Sea-breeze scaling from numerical model simulations,part II: Interaction between the sea breeze and slope flows

Numerical model simulations of sea-breeze circulations in the presence of idealized topography are subjected to dimensional analysis in order to capture the dynamics of the sea-breeze circulation combined with an upslope-flow circulation. A secondary objective is to reconcile previous results based on observations. The analysis is based on a scaling analysis of sea-breeze speed, depth and volume flux. This study is motivated by the fact that the literature of sea breezes interacting with upslope flows is generally qualitative. Results show clear scaling regimes and strong interaction between the two thermally driven circulations. We distinguish three regimes, depending on slope length, slope angle, stability and surface heat flux. The first and third regimes obey the scaling laws of pure sea-breeze scaling. The second regime shows a significant decrease in the scaled volume flux relative to pure sea-breeze scaling. Dynamical relations in the second regime show a strong influence on the circulation of upslope stable air advection.     

Sea-breeze scaling from numerical model simulations,Part I: Pure sea breezes

Numerical model simulations of sea-breeze circulations under idealized conditions are subjected to dimensional analyses in order to resolve sea-breeze dynamical relations and unify previous results based on observations. The analysis is motivated by the fact that sea-breeze depth scaling and volume flux scaling are only partially understood. The analysis is based on nonlinear numerical modelling simulations in combination with recent observational scaling analyses. The analysis confirms scaling laws for sea-breeze strength dependence on governing variables and shows how the sea-breeze speed scale is controlled by surface heat flux. It also shows that the sea-breeze depth scale is controlled by stability. By combining sea-breeze speed and depth scales, the sea-breeze volume flux scale is determined by an equilibrium between the accumulated convergence of heat over land since sunrise and stable air advection from the sea surface.     

Aspects Of The Atmospheric Surface Layers On Mars And Earth

The structures of mean flow and turbulence in the atmospheric surface boundary layer have been extensively studied on Earth, and to a far less extent on Mars, where only the Viking missions and the Pathfinder mission have delivered in-situ data. Largely the behaviour of surface-layer turbulence and mean flow on Mars is found to obey the same scaling laws as on Earth. The largest micrometeorological differences between the two atmospheres are associated with the low air density of the Martian atmosphere. Together with the virtual absence of water vapour, it reduces the importance of the atmospheric heat flux in the surface energy budget. This increases the temperature variation of the surface forcing the near-surface temperature gradient and thereby the diabatic heat flux to higher values than are typical on the Earth, resulting in turn in a deeper daytime boundary layer. As wind speed is much like that of the Earth, this larger diabatic heat flux is carried mostly by larger maximal values of T_*, the surface scale temperature. The higher kinematic viscosity yields a Kolmogorov scale of the order of ten times larger than on Earth, influencing the transition between rough and smooth flow for the same surface features.The scaling laws have been validated analysing the Martian surface-layer data for the relations between the power spectra of wind and temperature turbulence and the corresponding mean values of wind speed and temperature. Usual spectral formulations were used based on the scaling laws ruling the Earth atmospheric surface layer, whereby the Earth's atmosphere is used as a standard for the Martian atmosphere.     

Scaling the Vertical Structure of Sea Breezes

This analysis presents a new set of scalings for sea-breeze circulations. The scales are based on surface-layer turbulent fluxes of sensible heat and momentum, thus avoiding the use of exchange coefficients. Nondimensionalization of the governing equations, using the new scales, results in four dimensionless governing parameters, two of which are new. A data set consisting of 36 profiles of atmospheric variables during pure sea-breeze circulations is presented. The data are used to generate scaling laws for dimensionless sea-breeze depth and strength in the form of products of powers of the governing dimensionless parameters. These scaling laws are used to nondimensionalize individual velocity profiles, which are composited to present a universal dimensionless sea-breeze velocity profile. The scaling laws, applied as a diagnostic scheme, are used to investigate the diurnal evolution of the depth and strength of sea breezes.     

