Frontal substructures within the planetary boundary layer

A two-dimensional mesoscale model, extended by a TKE closure for the subgrid-scale terms and coupled with a soil model, is used to investigate the role of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) for the development and the substructures of two different types of cold fronts. The effects of turbulent friction, large-scale (geostrophic) forcing and the diurnal variation of the terms of the surface energy balance (SEB) equation on the frontal development are studied by 10 different model runs. The ageostrophic cross-frontal circulation in the lowest two kilometres of a cold front results from friction as well as from large-scale forcing. The first one dominates the PBL processes and causes a special boundary-layer structure, which becomes apparent through the existence of seven characteristic zones defined for the x-z cross sections of potential temperature. The arrangement of these characteristic zones depends on the sense of rotation of the frictionally induced part of the ageostrophic circulation and hence on the direction of the along-front jet within the boundary layer. The daytime increase of the terms of the SEB equation for a midlatitude midsummer case leads to a strong enhancement of the frictionally induced cross-frontal circulation. The arrangement of the seven characteristic zones, however, is approximately conserved.     

The effect of spatial resolution on the simulation of upper-tropospheric frontogenesis using a sigma-coordinate primitive equation model

Summary The effects of varying horizontal and vertical grid resolution on the numerical simulation of upper-tropospheric frontal structures are examined using a, two-dimensional, dry, hydrostatic sigma-coordinate primitive equation model. These effects are illustrated with the results of 72 h model integrations in which frontogenesis is forced solely by confluence. Four different horizontal grid spacings, ranging from 100 km to 12.5 km, and four different vertical, grid resolutions, varying from 10 to 70 layers (90 mb to 13 mb), are considered.The intensity and integrity of the frontogenesis as a function of grid resolution are diagnosed in terms of time histories and spatial distributions of frontal parameters, such as the speed of the along-front jet, maxima of absolute vorticity and potential temperature gradient, and ageostrophic motions. The time histories show that, provided the vertical resolution is sufficient, increasing horizontal resolution leads to better-defined frontal structure due to the decrease in cross-frontal scale. They also indicate that for a given horizontal resolution there exists an optimal vertical resolution beyond which frontal parameters change only slightly. This optimal vertical resolution increases with increasing horizontal resolution, and apparently is related to the horizontal resolution through the slope of the frontal zone.The time histories for simulations combining low vertical resolution with high horizontal resolution exhibit substantial high-frequency variability. Cross sections show that this temporal variability appears to be manifested spatially in the form of gravity waves characterized by wavelengths on the order of 200 km and periods of 12 h, over the range of horizontal and vertical resolution that is considered. Although the source mechanism for these waves cannot be established definitively, it likely involves a grid-induced ageostrophic component of the along-front wind which disrupts thermal wind balance. This results thus demonstrates the potential risk of flawed frontal simulations, when incompatible combinations of horizontal and vertical resolution are used.With 7 Figures     

Four-wave resonance in a forced-dissipative barotropic atmosphere

Summary This paper investigates four-wave resonance dynamics containing Ekman friction and diabatic heating. A general nonlinear low-frequency-period (LFP) solution is derived by a new time transformation from the equation of quasigeostrophic vorticity for the forced-dissipative barotropical atmosphere. The solution shows that the friction tends to prolong the LFP and the heating tends to shorten it. For a given time interval, because the effect of the friction exceeds that of the heating it is responsible for the LFP lengthening and v.v. The fact that frictional impact may be either stronger or weaker for a particular period of time leads to a longer or shorter LFP, suggesting a chaotic state of atmospheric motion. For statistical averaging on a long-term basis, however, the effects of both types are in balance so that the LFP is more or less fixed, thereby providing a new kind of physical mechanism for the predictability of climate on monthly/seasonal timescales. Furthermore, the extra-tropical quasi biweekly and 30–50 days oscillations are related to external forcing, and free Rossby wave quasi-resonance, respectively. For the first time it is found that the Ekman friction is able to excite explosive instability in a barotropical atmosphere. These results will be of use to the improvement of the two conclusions reported in Craik (1985).Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Evaluation of the profile and the resistance method for estimation of surface fluxes of momentum,sensible and latent heat

