Analytical Solution for the Convectively-Mixed Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Based on the prognostic equations of mixed-layer theory assuming a zeroth order jump at the entrainment zone, analytical solutions for the boundary-layer height evolution are derived with different degrees of accuracy. First, an exact implicit expression for the boundary-layer height for a situation without moisture is analytically derived without assuming any additional relationships or specific initial conditions. It is shown that to expand the solution to include moisture, only minor approximations have to be made. Second, for relatively large boundary-layer heights, the implicit representation is simplified to an explicit function. Third, a hybrid expression is proposed as a reasonable representation for the boundary-layer height evolution during the entire day. Subsequently, the analysis is extended to present the evolution of any boundary-layer averaged scalar, either inert or under idealized chemistry, as an analytical function of time and boundary-layer height. Finally, the analytical solutions are evaluated. This evaluation includes a sensitivity analysis of the boundary-layer height for the entrainment ratio, the free tropospheric lapse rate of the potential temperature, the time-integrated surface flux and the initial boundary-layer height and potential temperature jump.     

An Approximate Analytical Solution Of Flux-Profile Relationships For The Atmospheric Surface Layer With Different Momentum And Heat Roughness Lengths

An approximate method for calculating the relationship between z/L(z = reference height, L = Obukhov length) and the bulk Richardsonnumber is presented. If this relationship is known, the momentum andheat fluxes can be computed easily without any iteration. The avoidance of iteration can speed up computationsin large-scale models considerably (up to 10 times) and cases which do not converge or converge very slowly cannot occur. The proposed formulae take into account the difference between momentum (z_0M) and heat roughnesslengths (z_0H). Because the roughness lengths are not neglected at any step of the derivation, the resulting analytical formulae can be used not only between the surface and the reference height but also between two finite levels z₁ andz₂ (by replacing z_0M and z_0H by z₁ and z by z₂). Theequations remain correct even in the limit z₁ z₂.The formulae are based upon the (partially modified) Businger–Dyer flux–profile relationships and,consequently, they are restricted to predominantly homogeneous terrain.These new approximations are an improvement over the existing solutions because they are simpler than most of the formulae in the literature and are able to match the numerical exact solution for different parameter sets (Businger, Dyer, Högström) with an maximum error of about 2% for a wide range of z/L, z/z_0M and z_0M/z_0H.Furthermore, in stable conditions, schemes with and without a finitecritical bulk Richardson number can be approximated. The possibleambiguity of the exact solution =f(RI_B) in (moderately) stable conditions is discussed briefly. The performance of the new formulae is compared to the exact numerical solution and to different formulae proposed in the literature.     

High-Frequency Response of the Atmospheric Electric Potential Gradient Under Strong and Dry Boundary-Layer Convection

The spectral response of atmospheric electric potential gradient gives important information about phenomena affecting this gradient at characteristic time scales ranging from years (e.g., solar modulation) to fractions of a second (e.g., turbulence). While long-term time scales have been exhaustively explored, short-term scales have received less attention. At such frequencies, space-charge transport inside the planetary boundary layer becomes a sizeable contribution to the potential gradient variability. For the first time, co-located (Évora, Portugal) measurements of boundary-layer backscatter profiles and the 100-Hz potential gradient are reported. Five campaign days are analyzed, providing evidence for a relation between high-frequency response of the potential gradient and strong dry convection.     

Improvement of Vertical Diffusion Analytic Schemes Under Stable Atmospheric Conditions

Based on gradient transport theory or K-theory, turbulent transport in the atmosphere has long been parameterized using the eddy diffusivity. Due to its simplicity, this approach has often been applied in many numerical models but rarely tested with observations. Here, the widely used O’Brien cubic polynomial approach has been validated together with an exponential approach against eddy diffusivity profiles determined from measurements and from large-eddy simulation data in stable conditions. Verification is completed by analyzing the variability effects on pollutant concentrations of two different vertical diffusion (K(z)) schemes incorporated in an atmospheric chemical model. It is shown that the analytical, exponential solution agrees better with observations than the O’Brien profile and should be used henceforth in practical applications.     

