Interaction between the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers

The two-layer system of an atmosphere over water bodies is reduced to a single-layer problem. Values of the interfacial quantities, such as the friction velocity, the surface velocity, the angles, and , between the surface shear stress and the geostrophic wind velocity and the surface wind velocity, respectively, and the surface roughness, all of which depend upon external parameters, such as the geostrophic wind and stratifications, are obtained. The geostrophic drag coefficient C _d, the geostrophic wind coefficient C _f, and the angles , and , of the turbulent flow at the sea-air interface are functions of a dimensionless number, mfG/kg, with S ₁ and S ₂ as two free stratification parameters. The surface roughness is uniquely determined from the geostrophic wind rather than from the wind profile in the boundary layer.Formerly Visiting Research Associate, Applied Physics Branch, Earth Observations Division, NASA-Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas.     

Turbulence structure in convective boundary layers and implications for diffusion

Probability density distributions of vertical velocity fluctuations from the daytime convective boundary layer and from convection within a nighttime stratocumulus-capped boundary layer are described and contrasted. Some implications for the diffusion of released, neutrally buoyant, material are identified and discussed.     

On the characteristics of eddies in the stable atmospheric boundary layer

A discussion of the cross-spectral properties of eddies in the lowest 40 m of the nocturnal boundary layer is presented. The study involves the analysis of meteorological data collected by the British Antarctic Survey at Halley Station, Antarctica, during the austral winter of 1986. Cross-spectral analysis is used to determine whether the nature of the observed eddies is primarily turbulent or whether their structure is characteristic of coherent internal gravity waves. It is found that the cross-spectral phases indicate the presence of turbulent eddies only when the local gradient Richardson number (Ri) is less than the critical value of 1/4. Trapped modes were only observed when an off-shore wind prevailed, indicating that topographic effects are responsible for their generation. The relative phases of velocity and temperature were often observed to change with height. This can be explained by examining the underlying meteorological conditions. On several occasions, regions of counter-gradient fluxes were detected. A physical explanation of this phenomenon is proposed.     

On eddy convection velocity in the atmospheric boundary layer

Lumley's model is extended to predict the effect of convection velocity fluctuations on eddy convection velocity for the high-frequency region of the longitudinal, transverse and scalar phase spectra in the atmospheric boundary layer. The resulting model predicts that the eddy convection velocity will be higher than the mean wind speed. The increase over the mean wind speed is largest for the longitudinal spectrum.     

Characteristics and vertical structure of oceanic mesoscale eddies in the Bay of Bengal

The signatures of mesoscale eddies induced surface and subsurface changes have not been comprehensively quantified for the Bay of Bengal (BoB) region. This study quantifies the statistical properties and three-dimensional (3D) eddy structures in the BoB. To accomplish this, the satellite altimetry data combined with automated eddy detection and tracking algorithm is used. Horizontal distribution of surface characteristics of eddies is analyzed by using 24 years (1993–2016) of AVHRR infrared satellite sea surface temperature (SST) and 7 years (2010–2016) of sea surface salinity (SSS) of SMOS satellite data. Surface eddy centric composite analysis reveals the existence of warm (cold) and diverse SSS anomalies for anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies. During winter, it is important to note that the eddy induced SST and SSS anomalies show the dipole patterns show opposite phases for the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies. Observed diploe structures are consistent with the eddy rotation and background large-scale meridional gradient of temperature and salinity fields. The 3D structure of eddies is investigated by using the ARMOR3D and Argo float profiles. The horizontal distribution of temperature and salinity anomalies from ARMOR3D signify the monopole structure of eddies in the subsurface layers. Further, the analysis of composite averages of 241 (200) Argo temperature profiles indicates the core of anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies centered at about ∼140 m (∼100 m). However, salinity profiles depict the existence of core at ∼65 m (∼50 m). This study have practical relevance to a variety of stakeholders and finds profound importance in the validation of eddy-resolving ocean models for the BoB region.     

A modified turbulent energy model for diffusion from elevated and ground point sources in neutral boundary layers

A simple model for turbulent diffusion is proposed based on a turbulent energy model modified by Galperin and Hassid (1986) wherein local equilibrium in the concentration flux equation is assumed resulting in a turbulent diffusivity tensor. The early stage of plume development is simulated through adjustment of the integral length scale of diffusion. A simple semi-empirical formulation is also proposed for the dissipation length scale of concentration variance. Although it is substantially simpler than that of Sykes et al. (1984), the model is shown to compare well with the measurements of Fackrell and Robins (1982a, b).     

