Characterizing the dispersive state of convective boundary layers for applied dispersion modeling

Estimates from semiempirical models that characterize surface heat flux, mixing depth, and profiles of temperature, wind, and turbulence are compared with observations from atmospheric field studies conducted in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota. Sodar observations are compared with tower measurements at the Colorado site, for wind and turbulence profiles. The median surface heat flux, as calculated using surface-layer flux-profile relationships and an energy budget model, was consistently overestimated by 20 to 80%. Several mixing-depth models were evaluated: (1) integration of the hourly surface heat flux and friction velocity, (2) solving for the time rate of change of profiles of virtual potential temperature, and (3) an interpolation scheme used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in regulatory dispersion models. For the late afternoon, 80 to 90% of the estimates from the first and third models were within 40% of the observed values. For the morning hours after sunrise, all were less accurate. Temperature estimates from surface-layer flux-profile relationships compared well with observations within the mixed layer, but were too low for the inversion layer aloft. Wind profiles were derived using surface-layer flux-profile relationships, a windprofile power-law based on Pasquill stability category, and sodar measurements. The sodar measurements were superior to both types of model estimates. Turbulence profiles were derived from sodar measurements and from semiempirical similarity relationships based on mixing depth and Obukhov length. The scatter in the comparisons with the sodar observations is twice that seen in the comparisons with empirical profile relationships. Overall, it appears that uncertainty of as low as 20 to 30% in the characterization of the diffusion meteorology is the exception rather than the rule.On assignment from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U. S. Department of Commerce.Disclaimer: Although the research described in this article has been supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, it has not been subjected to Agency review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.     

Sodar observations of the atmospheric boundary layer over the ocean during ASTEX-91

A complex marine experiment was conducted in autumn 1991 on the research vessel Dmitry Mendelev in association with the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX). A three-axis Doppler sodar designed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Moscow, was used in this experiment. Total observation time was about 770 hours from 6 October to 23 November. Besides facsimile records illustrating spatial and temporal structure of the turbulence distribution in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), routine quantitative measurements of profiles of wind and echo-signal strength were taken. Some main characteristics of the ABL behavior over the ocean were revealed through an analysis of these data as well as the results of other kinds of measurements. An important peculiarity of the ABL observed between the Canary Islands and the Azores was the presence of diurnal variation of convective turbulence strength having a maximum between 04:00 and 07:00 LT. A similar diurnal variation was observed for low-level cloud cover. Occurrence of various types of thermal stratification and their diurnal variation were obtained. Comparison of elevated stable layers and low-level cumulus showed that the lower boundary of clouds correlates well with the height of the bottom of elevated inversion layers (at heights of 200–600 m). Canary and Cabo Verde observations showed that islands strongly affect the ABL structure. The strong effect of a surface water temperature gradient on the ABL stability was observed when crossing the Canary, Azores, and Labrador currents and the Gulf Stream.     

Turbulent dispersion in coastal atmospheric boundary layers: An application of a Lagrangian model

A Lagrangian model is applied to simulate the dispersion of passive tracers (in particular, water vapour) in coastal atmospheric boundary layers under onshore wind conditions. When applied to convective boundary layers over uniform surfaces, the model gives results in agreement with those of similar studies. Numerical simulation of turbulent dispersion in coastal areas also reproduces the basic features known from experimental studies. Under onshore wind conditions, the humidity field is plume-shaped with the maximum vertical transport being over land downstream of the coast line. The model shows that the surface sensible heat flux over land, the static stability of the onshore air flow and the onshore wind speed are the most important factors determining the basic features of turbulent dispersion in coastal areas.     

On the role of the planetary boundary layer in cyclogenesis over the ocean: Research note

Abstract

The importance of boundary‐layer convergence of mass and water vapour on the pressure tendency is studied. Mass convergence tends to fill the low while moisture convergence deepens it, owing to the subsequent release of latent heat. It is estimated that at dew points above about 18°C, the moisture convergence effect becomes dominant; that is, the C1SK mechanism is important at high dew points.     