The Diurnal Temperature Cycle and Its Relation to Boundary-Layer Structure During the Morning Transition

The morning portion of the near-surface diurnal temperature cycle is analyzed in combination with heat-flux and vertical temperature-gradient data. During summer, mean diurnal cycles of temperature rates-of-change show periods that can be related to defined points of the morning transition (MT). The start of the MT is clearly marked with a temperature discontinuity, apparent even on individual days, while the end of the transition is apparent only when using averages over many days. The findings concerning the timing of the MT using temperature cycle analysis correspond well with studies using heat-flux measurements. Mean diurnal cycles of temperature rates-of-change for stations in different urban and valley positions show differences that can partly be explained by apparent effects of the surroundings. For the valley situation, the timing differences and their relation to station position in the valley are generally plausible, while urban effects on the diurnal cycle are apparent but less distinct, which may be due to the small number of stations used. The results indicate that warming already begins before heat-flux crossover, which is the current definition of the beginning of the MT. This definition should be extended to include the phase between the temperature rate-of-change crossover and heat-flux crossover, which represents the early part of the MT before warming reaches instrument level.     

A Sensitivity Analysis of the Nocturnal Boundary-Layer Properties to Atmospheric Emissivity Formulations

A one-dimensional model for the mean potential temperature within the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) was used to assess the sensitivity of three NBL properties (height, thermal stratification strength, and near-surface cooling) to three widely used atmospheric emissivity formulations. The calculations revealed that the NBL height is robust to the choice of the emissivity function, though this is not the case for NBL Richardson number and near-surface cooling rate. Rather than endorse one formulation, our analysis highlights the importance of atmospheric emissivity in modelling the radiative properties of the NBL especially for clear-sky conditions.     

An Analytical Slab Model for the Growth of the Coastal Thermal Internal Boundary Layer Under Near-Neutral Onshore Flow Conditions

Analytical parameterisations of the thermal internal boundary-layer (TIBL) height based on the slab approach are widely used in coastal dispersion models. However, they tend to a singular behaviour when the stability of the onshore flow is close to neutral. Assuming that convective turbulence dominates mixing, we derive a more general analytical model that is valid for both stable and neutral onshore flows. The model is based on the existing framework for the slab approach but involving the Zilitinkevich correction (or the spin-up term). The height variation of the onshore flow lapse rate is accounted for in the model by including an initial TIBL height. An algebraic form of the model also includes the mechanical mixing contribution to the TIBL growth and is, therefore, suitable for use when the overland surface heat flux is small and friction velocity large. The new analytical model is tested with field measurements taken under near-neutral onshore flow conditions. The performance of the model is shown to be better than a commonly used TIBL parameterisation scheme.     

An Approximate Analytical Solution For The Baroclinic And Variable Eddy Diffusivity Semi-Geostrophic Ekman Boundary Layer

The WKB method has been used to develop an approximate solutionof the semi-geostrophic Ekman boundary layer with height-dependenteddy viscosity and a baroclinic pressure field. The approximate solutionretains the same simple form as the classical Ekman solution. Behavioursof the approximate solution are discussed for different eddy viscosityand the pressure systems. These features show that wind structure inthe semi-geostrophic Ekman boundary layer depends on the interactionbetween the inertial acceleration, variable eddy viscosity and baroclinicpressure gradient. Anticyclonic shear has an acceleration effect on theair motion in the boundary layer, while cyclonic shear has a decelerationeffect. Decreasing pressure gradient with height results in a super-geostrophicpeak in the wind speed profile, however the increasing pressure gradient withheight may remove the peak. Anticyclonic shear and decreasing the variableeddy viscosity with height has an enhanced effect on the peak.Variable eddy viscosity and inertial acceleration has an important role in thedivergence and vorticity in the boundary layer and the vertical motion at the top of the boundary layer that is called Ekman pumping. Compared to the constanteddy viscosity case, the variable eddy diffusivity reduces the absolute value ofEkman pumping, especially in the case of eddy viscosity initially increasing with height. The difference in the Ekman pumping produced by different eddy diffusivity assumptions is intensified in anticyclonic flow and reduced in cyclonic flow.     