The composite shape and structure of coherent eddies in the convective boundary layer

Conditional sampling is used to locate coherent structures in a large data set obtained from flights by an instrumented light aircraft in convective boundary layers over Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The high resolution and excellent spatial coverage of the data enable a detailed study of the internal structure of surface-layer plumes and mixed-layer thermals. A compositing technique is used to construct averaged traverses through coherent structures located within aircraft data runs of different altitudes and directions. Groups of composites are combined to form horizontal and vertical cross-sections which describe the internal flow patterns and the distribution of physical variables associated with typical coherent structures and their environment. In addition to the well-known along-wind features of surface-layer plumes, a strong, consistent inflow/entrainment pattern is evident in the lateral direction. Air from the horizontal plane channels around the sides and then in behind the microfront present at the upstream edge. Forces set up by the driving instability in the along-wind and vertical directions are counter-balanced by organised flow in the across-wind direction. It is found that mixed-layer thermal towers have a relatively simple form, consisting primarily of large columns of warm, upward-moving turbulent air, which may occasionally be in a state of slow rotation. An analysis of possible geometrical distortions within the results is performed, leading to a comparison ofw/z estimated from the horizontal velocity convergence field inside plumes/thermals, with that computed from the slope of partitionedw profiles.     

Substructure layers and modes in the stratified boundary layer

Geophysical flows include small-scale substructures that support shear instabilities where the smoothed mean profiles indicate only stability. The substructures must draw their energy from the mean flow, probably through wave interactions, and it is shown that the substructures themselves give rise to a type of mode that is well suited for nonlinear interactions with the flow in and around them. The study indicates that substructures and their associated modes form a dynamically interacting system that may contribute to the chaotic nature of a stably stratified region.     

On wakes and the net forces produced by surface-mounted obstacles in neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layers

Wakes well downstream of obstacles in the neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layer are studied using numerical models with eddy viscosity and mixing-length closure hypotheses. Variations of eddy viscosity with height near the ground are shown to exert a strong influence on the rates of wake decay. In the planetary boundary layer, it is shown that a significant proportion of the initial momentum flux deficit in the wake can be balanced by changes in the Coriolis force.     

Analyses of variance and flux budgets in cumulus-topped boundary layers

A large-eddy simulation (LES) of a cumulus-topped boundary layer (CTBL) has been made, based on observations gathered on 10 September 1974 during the GARP (Global Atmospheric Research Program) Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE). On this day there were light winds, making buoyancy production the only important mechanism for generating turbulent kinetic energy. Cumulus clouds with a depth of a few hundred meters covered about 10% of the sky. A comparison between LES results and observed variances and fluxes will be made.In order to understand the dynamics of the cumulus, we will investigate the physical mechanisms by which variances and fluxes are produced in CTBL's. This will be done by analyzing the budget equations which describe the time evolution of the variances and fluxes. The production, transport and destruction terms, that appear in these equations, will be calculated explicitly with the LES model.Budgets are calculated from the GATE simulation and two slightly modified GATE simulations, in which only the initial water vapor specific humidity is increased. As a result in these two modified GATE simulations the vertical extent of the clouds and the cloud cover is larger. In this way, the influence of the cumulus clouds on the budgets can be investigated more thoroughly. Finally, the budgets are compared with the results obtained from an earlier simulation based on the Puerto Rico Field Experiment and other results found in the literature.     

Circulation and boundary layers in differentially heated rotating stratified fluid

Recent laboratory experiments with rotating stratified water in a cylinder have revealed many of the predictions of linearized, analytic theory. Earlier measurements of the velocity field generated in a cylinder by top heating compared well with theory. Large stratification clearly suppressed Ekman pumping so that the interior velocity field (primarily azimuthal) responded by satisfying no-slip top and bottom boundary conditions without the need for Ekman layers. This interior flow also occupied a boundary layer of greater thickness than the Ekman layer under some conditions. Theory and experiments have now been conducted for sidewall heating. As before, experiment and theory agree well over some parameter ranges. But for some parameters, the flow is unstable. The exact nature of the instability remains poorly understood. The size of one combination of both vertical and horizontal boundary layers is governed by the Rossby radius of deformation multiplied by the square root of the Prandtl number. Sidewall boundary layers and their scales will be reviewed with the present results in mind.     