The dispersion of chemically reactive species in the atmospheric boundary layer

Summary The role of turbulence in the dispersion of atmospheric pollutants that react with linear (decay) and nonlinear (second-order) chemical reactions is examined. The most relevant processes that drive the reactivity of species emitted in a surface area or released by a point source are studied by deriving the dimensionless scaling numbers from equations for the atmospheric turbulent reacting flow. The first number is the ratio of the time scale of turbulence to the time scale of the chemical reaction, namely the Damköhler number. The second number is the ratio of the concentrations of the species present in the chemical transformations. In this paper, model results and experimental studies of turbulent reacting flows in the atmospheric boundary layer are presented to show the modifications and control exerted by turbulence on the atmospheric chemistry as a function of these numbers and processes. We also discuss how the chemical transformation is affected when species are in a state of chemical equilibrium.By studying the plume dispersion of a reactant, that decays with a simple chemical reaction, one can analyse the dependence of concentration fluctuations on the Damköhler number. The study is extended to plumes that react nonlinearly. In such reacting systems, the large gradients and segregation of species result in a significant reduction in the reaction rates. Because of this modification, the chemistry of species related to NO_x and HO_x can be very different from the chemistry in conditions where the species are uniformly mixed. The lack of complete observational evidence is hampering our understanding of these processes and our evaluation of numerical modelling results. Finally, we discuss briefly how to represent, in the form of a parameterization, the effect that turbulence can have on the reactivity of species emitted by a point source or an area source.     

Flow over the summit of an isolated hill

Observations of the mean flow and turbulence statistics over the summit of an isolated, roughly circular hill, Nyland hill, are presented, Nyland hill rises 70 m above the surrounding terrain and has a base diameter of about 500 m. The summit of the hill is very smooth and allows representative measurements to be made close to the surface. The flow speed 8 m above the summit is increased by a factor of 2 over the upstream speed 8 m above level terrain, and flow separation occurs in the lee of the hill. The mean velocity profile over the summit shows an increase in velocity with height up to about 2 m and then a near constant velocity between 2 and 16 m. The flow perturbation relative to the upstream profile is thus a maximum at about 2 m. The measurements of turbulence structure show how the influence of the hill depends on the length scale of the turbulent eddies involved. Scales greater than the scale of the hill are modified through the flow speed-up whilst scales shorter than the hill suffer complex changes. The short-scale turbulence over the summit is only in local equilibrium in the lowest fraction of a metre. Above this equilibrium region, there is a complex adjustment towards the rapid distortion dynamics which appear to dominate at heights above about 8 m. The detailed results are compared with previous studies and available theories.     

The nocturnal IBL over an hilly island with reference to the diffusion of radioactive nuclei

The dynamics of the nocturnal IBL over a small hilly island on the Mediterranean Sea are discussed, particularly for clear nights characterized by light wind, when typically a nocturnal inversion may grow. Among different cases, two typical situations are observed, depending on the steadiness of the wind. In the first case the inversion alternatively grows and is eroded from aloft until it is destroyed; in the second, it grows with half the speed usual at inland sites and its height is bounded by the top of the hill. The Stüve diagrams show that the warm sea surface can supply the energy required to lift airborne pollutants over the CCL.     

A numerical study on the meso-scale pollutant dispersion over a sloped surface in the stable boundary layer

A numerical model is used to study the properties of pollutant dispersion over a large uniformly-sloped surface in the stable atmospheric boundary layer. By simulating the structure of boundary layer flow to improve the advective wind field and vertical eddy diffusivities included in the advection-diffusion equa-tion, this numerical model permits an estimation of the distribution of pollutant concentration for more real-istic atmospheric diffusion conditions.     

城市下垫面对河谷城市兰州冬季热岛效应及边界层结构的影响

利用中尺度数值模式WRF耦合单层城市冠层模块UCM,引入2005年MODIS土地利用类型资料,在对2005年1月25—28日兰州市热岛现象进行高分辨率数值模拟的基础上,设计了去除城市下垫面敏感性试验,探讨了城市下垫面对城市边界层的影响程度。结果表明,城市下垫面能使近地层大气温度升高而风速减小,并且,在夜间表现更明显。由城市热岛强度日变化分析可知,城市下垫面对兰州市热岛强度的贡献率为44%。夜间,城市上空200 m以下的近地层大气保持了白天的混合层特征,热岛环流的上升运动促进了山风环流,使得上升气流到达地面以上600 m左右;白天,由于山峰加热效应,城市上空400—600 m存在一个脱地逆温层,城市热岛环流使得11—15时（北京时）市区近地层出现弱上升气流,抑制了谷风环流的形成及发展。城市下垫面的低反照率特性和建筑物的多次反射作用导致城市下垫面的净辐射通量大于非城市下垫面;城市下垫面由于建筑材料的不透水性,导致潜热通量远小于感热通量,而储热项所占比重明显增大。     

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.     