北京地区不同天气条件下近地面大气电场特征

利用2004年8月—2005年11月近地面大气电场仪的观测资料, 对北京地区不同天气条件下近地面大气电场特征进行分析。结果表明:北京地区晴天近地面大气电场日变化呈双峰双谷, 谷值分别出现在北京时05:00和12:00, 峰值分别出现在07:00和23:00, 并且表现出一定的季节变化; 晴天大气电场的变化与气溶胶含量的变化有密切关系, 两者呈正相关; 晴天大气电场与绝对湿度之间也表现出很强的相关性, 在一定程度上反应了水汽对大气电场的作用; 沙尘天气下风速均达到一定强度, 近地面大气电场为负值, 并且变化剧烈, 电场强度与PM10之间呈现较强的负相关, 而电场强度与风速之间没有表现出明显的相关性。     

A Lagrangian Solution to the Relationship between Source Strength and Concentration Profile Under Conditions of Local Advection

We propose a two-dimensional Lagrangian analytical solution for relating source strength and concentration profiles within and above a plant canopy. The new solution describes passive scalar dispersion under conditions of local advection through a fetch correction function in a one-dimensional Lagrangian analytical dispersion model. The model is capable of predicting absolute concentration profiles of passive scalars for different fetches for situations in which the reference concentration is known or the background concentration is available. Tests of the model showed good agreement with measurements from field and wind-tunnel experiments.     

Variability of the Structure Parameters of Temperature and Humidity Observed in the Atmospheric Surface Layer Under Unstable Conditions

The structure parameters of temperature and humidity are important in scintillometry as they determine the structure parameter of the refractive index of air, the primary atmospheric variable obtained with scintillometers. In this study, we investigate the variability of the logarithm of the Monin-Obukhov-scaled structure parameters (denoted as $\log ({\widetilde{C_{s}^2}_{\mathrm {}}})$ ) of temperature and humidity. We use observations from eddy-covariance systems operated at three heights (2.5, 50, and 90 m) within the atmospheric surface layer under unstable conditions. The variability of $\log ({\widetilde{C_{s}^2}_{\mathrm {}}})$ depends on instability and on the size of the averaging window over which $\log ({\widetilde{C_{s}^2}_{\mathrm {}}})$ is calculated. If instability increases, differences in $\log ({\widetilde{C_{s}^2}_{\mathrm {}}})$ between upward motions (large $C_{s}^2$ ) and downward motions (small $C_{s}^2$ ) increase. The differences are, however, not sufficiently large to result in a bimodal probability density function. If the averaging window size increases, the variances of $\log ({\widetilde{C_{s}^2}_{\mathrm {}}})$ decrease. A linear regression of the variances of $\log ({\widetilde{C_{s}^2}_{\mathrm {}}})$ versus the averaging window size for various stability classes shows an increase of both the offset and slope (in absolute sense) with increasing instability. For temperature, data from the three heights show comparable results. For humidity, in contrast, the offset and slope are larger at 50 and 90 m than at 2.5 m. In the end we discuss how these findings could be used to assess whether observed differences in $C_{s}^2$ along a scintillometer path or aircraft flight leg are just within the range of local variability in $C_{s}^2$ or could be attributed to surface heterogeneity. This is important for the interpretation of data measured above a heterogeneous surface.     

A Wind-tunnel Study of Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Flow over Vegetated Surfaces to Suppress PM10 Emission on Owens (dry) Lake

Dust storms on Owens (dry) Lake located 200 milesnortheast of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., havecaused serious PM₁₀ emission problems. Alaboratory-based experimental study was conducted toinvestigate the efficiency of 'vegetation cover' onthe playa to suppress dust emission rates as part ofa mitigation plan.Erodible lakebed material and field vegetation (saltgrass) taken from Owens (dry) Lake were placed in awind tunnel to simulate near-surface wind flow in theatmospheric boundary layer. Vertical wind-speedprofiles and vertical PM₁₀-concentration profileswere measured over six different levels of surfacevegetation cover. In order to understand the mechanismof aeolian particle transport and dust injection intothe atmosphere, the roughness parameter, z₀, thefriction velocity, u_*, and the surface dragcoefficient, C_D, were carefully determined.An empirical equation was developed to predictPM₁₀ emission rates as a function of wind speedand level of vegetation coverage for Owens (dry) Lake.Although the current results apply only to theeffectiveness of vegetation cover to suppressPM₁₀ emissions at Owens playa, the procedure canbe employed for any arid area or region that mightutilize added vegetation as a mitigation measure.     