Nocturnal Boundary-Layer Regimes

This study analyzes turbulence data collected over a grassland site in the nocturnal boundary layer. Examination of the dependence of the nocturnal boundary layer on stability suggests three regimes: a) the weakly stable case, b) a transition stability regime where many of the variables change rapidly with increasing stability and c) the very stable case. The value of z/L where the downward heat flux is a maximum defines the stability boundary between the weakly stable and transition regimes, where L is the Obukhov length. In the present analysis, the downward heat flux reaches a maximum at z/L approximately equal to 0.05 for 10 m, although comparison with other data indicates that this is not a universal value. For weaker stability, the heat flux decreases with decreasing z/L due to weaker temperature fluctuations. In the transition stability regime, the heat flux decreases rapidly with increasing stability due to restriction of vertical velocity fluctuations by the increasing stratification.For weakly stable conditions, the variances scale according to Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. For very stable conditions, the variances are contaminated by non-turbulent horizontal motions and do not follow the scaling laws. An alternative length scale based on variances is developed which explains more of the variance of the transfer coefficients compared to the Obukhov length.     

On momentum flux and velocity spectra over waves

Data from a research tower in Lake Ontario are used to study the validity of Monin--Obukhov scaling in the marine atmospheric boundary layer under various wave conditions. It is found that over pure wind seas, the velocity spectra and cospectra follow established universal scaling laws. However, in the presence of swells outrunning weak winds, velocity spectra and cospectra no longer satisfy universal spectral shapes. Here, Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, and the classical logarithmic boundary layers, are no longer valid. It is further shown that, in the presence of such swells, the momentum flux can be significantly modified in comparison to pure wind sea values. The implications of these findings for bulk flux estimations and on the inertial dissipation method for calculating fluxes are discussed.     

Turbulent Airflow and Wave-Induced Stress Over the Ocean

We examine the structure of turbulent airflow over ocean waves. Based on an analysis of wind and wave observations derived from a moored and floating Air–Sea Interaction Spar buoy during the Shoaling Waves Experiment field campaign, we show that the cospectra of momentum flux for wind–sea conditions follow established universal scaling laws. Under swell-dominant conditions, the wave boundary layer is extended and the universal cospectral scaling breaks down, as demonstrated previously. On the other hand, the use of peak wave frequency to reproduce the universal cospectra successfully explains the structure of the turbulent flow field. We quantify the wave-coherent component of the airflow and this clarifies how ocean waves affect momentum transfer through the wave boundary layer. In fact, the estimated wave-induced stresses for swell-dominant conditions explain the anomalous cospectral shapes observed near the peak wave frequency.     

Scaling Variances of Scalars in a Convective Boundary Layer Under Different Entrainment Regimes

For the presentation and analysis of atmospheric boundary-layer (ABL) data, scales are used to non-dimensionalise the observed quantities and independent variables. Usually, the ABL height, surface sensible heat flux and surface scalar flux are used. This works well, so long as the absolute values of the entrainment ratio for both the scalar and temperature are similar. The entrainment ratio for temperature naturally ranges from −0.4 to −0.1. However, the entrainment ratio for passive scalars can vary widely in magnitude and sign. Then the entrainment flux becomes relevant as well. The only customary scalar scale that takes into account both the surface flux and the entrainment flux is the bulk scalar scale, but this scale is not well-behaved for large negative entrainment ratios and for an entrainment ratio equal to −1. We derive a new scalar scale, using previously published large-eddy simulation results for the convective ABL. The scale is derived under the constraint that scaled scalar variance profiles are similar at those heights where the variance producing mechanisms are identical (i.e., either near the entrainment layer or near the surface). The new scale takes into account that scalar variance in the ABL is not only related to the surface flux of that scalar, but to the scalar entrainment flux as well. Furthermore, it takes into account that the production of variance by the entrainment flux is an order of magnitude larger than the production of variance by the surface flux (per unit flux). Other desirable features of the new scale are that it is always positive (which is relevant when scaling standard deviations) and that the scaled variances are always of order 1–10.     