Summary Hourly lysimetric and micrometeorological data taken over a grass surface at the Meteorological Research Unit, Cardington U.K. have been analysed. A temperature difference and measurements of wind speed at only one height, combined with an independently estimated effective roughness length allowed sensible heat and momentum fluxes determination by the profile method on an hourly basis. The estimates are compared with direct measurements of sensible heat and friction velocity obtained by the eddy correlation method. The sensible and latent heat fluxes are also modelled by the resistance method. Equations based on the Monin—Obukhov similarity theory are used to account for stability effects through various forms of parameterization Aerodynamic and surface resistances, necessary for the Penman—Monteith equation are calculated from routinely measured meteorological data. The profile method for estimation of sensible heat flux and friction velocity is found to work excellently on the discussed daytime experimental data which correspond mainly to near neutral or slightly unstable conditions.Surface latent and sensible heat fluxes can also be described very well by the resistance method. A slightly better estimate of the sensible heat flux is achieved when stability corrections are taken into account. On the contrary Penman-Monteith equation for estimating latent heat flux is insensitive to adjustments for atmospheric stability.The comparison of the various methods leads to the establishment of empirical relationships which correlate various quantities such as soil heat flux, resistances, evapotranspiration etc. to routinely measured meteorological data.With 8 Figures     

Mesoscale observations of surface fronts and low pressure centres in Canadian East Coast winter storms

The movements of surface cold and warm fronts and low pressure centres have been observed in several Atlantic Canada winter storms. Statistical aspects of the well-defined surface fronts (7 warm and 6 cold) are presented. Surface wind direction change was considered as the best indicator of the boundaries of the front; frontal zone widths ranged from 23 to 144 km. Average values of wind shifts were 107° for the cold fronts and 85° for warm fronts. Several case studies are presented, based primarily on surface MesoNet data (near Halifax, Nova Scotia and on Sable Island). In two of the cold fronts, there was a two-stage surface structure and rapid evolution as the front passed over the MesoNet. In some cases, both warm and cold, the wind shift and temperature change were coincident while in others they were not. In particular we observed that wind shifts often started 20–30 min ahead of the start of a temperature decrease in these cold frontal passages. A possible mechanism for this is discussed. We found little or no evidence of along-front structure in our data although other investigators have found considerable along-front variation on scales of 0(10 km). Observations of the passage of one low pressure centre are presented. In a second case, surface temperature changes indicated an apparent low pressure centre passage through the Sable Island MesoNet but closer inspection provides an alternative interpretation.     

Mesoscale ageostrophic circulations of two fronts observed during the fronts87 experiment: Diagnosis and interpretation

Summary This paper deals with the first results concerning mesoscale ageostrophic circulations as they were presented during the International Meeting on Fronts and Orography, held in Burghausen, Germany, on June 1991. The aim is to test the importance of some specific small scale and mesoscale processes on the observed ageostrophic circulations. For this, various available theoretical models including these processes are used, in order to put in evidence their effect or to diagnose their presence or not in the observed circulations. These secondary circulations have been observed in the vicinity of two surface cold fronts documented during the European experiment FRONTS87 and they are quantitatively evaluated and compared with the theoretical ones. The diagnoses are performed by numerically solving two versions of the two-dimensional Sawyer-Eliassen equation for the ageostrophic streamfunction: a form based upon the Geostrophic Momentum approximation of along-front geostrophy and a Primitive Equation form that allows the existence of a along-front ageostrophic component. A simple parameterization of the Ekman pumping effect in the secondary circulations is added, through a boundary condition in the Sawyer-Eliassen equation resolution.This application of the Sawyer-Eliassen equation to measured data from a network of two or three sounding stations allows the identification of the significant frontogenetic terms and the testing of the assumptions underlying this diagnostic tool. Also, the impact of various parameterizations is considered. For instance, the introduction of a boundary layer parameterization scheme permits the reproduction of low-level updrafts observed in reality ahead of the frontal zone and predicted by numerical models found in literature.With 18 Figures     

