The Neutral, Barotropic Planetary Boundary Layer, Capped by a Low-Level Inversion

The presence of a low-level, capping inversion layer will affect the height and structure of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Results from models of varying levels of sophistication, including analytical, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), second-order closure (SOC), large-eddy simulation (LES) and direct numerical simulation (DNS) models, are used to investigate this influence for the neutral, barotropic PBL. Predicted and observed profiles of stress and geostrophic departure components, and integral measures, such as the parameters of Rossby-number similarity theory, are compared for the KONTUR, Marine Stratocumulus, JASIN, Leipzig, Pre-Wangara and Upavon field experiments.Analytical models of the equilibrium value of inversion height z_i, which depend on the surface friction velocity u_*, and both the Coriolis parameter f and the free-flow Brunt-Väisälä frequency N, are found to give reasonable estimates of the PBL height. They also indicate that only the KONTUR and Marine Stratocumulus experiments were strongly influenced by N. More quantitative comparisons would require larger, more comprehensive datasets. The effects of the presence of a capping inversion on the profile structure were found to be insignificant for h_* = |f|z_i/u_* > 0.15.The simple analytical model performed quite well over all values of h_*; it predicted the profiles of the longitudinal stress component (in the direction of the surface stress) better than the lateral component. The more advanced models performed well for small values of h_* (for flow over the sea), but systematically underestimated the cross-isobaric angle for flow over land. These models predicted the profiles of the lateral stress component better than the longitudinal component. The profiles of the analytical model agreed with those of the advanced models when the constant eddy viscosity of the outer layer was increased.Agreement with DNS was achieved by increasing the eddyviscosity of the analytical model by a factor of 5.Zilitinkevich and Esau(2002, Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 104, 371–379)suggest that the neutral, barotropic values of A and B of Rossby-numbersimilarity theory are not universal constants, but depend on the ratio N/|f|. The dependence for A and B is calculated using the analytical model and TKE models. Over the sea (h_* 0.1; N/|f| 100, where we have used the Zilitinkevich-Esau relation to convert between h_* and N/|f|) there is agreement between the model predictions and observations; however over land where the equilibrium boundary-layer height is greater (h_* 0.35; N/|f| 10) the inconsistency between the advanced model predictions (TKE, SOC, LES, and DNS) and observations, as noted previously by Hess and Garratt, still exists. We attribute this disagreement to violations of the strict assumptions of steady, horizontally homogeneous, neutral, barotropic conditions implicit in the observations. At small values of z_i and a strongly stable background stratification (h_* 0.04; N/|f| 1000) both the TKE and analytical models predict that A and B depend significantly on h_*, however observations are unavailable to confirm these predictions. Zilitinkevich and Esau call this case the `long-lived near-neutral PBL', and state that it is found in cold weather at high latitudes.     

IMPACT OF DIABATIC PROCESSES IN AGCM ON 4-DIMENSIONAL VARIATIONAL DATA ASSIMILATION*

The impact of diabatic processes on 4-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var) was studied using the 1995 version of NCEP's global spectral model with and without full physics.The adjoint was coded manually.A cost function measuring spectral errors of 6-hour forecasts to "observation" (the NCEP reanalysis data) was minimized using the L-BFGS (the limited memory quasi-Newton algorithm developed by Broyden,Fletcher,Goldfard and Shanno) for optimizing parameters and initial conditions.Minimization of the cost function constrained by an adiabatic version of the NCEP global model converged to a minimum with a significant amount of decrease in the value of the cost function.Minimization of the cost function using the diabatic model, however,failed after a few iterations due to discontinuities introduced by physical parameterizations.Examination of the convergence of the cost function in different spectral domains reveals that the large-scale flow is adjusted during the first 10 iterations,in which discontinuous diabatic parameterizations play very little role.The adjustment produced by the minimization gradually moves to relatively smaller scales between 10-20th iterations.During this transition period,discontinuities in the cost function produced by "on-off" switches in the physical parameterizations caused the cost function to stay in a shallow local minimum instead of continuously decreasing toward a deeper minimum. Next,a mixed 4D-Var scheme is tested in which large-scale flows are first adiabatically adjusted to a sufficient level,followed by a diabatic adjustment introduced after 10 to 20 iterations. The mixed 4D-Var produced a closer fit of analysis to observations,with 38% and 41% more decrease in the values of the cost function and the norm of gradient,respectively,than the standard diabatic 4D-Var,while the CPU time is reduced by 21%.The resulting optimal initial conditions improve the short-range forecast skills of 48-hour statistics.The detrimental effect of parameterization discontinuities on minimization was also reduced.     