The Scaling Behaviour of a Turbulent Kinetic Energy Closure Model for Stably Stratified Conditions

We investigate the scaling behaviour of a turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) closure model for stably stratified conditions. The mixing length scale for stable stratification is proportional to the ratio of the square root of the TKE and the local Brunt–Väisälä frequency, which is a commonly applied formulation. We analyze the scaling behaviour of our model in terms of traditional Monin–Obukov Similarity Theory and local scaling. From the model equations, we derive expressions for the stable limit behaviour of the flux–gradient relations and other scaling quantities. It turns out that the scaling behaviour depends on only a few model parameters and that the results obey local scaling theory. The analytical findings are illustrated with model simulations for the second GABLS intercomparison study. We also investigate solutions for the case in which an empirical correction function is used to express the eddy diffusivity for momentum as a function of the Richardson number (i.e. an increasing turbulent Prandtl number with stability). In this case, it seems that for certain parameter combinations the model cannot generate a steady-state solution. At the same time, its scaling behaviour becomes unrealistic. This shows that the inclusion of empirical correction functions may have large and undesired consequences for the model behaviour.     

Long-term Correlations and Extreme Wind Speed Estimations

In this paper, we use fluctuation analysis to study statistical correlations in wind speed time series. Each time series used here was recorded hourly over 40 years. The fluctuation functions of wind speed time series were found to scale with a universal exponent approximating to 0.7, which means that the wind speed time series are long-term correlated. In the classical method of extreme estimations, data are commonly assumed to be independent (without correlations). This assumption will lead to an overestimation if data are long-term correlated. We thus propose a simple method to improve extreme wind speed estimations based on correlation analysis. In our method, extreme wind speeds are obtained by simply scaling the mean return period in the classical method. The scaling ratio is an analytic function of the scaling exponent in the fluctuation analysis.     

Scaling of the Sea-Breeze Strength with Observations in the Netherlands

In this study we evaluate recently proposed scaling relations for the sea-breeze strength using independent data for a relatively homogeneous area in The Netherlands. We show that several of the scaling relations in the literature incorporate hidden correlation. Furthermore, it appears that the estimate for the sea-breeze strength is better made on the basis of the time-integrated rather than of the instantaneous sensible heat flux. It also turns out that for similar forcing the sea breeze in The Netherlands is about twice as strong as the sea breeze in the Vancouver area of Canada.     

基于DFA的雷暴日时间序列分形特征分析

运用最小二乘法、非趋势波动分析(DFA)与小波变换三种方法对比分析许昌市1961—2012年52 a雷暴日时间序列的变化特性,揭示雷暴日的长程相关性及其内在规律。研究结果表明:许昌市52 a月雷暴日时间序列属于分形时间序列,存在内在的长程相关性,其雷暴日数每10 a减少1.6689天,雷暴日时间序列长程幂律相关的标度指数为0.8940,该幂律关系至少可持续17个月,并将2011年和2012年观测数据作为验证数据加以验证,结果与DFA分析结果一致;雷暴日时间序列具有2个显著的标度不变区域,存在一个突变点,反映了雷暴日系统具有复杂的物理作用机制;三种分析方法均得出许昌市雷暴日呈减少趋势的结论,最小二乘法虽然能定量计算出雷暴日每10 a的减少量,但年度尺度较大,精确度变低,而DFA和小波分析法的分析结果更加细致;但在定量描述雷暴日变化趋势上DFA法优于小波分析结果,而在分析雷暴日时序的细节分量和周期特性时小波分析更加清晰;DFA法可作为预测未来雷暴日发展趋势时长的有效方法之一。     

Convective scaling of the average dissipation rate of temperature variance in the atmospheric surface layer

The flux of sensible heat from the land surface is related to the average rate of dissipation of temperature fluctuations in the atmospheric surface layer through the temperature variance budget equation. In many cases it is desirable to estimate the heat flux from measurement or inference of the dissipation rate. Here we study how the dissipation rate scales with atmospheric stability, using three inertial range methods to calculate the dissipation rate: power spectra, second order structure functions, and third order structure functions. Experimental data are analyzed from a pair of field experiments, during which turbulent fluctuations of velocity and temperature were measured over a broad range of neutral and unstable atmospheric flows. It is shown that the temperature dissipation rate scales with a single convective power law continuously from near-neutral to strongly unstable stratification. The dissipation scaling is found to nearly match production in the near-neutral region, but to be consistently lower than production in the more convective regimes. The convective scaling is shown to offer a simplified means of computing sensible heat flux from the dissipation rate of temperature variance.Also at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MarylandAlso at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico.     