天气尺度波激发的阻塞流的生命循环:观测结果和数值试验

通过观测研究证实了天气尺度波激发的阻塞流的生命循环是频散和非频散之间的转换过程。除此之外，进行了一个数值试验，发现天气尺度波似乎对阻塞的形成和支配作用，而地形似乎起位相锁相的作用。同时可以发现天气尺度波在阻塞的产生过程中分裂成两支。这些结果支持了我们所得到的观测结果。     

Surface and upper-level features associated with wintertime cold surge outbreaks in South Korea

The surface and upper-level features associated with a sharp drop of wintertime daily temperature over South Korea is investigated in this study. This sharp drop in daily temperature is called a cold surge and is one of the most hazardous weather phenomena in East Asian winters. An upper-level baroclinic wave of 60°wavelength propagating eastward at a phase speed of 12°longitude per day across the continent of northern China from the west of Lake Baikal toward the eastern coast of China causes the outbreak of cold air over South Korea. The cooling associated with the upper-level baroclinic wave is found at all altitudes under the geopotential height-fall center near the tropopause. The development in the ridge seems to derive the early evolution of the eastward-propagating sinusoidal wave, whereas the trough is connected directly with the tropospheric temperature-drop. An enhancement of the wintertime East Asian jet stream after the outbreak of a cold surge is a response to the steep temperature gradient associated with the developing baroclinic wave.     

Microscale ordered motions and atmospheric structure associated with thin echo layers in stably stratified zones

The interpretation of ultra-high resolution radar observations of thin clear-air echo strata is made with the aid of fine-scale aircraft measurements. The echo layer, generally comprising two sub-strata each 5 m thick and spaced 7–10 m apart, is found within a 10–20 m deep section of a strong inversion where the thermal stability and shear are maximized, and the Richardson number is close to 0.25. Mechanical turbulence is restricted entirely to this layer; the variance of the N-S velocity component, ³, is the strongest, consistent with the orientation of the shear vector in this stratum. Spectra and cospectra of a 9-s slant run through the echo stratum show remarkably ordered motions. A strong negative peak of <w> covariance at 80-m scale, accompanied by a zero of <uw> covariance and bulges in the longitudinal () and vertical (w) velocity spectra, is identified with breaking Kelvin-Helmholtz waves oriented in the N-S direction along the shear vector. A synthesis of the temperature and velocity structures from measurements along the flight path confirms the ordered motion deduced from the spectra and reveals a group of K-H waves of 80-m length and 10-m height at the height of the radar echo. Microscale K-H ripples of 3–4 m length are also deduced to be present in the 0.5 m thick interfacial region where the thermal gradient and shear are strongly enhanced by the larger shearing K-H wave.Two possible sources of the echoes are proposed: (1) scatter from fully developed turbulence within the interfacial zone in an inertial subrange falling entirely in sub-meter scales; and (2) the incoherent summation of specular reflections from properly oriented portions of the microscale K-H ripples. While the authors favor the first of these mechanisms, both require stringent conditions of the physical microstructure which are beyond the available observations. Fossil turbulence is precluded as an echo mechanism.This paper is based in part on the doctoral dissertation by the senior author.Present affiliation: Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, Bedford, Mass., U.S.A.     

Concentration profiles of particles settling in the neutral and stratified atmospheric boundary layer

An expression for the vertical equilibrium concentration profile of heavy particles, including the effects of canopy on the eddy diffusivity as well as corrections for atmospheric stability, is proposed. This expression is validated against measurements of vertical concentration profiles of corn pollen above a corn field. The fitted theoretical profiles show that particle settling is correctly accounted for. The sensitivity to variations in the turbulent Schmidt number, settling velocity and stability corrections are explicitly characterized. The importance of independent measurements of the surface flux of pollen in future experiments is noted.     