Concentrations of 222 Rn, Its Short-Lived Daughters And 212 Pb And Their Ratios Under Complex Atmospheric Conditions And Topography

Atmospheric activity concentrations of ²¹²Pb and short-lived ²²²Rndaughters, together with meteorological elements, have been observed continuously atthree sites at Kamisaibara Village in Japan. In addition, atmospheric activity concentrationof ²²²Rn, equilibrium-equivalent concentration of ²²²Rn and conditionsof the lower atmosphere were observed for three intensive observation periods at Akawase,one of the three sites in Kamisaibara Village. The equilibrium-equivalent concentration of²²²Rn is almost the same as the atmospheric activity concentration of short-lived²²²Rn daughters.The activity concentrations of ²¹²Pb and the short-lived ²²²Rn daughtersand their ratio were low in the daytime owing to convective mixing, and high at nightowing to the surface-based inversion during periods of no precipitation. Their variationshave several patterns corresponding to the scale of the drainage wind or weak mixing.Mechanical mixing due to strong winds through both day and night during the first andsecond observation periods made the atmospheric activity concentrations of ²¹²Pb and the short-lived ²²²Rn daughters continuously low. However, their ratios werecontinuously high during the first period yet continuously low during the second period.This difference can be explained by the effect ofextraction of ²²⁰Rn and ²²²Rndue to strong winds and snow cover. There were also cases in which the ratio of theatmospheric activity concentration of ²¹²Pb to that of the short-lived ²²²Rndaughters at night was equal to or less than the ratio in the daytime. Thisinverse trend, asin the periods of no precipitation mentioned above, is considered to be due to near-neutralconditions on these nights.We find a difference in the ratio of the equilibrium-equivalent concentration of²²²Rn (the activity concentration of short-lived ²²²Rn daughters) tothe activity concentration of ²²²Rn during the first observation period and thatduring the second. The difference can be explained by snow cover on the ground. Wealso find differences among the ratios of the activity concentration of the short-lived²²²Rn daughters to that of ²²²Rn during the three observation periods.These differences can be explained by the submergence of paddy fields.     

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     

西藏藏北高原典型植被生长对气候要素变化的响应

选取西藏藏北高原西部高寒草原植被、中部高寒草甸植被及东南部高寒灌丛草甸植被 3 种藏北地区最典型的植被类型, 结合临近 3 个气象观测站的资料, 分析这 3 种典型植被类型地区 1999—2001 年旬平均气温、旬总降水量和 SPOT VEGETATION 卫星 10 d 最大值合成归一化植被指数 (NDVI) 变化特征以及 3 种典型植被基于 SPOT VEGETATION NDVI 的生长变化对旬平均气温和旬总降水量两个主要气候要素变化的响应关系。 结果表明: 藏北地区降水资源的空间分布特点是东南部向西北部逐渐减少, 气温则由南向北逐渐递减, 与降水资源分布相反, 蒸发量西部高, 东部低; SPOT VEGETATION NDVI 能够较为准确地反映 3 种典型植被生长变化特征, 所反映的植被返青期和枯黄期等重要植被生长阶段与由积温计算的植被生长特征基本一致; 藏北地区基于 SPOT VEGETATION NDVI 的植被生长变化与气温的相关系数明显高于与降水的相关系数 , 其中以那曲为代表的高寒草甸植被的 NDVI 与旬气温和旬降水总量的相关系数最大, 分别为 0.81 和 0.68 , 表明藏北地区由于海拔高, 气候寒冷, 气温对该地区植被生长的影响明显高于降水的影响, 即该地区植被生长变化对气温的响应程度明显高于对降水的响应程度 , 是植被生长的限制性因素; 不同植被类型对气温和降水两个要素的响应程度大小依次是高寒草甸、高寒灌丛草甸和高寒草原。     

Simulation Chamber Studies of the Atmospheric Oxidation of 2-Methyl-3-Buten-2-ol: Reaction with Hydroxyl Radicals and Ozone Under a Variety of Conditions

This article presents a complete study of the diurnal chemical reactivity of the biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC), 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) in the troposphere. Reactions of MBO with OH and with ozone were studied to analyse the respective parts of both processes in the global budget of MBO atmospheric reactivity. They were investigated under controlled conditions for pressure (atmospheric pressure) and temperature (298 ± 2 K) using three complementary European simulation chambers. Reaction with OH radicals was studied in the presence of and in the absence of NO _x . The kinetic study was carried out by relative rate study using isoprene as a reference. The rate constant found for this reaction was molecule⁻¹ cm³ s⁻¹. FTIR spectroscopy, DNPH- and PFBHA-derivatisation analyses were performed for reactions with both OH radicals and ozone. In both reactions, the hydroxycarbonyl compound, 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanal (HMPr) was positively identified and quantified, with a yield of in the reaction with OH, and a yield of and 0.84 ± 0.08 in the reaction with ozone under dry (HR < 1%) and humid conditions (HR = 20%–30%). A primary production of two other carbonyl compounds, acetone , and formaldehyde was found in the case of the dry ozonolysis experiments. Under humid conditions, only formaldehyde was co-produced with HMPr as a primary carbonyl compound, with a yield of . For the reaction with OH, three other carbonyl compounds were detected, acetone , formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde . In addition some realistic photo-oxidation experiments were performed to understand in an overall way the transformations of MBO in the atmosphere. The realistic photo-oxidation experiments were conducted in the EUPHORE outdoor simulation chamber. It was found that this compound is a weak secondary aerosol producer (less than 1% of the carbon balance). But it was confirmed that it is a potentially significant source of acetone, Δ[Acetone]/Δ[MBO] = 0.45. With our experimental conditions ([MBO]₀ = 200 ppb, [NO]o = 50 ppb), an ozone yield of Δ[O₃]/Δ[MBO] = 1.05 was found.     