Dynamics of lateral boundary meso-scale jet in the ocean and atmosphere

By using an ageostrophic shallow water model, it is pointed out that a kind of lateral boundary meso-scales jet can be established near the plateau or coast. The characteristic width of this kind of jet is proportional to the scale ofL _c=L₀(C₀/V_g), whereL ₀=C ₀/f is the radius of Rossby deformation,C ₀=(g ^* H)^1/2 the speed of gravity wave and g^* the reduced gravity. In general,L _c is of the order of one hundred kilometes and tens of kilometers in the atmosphere and in the ocean respectively. The large-scale geostrophic current is an important background condition for forming this kind of jet. From this view point it seems that this kind of atmospheric meso-scale jet only occurs in late spring and summer in the eastern part of Asia, because there is a large-scale south monsoon over there. For the ocean, this kind of meso-scale jet seems to be a semi-persistant system and not to show a significant seasonal variation, and it can be established on both sides of the ocean.     

The depth of the internal boundary layer over an urban area under sea-breeze conditions

Field data are analyzed in order to study the development of the Thermal Internal Boundary Layer (TIBL) under sea breeze conditions. The measurements were carried out by the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) during ATHens Internal Boundary Layer Experiment (ATHIBLEX) in summer 1989 and 1990.Several formulations found in the literature are tested against the measurements in order to investigate whether they are capable of predicting the depth of the TIBL. It is found that a slab model including mechanical production of turbulence gives overall good agreement with the measurements.Finally, the concept of local equilibrium is used to explain the discrepancies found between small-and meso-scale observations and models; a formula is proposed which is intended for use over a wide range of downwind fetches.     

Inertia and diurnal oscillations of Ekman layers in atmosphere and ocean

A 1D model, including a time variation of eddy viscosity and mixed layer depth, is applied to study Ekman spirals. It simulates a weak velocity in the atmosphere but a jet in the upper oceanic mixed layer during daytime; and a strong velocity in the atmosphere but a weak, uniform velocity in the ocean at night. The mean spirals in both atmosphere and ocean are close to the average spirals at midday and midnight, they are not flat as suggested by previous studies but consistent with the observations of Polton et al (2013). Our results also show shorter length scale for magnitude decay than for rotation of mean velocity as observed in the ocean, which comes from the combined effects of the diurnal variation of PBL and the Coriolis force. The latter becomes more important away from the surface. In the upper oceanic mixed layer, the mean velocity mainly comes from the strong jets in the late afternoon and early evening. Near and below the depth of Ekman depth, the weak velocities change with time and cancel out each other if averaged timing is longer than the inertia period. It results in diminishing of magnitude of the mean velocity, but the amplitude of individual parcel oscillating can still be quite large near the Ekman depth. Meanwhile, the change of velocity angle from the surface is near or less than 90 degree. Hence, shorter length scale for magnitude decay than for rotation of the mean velocity is not controlled by viscosity alone. Meanwhile, the model does not need two viscosities as suggested previously.The results also show that either the diurnal variation of surface stress or eddy viscosity alone can create a diurnal oscillation of velocity in the ocean. The interactions between PBL force and the Coriolis force can create a weak instability in the atmosphere and ocean at 30° and 90°. This weak instability may explain the observed nocturnal LLJ near 30 °N on the lee of the Rocky Mountains and the intensification of mesoscale circulation simulated by Sun and Wu (1992).     

Application of particle induced X-ray emission to aerosol long-range transport studies—transport pathways of pollution aerosol over the Atlantic ocean and Europe

Particle induced X-ray emission analysis (PIXE) has been applied to aerosol long-range transport studies. The combination of a size fractionating sampler and a multi-element technique has enabled the identification of the transport pathways of individual constituents over the Atlantic Ocean and Europe. Chemical and size distribution data were obtained for aerosols collected at different sampling sites for the ground layer and the free atmosphere. Evaluation of these data under the aspect of air mass history extended the elemental determination in long range transport. A statistical technique was introduced and used to succeed in the semi-quantitative determination of transported pollutants.     