近50a东北冷涡暴雨水汽源地分布及其水汽贡献率分析

用HYSPLIT v4.9轨迹追踪模式,以分辨率为2.5°×2.5°的再分析资料驱动模式,对东北地区308例冷涡暴雨过程中的目标气块,进行后向轨迹追踪模拟。结果显示东北冷涡暴雨主要有4个水汽源地,(Ⅰ)西太平洋及相邻海域(包括鄂霍次克海、日本海、黄海、渤海和东海)水汽贡献率最大,平均水汽贡献率达39.8%;依次是(Ⅱ)孟加拉湾—南海海域为32.1%;(Ⅲ)欧亚大陆,尤其是贝加尔湖附近为20.9%;(Ⅳ)东北地区的水汽贡献率最小,仅为7.2%。欧亚大陆主要输送700 hPa高度附近的干冷气团,而各海域则输送800 hPa高度以下的暖湿气团。     

河北省旱涝的变化特征及其相关的海气异常型分析

利用河北省及邻近区域73个气象站1961—2009年逐年降水资料,同期NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,NOAA太平洋海温等资料,分析了河北省干旱的时空变化特征,并应用奇异值分解、合成分析等方法,研究了河北省典型旱涝年份与同期太平洋海温场和环流场的异常特征.结果表明：河北省旱涝异常的空间型分布主要有2种,这些空间型的时间变化除了具有明显的年际变化外,还存在显著的年代际变化.SVD（奇异值分解）分析揭示的河北省旱涝和海气异常的关系表明,当赤道东太平洋年平均海温异常偏低,北太平洋海盆中部年平均海温异常偏高的年份,河北省大部分地区容易偏涝,反之,易干旱.典型干旱年,500 hPa平均高度场上贝加尔湖西南部以及极地500 hPa年平均高度场为正异常,阿留申地区南部为负异常;亚洲中高纬地区环流从西到东呈现-+-的环流异常纬向分布.而典型雨涝年500 hPa平均高度场上贝加尔湖西南部以及极地500 hPa年平均高度场为负异常,阿留申地区南部为正异常;亚洲中高纬地区环流从西到东呈现-+的环流异常纬向分布.     

Instabilities of the tidally induced bottom boundary layer in the rotating frame and their mixing effect

To investigate the stability of the bottom boundary layer induced by tidal flow (oscillating flow) in a rotating frame, numerical experiments have been carried out with a two-dimensional non-hydrostatic model. Under homogeneous conditions three types of instability are found depending on the temporal Rossby number Ro_t, the ratio of the inertial and tidal periods. When Ro_t < 0.9 (subinertial range), the Ekman type I instability occurs because the effect of rotation is dominant though the flow becomes more stable than the steady Ekman flow with increasing Ro_t. When Ro_t > 1.1 (superinertial range), the Stokes layer instability is excited as in the absence of rotation. When 0.9 < Ro_t < 1.1 (near-inertial range), the Ekman type I or type II instability appears as in the steady Ekman layer. Being much thickened (100 m), the boundary layer becomes unstable even if tidal flow is weak (5 cm/s). The large vertical scale enhances the contribution of the Coriolis effect to destabilization, so that the type II instability tends to appear when Ro_t > 1.0. However, when Ro_t < 1.0, the type I instability rather than the type II instability appears because the downward phase change of tidal flow acts to suppress the latter. To evaluate the mixing effect of these instabilities, some experiments have been executed under a weak stratification peculiar to polar oceans (the buoyancy frequency N²  10⁻⁶ s⁻²). Strong mixing occurs in the subinertial and near-inertial ranges such that tracer is well mixed in the boundary layer and an apparent diffusivity there is evaluated at 150–300 cm²/s. This suggests that effective mixing due to these instabilities may play an important role in determining the properties of dense shelf water in the polar regions.     

台海地区一次冬季冷锋降水过程的数值模拟

利用WRF中尺度模式,结合FY-2E卫星云图和常规气象资料,对台海地区一次冬季冷锋降水过程进行了数值模拟研究.结果表明:1)微物理方案对台海地区冬季冷锋降水过程的模拟具有敏感性,Milbrandt双参数微物理方案能较好地再现云系层次结构、冰相降水过程及其云系的对流发展,24 h累积降水量模拟结果优于其他微物理方案.2)锋区的降水粒子(雨水、雪晶和霰)混合比大于锋后,锋区雨带集中在地面锋线的中段,锋后雨带偏向冷区的西南段.3)锋区附近云系受低空急流及台湾岛中部高山地形抬升共同作用,在迎风坡形成强降水中心,对应空中霰含量高值区.4)低空高相当位温、强辐合、正涡度和对流性不稳定与高空强辐散和负涡度的配置是本次冷锋云系维持与发展的重要原因.