Relative Contributions of Boundary-Layer Meteorological Factors to the Explosive Growth of PM_(2.5) during the Red-Alert Heavy Pollution Episodes in Beijing in December 2016

Based on observations of urban mass concentration of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter(PM_(2.5)), ground meteorological data, vertical measurements of winds, temperature, and relative humidity(RH), and ECMWF reanalysis data, the major changes in the vertical structures of meteorological factors in the boundary layer(BL) during the heavy aerosol pollution episodes(HPEs) that occurred in winter 2016 in the urban Beijing area were analyzed. The HPEs are divided into two stages: the transport of pollutants under prevailing southerly winds, known as the transport stage(TS), and the PM_(2.5) explosive growth and pollution accumulation period characterized by a temperature inversion with low winds and high RH in the lower BL, known as the cumulative stage(CS). During the TS, a surface high lies south of Beijing, and pollutants are transported northwards. During the CS, a stable BL forms and is characterized by weak winds, temperature inversion, and moisture accumulation. Stable atmospheric stratification featured with light/calm winds and accumulated moisture(RH 80%) below 250 m at the beginning of the CS is closely associated with the inversion, which is strengthened by the considerable decrease in near-surface air temperature due to the interaction between aerosols and radiation after the aerosol pollution occurs. A significant increase in the PLAM(Parameter Linking Aerosol Pollution and Meteorological Elements) index is found, which is linearly related to PM mass change. During the first 10 h of the CS, the more stable BL contributes approximately 84% of the explosive growth of PM_(2.5) mass. Additional accumulated near-surface moisture caused by the ground temperature decrease, weak turbulent diffusion, low BL height, and inhibited vertical mixing of water vapor is conducive to the secondary aerosol formation through chemical reactions, including liquid phase and heterogeneous reactions, which further increases the PM_(2.5) concentration levels. The contribution of these reaction mechanisms to the explosive growth of PM_(2.5) mass during the early CS and subsequent pollution accumulation requires further investigation.     

The <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">int</Emphasis>OA Experiment: A Study of Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions Under Moderate to Strong Offshore Winds and Opposing Swell Conditions in the Gulf of Tehuantepec,Mexico

The Gulf of Tehuantepec air–sea interaction experiment (intOA) took place from February to April 2005, under the Programme for the Study of the Gulf of Tehuantepec (PEGoT, Spanish acronym for Programa para el Estudio del Golfo de Tehuantepec). PEGoT is underway aiming for better knowledge of the effect of strong and persistent offshore winds on coastal waters and their natural resources, as well as performing advanced numerical modelling of the wave and surface current fields. One of the goals of the intOA experiment is to improve our knowledge on air–sea interaction processes with particular emphasis on the effect of surface waves on the momentum flux for the characteristic and unique conditions that occur when strong Tehuano winds blow offshore against the Pacific Ocean long period swell. For the field campaign, an air–sea interaction spar (ASIS) buoy was deployed in the Gulf of Tehuantepec to measure surface waves and the momentum flux between the ocean and the atmosphere. High frequency radar systems (phase array type) were in operation from two coastal sites and three acoustic Doppler current profilers were deployed near-shore. Synthetic aperture radar images were also acquired as part of the remote sensing component of the experiment. The present paper provides the main results on the wave and wind fields, addressing the direct calculation of the momentum flux and the drag coefficient, and gives an overview of the intOA experiment. Although the effect of swell has been described in recent studies, this is the first time for the very specific conditions encountered, such as swell persistently opposing offshore winds and locally generated waves, to show a clear evidence of the influence on the wind stress of the significant steepness of swell waves.