基于涡度相关法的中国农田生态系统碳通量研究进展

农田生态系统是受人为活动强烈控制和干扰的系统,对其碳源/汇的评价是全球碳循环研究的热点.首先概括了以涡度相关法为手段的中国农田生态系统碳通量的研究进展,重点总结了中国农田生态系统碳通量的时间变化、驱动机制和模型模拟等方面的研究成果,并在此基础上对今后中国农田生态系统碳通量研究提出了建议,认为长期观测与研究、多因子协同作用、模型开发与尺度推绎、数据质量监控和评价是今后研究的重点方向.     

Surface energy balance,parameterizations of boundary-layer heights and the application of resistance laws near an Antarctic Ice Shelf front

A study of the surface energy balance with turbulent fluxes obtained by the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory and a comparison with results for resistance laws are presented for the strong baroclinic conditions in the vicinity of the Filchner/Ronne Ice Shelf front. The data are taken from a field experiment in the Antarctic summer season 1983/84. For the first time in the coastal Antarctic region, this data set comprises synchronous energy balance measurements over the polynya and the ice shelf together with soundings of the boundary layer, yielding vertical profiles of the wind velocity and temperature over the ice shelf, at the ice shelf front and over the polynya.Over the ice shelf, the radiation balance is the largest component of the energy fluxes and is mainly compensated by the subsurface energy flux and the turbulent heat flux in the daily mean. Over the polynya, turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat lead to large energy losses of the water surface in the night-time and in situations of very low air temperatures.Different parameterizations for boundary-layer height are compared using tethered sonde and energy balance measurements. With the height of the inversion base over the polynya and the height of the critical bulk Richardson number over the ice shelf, external parameters for the application of resistance laws were determined. The comparison of turbulent surface fluxes obtained by the energy balance measurements and by the resistance laws shows good agreement for the convective conditions over the polynya. For the stably stratified boundary layer over the ice shelf with small amounts of the turbulent heat flux, the deviation is large for the case of a cold air outflow with a superposed inertial oscillation.     

从湍流经典理论到大气湍流非平衡态热力学理论

湍流是日常生活中一种普遍的自然现象,也是经典物理学仍未完全解决的难题。湍流更是大气运动的最基本特征。本文系统地回顾了大气湍流经典理论发展简史,进一步详细介绍了大气湍流非平衡态热力学理论。大气湍流非平衡态热力学理论在熵平衡方程中引入动力过程,进而统一推导出大气湍流输送的Fourier定律、Flick定律和Newton定律,证明了Dufour效应、Soret效应、可逆动力过程与热力不可逆湍流输送过程之间的交叉耦合效应,以及湍流强度定理。这些定律和定理中得到了观测的事实验证,同时它们的唯象系数也由观测资料所确定。湍流强度定理揭示,湍流发展的宏观原因是速度和温度的剪切效应,Reynolds湍流和Rayleigh-Bénard湍流共存于大气湍流中。热力过程和动力过程间耦合效应现象的发现突破了传统湍流输送理论,即Fourier定律、Flick定律和Newton定律的观点——一个宏观量的输送通量等价于这个宏观量的梯度湍流输送通量。热力和动力过程间的耦合原理认为,一个宏观量的输送通量包括这个量的梯度湍流输送通量和速度耦合输送通量两部分。因此,能量和物质的垂直输送通量除了相应物理量梯度造成的湍流输送外,还应包括垂直速度耦合效应,即辐散或辐合运动造成的耦合效应。在一个很宽的尺度范围内,地表面的空间特征是非均匀的。下垫面非均匀性造成的对流运动将引起大气的辐散或辐合运动。这可能是导致地表能量收支不平衡的重要原因之一。垂直速度对垂直湍流输送的交叉耦合效应为非均匀下垫面大气边界层理论的发展,并为克服地表能量收支不平衡问题及非均匀下垫面大气边界层参数化遇到的困难提供了可能的线索。     