The observed generation and breaking of atmospheric internal gravity waves over the ocean

Observations are presented for internal gravity waves and their breaking at a height of 23.5 m over the ocean in surface-based inversions which are formed because of the advection of warm air over cold water. The spectral and cospectral analyses of velocity and temperature fluctuations were made to establish the characteristic features of the waves. Flow visualization photographs of smoke released during the breaking of a wave are also presented. Comparison between the turbulent energies present during and after breaking of a wave indicates enormous mixing and dispersion occurring during breaking.This research was performed under Contract No. EY-76-C-02-0016 with the United States Energy Research and Development Administration.     

The convective boundary layer over pasture and forest in Amazonia

Summary The coupling between different types of surface (tropical forest or grass) and the Convective Boundary Layer (CBL) has been investigated using observational (rawinsoundings) data collected over Rondônia in southwest Amazonia. The data reported here support the notion that deforestation may modify the dynamics of the boundary layer, in particular during the dry season. In this period the sensible heat fluxes are very high over pasture, creating a CBL around 550m deeper compared to that over the forest. The measurements showed the height of the fully developed CBL for pasture to be 1650m, compared to around 1100m for forest. During the wet season the height of the CBL is lower than during the dry season and has the same height (around 1000m) for forest and pasture sites. The CBL over pasture is hotter and drier than over forest during the dry season, but during the wet season the air temperatures and humidities are similar. Comparing the CBL growth during the dry and wet season, there is evidence that the CBL properties over the forest are not dependent on the surface characteristics, but over the pasture they are.     

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.     

夏季长三角城市群热岛效应及其对大气边界层结构影响的数值模拟

利用WRF/Noah/UCM模拟系统对长三角地区城市群进行了2003—2007年共5个夏季的高分辨率数值模拟,研究了夏季长三角城市群热岛效应及其对大气边界层影响。开展了2组平行的积分试验,控制试验为MODIS遥感资料给出的地表特征分布,敏感性试验将长三角地区的城市表面改为农田类型,其他与控制试验完全相同。两组试验的对比分析表明城市群热岛存在明显的日变化特征,热岛效应白天向上发展较高,夜间地表热岛强度明显增强。城市热岛导致午后城市上空产生强烈的局地上升气流,从而使得低层大气以补偿流的形式向城市辐合,然而在夜间上升运动很微弱。伴随这种热力状况的日变化,大气边界层高度也存在明显的日变化,白天增高,夜间降低。同时,白天城市边界层内风速明显减小,夜间地面风速减小加剧,但夜间边界层顶风速却有所增强。另外,城市化还会导致“城市干岛”现象,且其白天强度大于夜间。     

河西地区绿洲的小气候特征和"冷岛效应"

通过河西地区近地层气象梯度观测研究,分析了河西绿洲的小气候特征,发现存在一种“绿洲冷岛效应”,并分析了这种效应的物理机制和实际意义.     

Water-Soluble dicarboxylic acids, ketoacids and dicarbonyls in the atmospheric aerosols over the southern ocean and western pacific ocean

Water-soluble dicarboxylic acids (DCAs), ketoacids, and α-dicarbonyls in the marine aerosol samples collected over the Southern Ocean and western Pacific Ocean were determined. Oxalic acid was the most abundant species, followed by malonic acid and then succinic acid. It is suggested that aerosol concentrations of the organics over the Southern Ocean in this work represent their global background levels. Over the Southern Ocean, total concentrations of DCAs ranged from 2.9 to 7.2 ng m⁻³ (average: 4.5 ng m⁻³), ketoacids from 0.14 to 0.40 ng m⁻³ (av.: 0.28 ng m⁻³), and dicarbonyls from 0.06 to 0.29 ng m⁻³ (av.: 0.11 ng m⁻³). Over the western Pacific, total concentrations of DCAs ranged from 1.7 to 170 ng m⁻³ (av.: 60 ng m⁻³), ketoacids from 0.08 to 5.3 ng m⁻³ (av.: 1.8 ng m⁻³), and dicarbonyls from 0.03 to 4.6 ng m⁻³ (av.: 0.95 ng m⁻³). DCAs over the western Pacific have constituted a large fraction of organic aerosols with a mean DCAs-C/TC (total carbon) of 7.0% (range: 0.59–14%). Such a high value was in contrast to the low DCAs-C/TC (av.: 1.8%; range: 0.89–4.0%) for the Southern Ocean aerosols. Based on the relative abundances and latitudinal distributions of these organics, we propose that long-range atmospheric transport is more important over the western Pacific Ocean, in contrast, in situ photochemical production is more significant over the Southern Ocean although absolute concentrations of the organics are much lower.