Desertification processes and impact in rainfed agricultural regions

About one third of the Earth's land surface lies in the arid and semi-arid regions. This area is important as in addition to supporting 600 million people, it produces much of the world's grain and a substantial amount of animal produce.However, much of this area is now either suffering, or is threatened by the processes of desertification.In this paper, seven different desertification processes—degradation of vegetative cover, wind erosion, water erosion, salinization, soil crusting and compaction, reduction in organic matter, and accumulation of toxic substances— are identified and their effects described.It is pointed out that these processes are usually closely interrelated, the occurrence of one frequently leading to the occurrence of one or more of the others. But whatever the process, the end result is the same—degraded land with a reduced productive capacity.The paper concludes by pointing out that desertification occurs due to man's influence on the environment and we must therefore look beyond the purely physical processes if we are to solve the problems of desertification.     

The influence of the coast on the dynamics of upwelling fronts: Part I. Laboratory experiments

We describe laboratory experiments on the instability and later evolution of a front in a two-layer rotating fluid. In particular, we focus on the influence of a nearby boundary on instability growth and eddy formation. The front is produced through the adjustment of a buoyant fluid initially confined within a bottomless cylinder. Typically a front in quasi-cyclostrophic balance establishes after two rotation periods, after which it becomes unstable. Measurements of the velocity and vorticity fields at the surface are made which provide detailed information on the evolution of the front as the instability grows to finite amplitude. We focus on the time evolution of the vorticity and distinguish between the cyclonic and anticyclonic components. The spatial averages of the cyclonic and anticyclonic vorticity first grow exponentially. This growth saturates when eddies form and are advected across the front. The growth rate depends upon two nondimensional parameters: the width W of the upwelling region in units of the internal radius of deformation and the depth ratio δ between the two layers. Measurements of the growth rates for the average of the cyclonic and anticyclonic vorticity are compared to the values inferred from a simplified model for baroclinic instability. A good agreement is obtained when the front develops far from the boundary (i.e. W1). However, the agreement is only qualitative when the front is near the boundary (i.e. W1). We find that, as W decreases, the growth of cyclonic eddies consisting of dense—“coastal”—water is enhanced compared to that of anticyclonic vorticity consisting of buoyant—“off-shore”—water. This crucial effect of the boundary with respect to the instability of the front has significant impact on exchanges across the front.     

Nonlinear western boundary current flow near a corner

This paper analyses a western boundary current striking a solid boundary. Interest is concentrated on the case where inertial effects are sufficient to modify the flow from its ‘Stommel-layer’ form with Ekman friction relatively unimportant in the interior. It is shown that, beyond a critical inflow speed, a complicated system of four asymptotic regions forms near the corner, turning some of the flow along the blocking boundary and then returning it westwards to rejoin the western boundary current. A comparison with the results of a simple ocean model shows that many of the features in that flow can be explained through the asymptotic theory.     

A cost–benefit appraisal of coastal managed realignment policy

European coasts are coming under increasing threat as a result of climate change from erosion and flooding. While coastal defences such as sea walls have been constructed since Roman times to protect human settlements from the sea, it is now increasingly recognised that these defences are unsustainable. The security provided by ‘hard’ engineered defences has encouraged development on the coast, and the defences themselves have led to the loss of intertidal habitat and the natural protection it provides.An alternative to maintaining ‘hard’ defences (hold-the-line) to protect land from increasing sea levels is managed realignment, where the engineered defences are deliberately breached. By allowing the coastline to recede to a new line of defence further inland, intertidal habitat is created providing natural protection from flooding and erosion.The study evaluates the economic efficiency—using cost–benefit analysis—of various managed realignment scenarios compared to a strategy of holding-the-line within the Humber estuary in North-east England. The results of this analysis show that managed realignment can be more economically efficient than holding-the-line over a sufficiently long time period—generally greater than 25 years. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that results are more sensitive to the amount and value of intertidal habitat generated than they are to the amount and value of carbon stored by this habitat. Cost–benefit analysis is viewed as one component of a wider policy appraisal process within integrated coastal management.     

