合模式，对黑河试验区中沙漠和绿洲这种典型的非均匀下垫面进行了模拟，20多个数值试验的模拟结果表明:（1）中尺度通量在特定的情况下具有和湍流通量相当的重要性，因此，大尺度模式中对中尺度通量的参数化是十分必要的。（2）对于中尺度通量的发展存在一个明显的最优尺度和最优块数，即当绿洲尺度为60 km，3块时，中尺度通量最大。而且当块数增加到一定数目时，可以忽略非均匀效应。（3）背景风速的增大可以使中尺度通量减小；粗糙度的试验说明非均匀块之间的热力差异的减小可使中尺度通量非线性地减小。     

A parameterization for modelling the meteorological effects of tall forests — A case study of a large clearing

A parameterization scheme has been developed to describe the effects of a tall forest on the mean structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The main advantage of the scheme is that dynamical and thermodynamical effects of a forest surface can be simulated satisfactorily using only a coarse-grid resolution within numerical models. Thereby, the canopy layer is parameterized as a quasi-subgrid phenomenon. This makes it possible to study meteorological phenomena within the ABL in a very economical way (with respect to computational time) whereby, nevertheless, more detailed information concerning the forest surface is taken into account than could be done using the same grid resolution and quite simple assumptions describing the canopy, e.g., the effective roughness.The applicability in numerical models is shown by using a slightly modified two-dimensional version of the mesoscale model FITNAH. For comparison, simulations with a high numerical grid resolution within the canopy have been carried out.Model results reproduce the known meteorological phenomena in forested areas, e.g., a stable thermal stratification near the surface during the day, and at night, a neutral — or slightly unstable condition — and, in general, reduced windspeed within the canopy layer.Diurnal variations and spatial distributions of temperature and humidity are found to be similar for both cases. Also, a thermally-induced local circulation system in the vicinity of a large clearing has been simulated satisfactorily.A comparison of the calculated results verifies that the parameterization scheme is quite suitable for simulating the effects of plant canopies on the distributions of meteorological variables in the ABL.