Eddy-Covariance Flux Measurements in the Complex Terrain of an Alpine Valley in Switzerland

We measured the surface energy budget of an Alpine grassland in highly complex terrain to explore possibilities and limitations for application of the eddy-covariance technique, also for CO₂ flux measurements, at such non-ideal locations. This paper focuses on the influence of complex terrain on the turbulent energy measurements of a characteristic high Alpine grassland on Crap Alv (Alp Weissenstein) in the Swiss Alps during the growing season 2006. Measurements were carried out on a topographic terrace with a slope of 25^◦ inclination. Flux data quality is assessed via the closure of the energy budget and the quality flag method used within the CarboEurope project. During 93% of the time the wind direction was along the main valley axis (43% upvalley and 50% downvalley directions). During the transition times of the typical twice daily wind direction changes in a mountain valley the fraction of high and good quality flux data reached a minimum of ≈50%, whereas during the early afternoon ≈70% of all records yielded good to highest quality (CarboEurope flags 0 and 1). The overall energy budget closure was 74 ± 2%. An angular correction for the shortwave energy input to the slope improved the energy budget closure slightly to 82 ± 2% for afternoon conditions. In the daily total, the measured turbulent energy fluxes are only underestimated by around 8% of net radiation. In summary, our results suggest that it is possible to yield realistic energy flux measurements under such conditions. We thus argue that the Crap Alv site and similar topographically complex locations with short-statured vegetation should be well suited also for CO₂ flux measurements.     

Turbulent variance characteristics of temperature and humidity over a non-uniform land surface for an agricultural ecosystem in China

This paper describes the application of the variance method for flux estimation over a mixed agricultural region in China. Eddy covariance and flux variance measurements were conducted in a near-surface layer over a non-uniform land surface in the central plain of China from 7 June to 20 July 2002. During this period, the mean canopy height was about 0.50 m. The study site consisted of grass (10% of area), beans (15%), corn (15%) and rice (60%). Under unstable conditions, the standard deviations of temperature and water vapor density (normalized by appropriate scaling parameters), observed by a single instrument, followed the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The similarity constants for heat (CT ) and water vapor (Cq) were 1.09 and 1.49, respectively. In comparison with direct measurements using eddy covariance techniques, the flux variance method, on average, underestimated sensible heat flux by 21% and latent heat flux by 24%, which may be attributed to the fact that the observed slight deviations (20% or 30% at most) of the similarity “constants” may be within the expected range of variation of a single instrument from the generally-valid relations.     

Effect of the Entrainment Flux Ratio on the Relationship between Entrainment Rate and Convective Richardson Number

The parameterization of the dimensionless entrainment rate (w _e /w _*) versus the convective Richardson number (Ri _δθ ) is discussed in the framework of a first-order jump model (FOM). A theoretical estimation for the proportionality coefficient in this parameterization, namely, the total entrainment flux ratio, is derived. This states that the total entrainment flux ratio in FOM can be estimated as the ratio of the entrainment zone thickness to the mixed-layer depth, a relationship that is supported by earlier tank experiments, and suggesting that the total entrainment flux ratio should be treated as a variable. Analyses show that the variability of the total entrainment flux ratio is actually the effect of stratification in the free atmosphere on the entrainment process, which should be taken into account in the parameterization. Further examination of data from tank experiments and large-eddy simulations demonstrate that the different power laws for w _e /w _* versus Ri _δθ can be interpreted as the variability of the total entrainment flux ratio. These results indicate that the dimensionless entrainment rate depends not only on the convective Richardson number but also upon the total entrainment flux ratio.