The ideas of secondary school children concerning ozone layer damage

The understanding of pupils between the ages of 11 and 16 about the ozone layer — what it is, what will damage it and what will be the likely result of such damage — has been studied. Following the use of a preliminary open-form questionnaire, the ideas of a large cohort of children have been probed by closed-form questionnaire and by interviews with a subset of this group. The authors explain that most pupils seem aware that the ozone layer is a layer of gas around Earth, but less sure what that gas is. They also know that it protects Earth from ultra-violet rays from the sun, and that further depletion will allow more ultra-violet to Earth and cause more skin cancer. Most also know that one cause of depletion is the use of CFCs, but many confuse the depletion of the ozone layer with the greenhouse effect and other forms of atmospheric pollution. The authors provide evidence to suggest that such confusion of ideas is strongly held and that, even with this relatively new and abstract phenomenon, ideas are held in a consistent and similar framework by most pupils.     

Nonlinear interaction of a zonal jet and barotropic Rossby-wave turbulence: the problem of turbulent friction

Interaction of a zonal jet and small-amplitude Rossby-wave turbulence is studied within the framework of the barotropic β-plane model. It is demonstrated that turbulent-laminar interaction in this case transfers energy from the wave turbulence to the laminar flow (the effect of negative friction). We derive a conclusion that, as the geophysical turbulence is determined partly by wave turbulence and none of the traditional heuristic models can adequately describe the effect of negative friction associated with wave turbulence, the application of these models to the ‘real’ ocean and atmosphere is unreliable.It is also demonstrated that, as they are affected by the turbulence, all westward jets slowly expand without strengthening. Each jet has a core, within the limits of which the velocity of the fluid is constant. In some cases, the core expands faster than the jet periphery, resulting in jumps on the profile of the flow. All eastward jets are steady irrespective of their profiles.     

Effects of different approximations in 2D-front-scale models on cross frontal structures (weakv ag -case)

Summary Nonlinear interactions and feedbacks in frontal dynamics are studied with two-dimensional quasigeostrophic, semigeostrophic and primitive equation models for given cases of moderate surface cold fronts. According to the degree of approximation these feedbacks are in effect as a result of geostrophic and ageostrophic advection configuring the further frontal development and the associated energy-transfers between the geostrophic and the ageostrophic scales. The most prominent feedback processes, including the feedback connected with the ageostrophic along-front windv _ag , are theoretically reviewed. In cases of smallv _ag values, their effects on form and horizontal scale of the frontal secondary circulation are discussed by comparing the products of different model versions and the cross-frontal spectral analysis of the ageostrophic wind fields. To scrutinize the role played by thev _ag -field, further experiments were based on a hierarchy ofv _ag -substitutes parameterized by the momentum equation of the crossfrontal winddu/dt=fv _ag . Tentative results show the tendency towards very localized effects.With 10 Figures     

The effects of friction and heating of convective condensation in the baroclinic instability problem

By using the β-plane, two-layer quasi-geostrophic baroclinic model, this paper discusses the baroclinic in-stability problem concerning the effects of friction and heating of convective condensation. By Linear analysis it is shown that the combination of β effect, friction and convective heating brings about the asymmetric phenom-enon of margin curves. The convective heating plays a role in the increased baroclinic instability. As the heating increases (m*→1), the short wave cutoff can increase infinitely. Besides, the numerical integration of the finite-amplitude equations shows that the trajectory on the phase plane oscillates periodically in the case of non-dissipation. When the friction dissipation is considered, the trajectory of phase decays and oscillates to the equilibrium. The stronger convective heating not only makes the unstable wave length shorter and the amplitude of the equilibrium decrease, but also makes multiple equilibrium into single equilibrium.     

An economic analysis of potential impacts of climate change in Egypt

Projections of climate impacts on crop yields simulated for different General Circulation Model (GCM) scenarios are used, in a recursively dynamic general equilibrium framework, to account for potential economy-wide impacts of climate change in Egypt. Comparing these impact projections to those obtained under a reference, business-as-usual, scenario assuming some moderate changes in the political, economic or technological spheres, indicates that global warming has potentially negative effects. The analysis is based on a global assessment of potential climate change-induced variations in world commodity production and trade. The Egyptian agricultural sector, and the non-agricultural sector to a lesser extent, are projected to be increasingly less self-sufficient. Specific potential adverse impacts are identified. The simulation results show that high-cost adaptation measures involving major changes in the agricultural system and practices may mitigate these adverse impacts. Stimulating economic development of the rural areas and creating appropriate conditions for effective diffusion and development of technologies — particularly for the agricultural sector — would seem a desirable strategy. Perhaps, more importantly, the simulation results show that the assumption of exogenously determined technological progress may be inappropriate, in which case the potential adverse impacts of a future warming of the global climate are likely to be fewer than is indicated in this study — if prevailing constraints on productivity growth in the major food and feed grains are ‘released’ by endogenous advances in technology.     

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.     

Investigation of the planetary boundary layer height variations over complex terrain

The effects of sea-breeze interactions with synoptic forcing on the PBL height over complex terrain are investigated through the use of a 3-D mesoscale numerical model. Two of the results are as follows. First, steep PBL height gradients—order of 1500 m over a grid interval of 10 km — are associated with the sea-breeze front and are enhanced by the topography. Second, a significant horizontal shift in the maximum PBL height relative to the mountains, is induced by a corresponding displacement of the thermal ridge due to the mountains, in the presence of large scale flow.     

Structure, agency and environment: Toward an integrated perspective on vulnerability

We review five perspectives on human vulnerability to environmental change—biophysical, human ecological, political economy, constructivist and political ecology—and assess their respective strengths and weaknesses. While each of these perspectives offers important insights, and some theoretical convergence is evident, the field remains divided along a number theoretical fracture lines. Two deeply rooted metatheoretical assumptions—essentialism and nominalism—are hindering the construction of a more integrated perspective on vulnerability, one capable of addressing the interrelated dynamics of social structure, human agency and the environment. We conclude by suggesting that an evolutionary perspective on social change, grounded in a critical realist epistemology, provides the best prospect for avoiding the above pitfalls and advancing our understanding of vulnerability.     

地形和边界层摩擦对登陆热带气旋路径和强度影响的研究

采用准地转的正压模式, 研究了无非绝热加热时地形和边界层摩擦对登陆热带气旋路径和强度的影响.结果表明: 地形作用对登陆热带气旋西北移动路径的影响比较明显, 而对登陆热带气旋强度的影响不明显; 边界层摩擦可以通过改变热带气旋X方向上和Y方向上的移动速度以及改变热带气旋水平环流结构对登陆热带气旋西北移动路径产生一定的影响, 边界层摩擦对登陆热带气旋强度的影响非常明显, 其中摩擦是造成登陆热带气旋强度迅速减弱的一个重要因素.     

Spatial variability of rainfall at an experimental station in Niger,West Africa

Summary Variability of rainfall in the semi-arid regions can cause problems in evaluating experimental trials. To describe the spatial rainfall patterns over a large experimental station, rainfall was monitored during the 1986 and 1987 rainy seasons using 18 raingages over the 500 ha experimental station of ICRISAT Sahelian Center, in Niger, West Africa. Average relative variability of individual rain storms, defined as the percentage deviation from the mean, varied from 2 to 62%, while the variability over the rainy season was 17.1%. Isohyetal patterns of individual rain storms as well as seasonal totals showed distinct coherence in the spatial pattern over the station. The effects of total volume, duration, direction and intensity of storms and the time of year on the spatial correlations were analyzed. Storm value showed a large influence on the correlation decay with distance. Correlations in the W — E and SW — NE directions were higher in comparison to those in the N — S and NW — SE directions. Point rainfall measurements were better correlated with the network average rainfall than with the rainfall recorded at the meteorological station. Variograms among raingages revealed that the distance of independence was approximately 1 000 m for almost all storms. Use of a network of raingages over agricultural experiment stations reduces the average relative variability of areal rainfall estimates and provides a means to develop simple relations for estimation of point rainfall for individual applications.With 8 Figures