On ensemble representation of the observation-error covariance in the Ensemble Kalman Filter

Evensen (2003) presents a modification of the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF), in which the observation-error and background-error covariance matrices are both represented by ensembles, in contrast to the usual practice, where only the background error is so represented. It is shown that this modification can cause the ensemble to collapse to a single member, in the common situation where the number of observations is more than twice the number of ensemble members, and to be rank-deficient when the number of observations is greater than or equal to the ensemble size. It is also shown that some further modifications to the scheme, presented by Evensen as offering numerical efficiencies, can prevent this collapse. However, these latter modifications are shown in some simple numerical examples to require tuning to produce acceptable results, which are nevertheless inferior to those of the standard EnKF.Acknowledgements The author acknowledges useful discussions with Peter Steinle, and other participants at the EnKF workshop held in BMRC in November, 2003.     

LAPS分析场在一次强对流天气过程尺度分析中的应用

利用LAPS（local analysis and prediction system）同化系统融合多种观测资料,对2010年8月25日发生在上海的一次强对流天气过程进行中尺度分析。结果表明,这次强对流天气主要是由中、低空中尺度辐合系统直接触发形成的。强对流形成阶段,地面有分散辐合形成并逐渐加强,成为触发中尺度垂直环流的主要机制,垂直结构上出现低层辐合高层辐散的有利配置,风暴中心附近出现明显的上升气流区,中高层相对湿度显著增加。成熟阶段,强对流云体中心附近的对流层底层开始出现下沉气流,上升气流在其拖曳作用下明显倾斜。衰减阶段,下沉气流加强使中尺度环流动力结构和水汽供应受到破坏,垂直结构上转为底层辐散高层辐合。因此,与天气尺度分析相比,基于LAPS的中尺度分析能更深刻地揭示中小尺度系统的三维结构和时空演变特征。     

散射计和下投式探空仪资料对台风模拟的影响

为了评估同化QuikSCAT海平面气压场资料和Dropsonde资料对台风"Bilis"和"Kat-rina"模拟的影响,通过WRF-3DVAR变分同化系统将QuikSCAT海平面气压场资料和Dropsonde资料同化到WRF模式中,并以未同化任何资料和同化了QuikSCAT海平面气压场以及同化了Drop-sonde资料的数据为初始场,应用WRF模式进行模拟预报,并对得到的初始分析场和模拟预报得到的结果与台风实况报文进行了对比,得到的结论是:对台风初始时刻海平面气压场分布、初始台风中心定位、台风初始暖心结构的改善、台风路径、海平面最低气压场、海面最大风速和雷达回波的模拟方面,同化QuikSCAT海平面气压场的效果比同化Dropsonde资料明显,其中二者对海平面最低气压场的改进效果比海面最大风速的要好。但是两种资料的同化对初始相对湿度和台风强度细节变化方面都没有产生明显改善作用。同化QuikSCAT海平面气压场试验虽然仅仅同化了单层海平面气压场,但是在三维变分同化系统的动力约束作用下,也可以影响到中高层的各个要素场。     

天津武清地区云凝结核变化特征

利用2009年11—12月在天津武清气象局测量的云凝结核(CCN:Cloud Condensation Nuclei)浓度资料以及气溶胶数谱分布的观测资料,分析了武清地区在不同过饱和度(0.1%～1.0%)下云凝结核浓度及活化率的变化特征。结果表明:武清地区冬季CCN数浓度变化范围很大,过饱和度1%时,浓度变化范围为4000～32000cm-3,且浓度受风速影响明显,风速2级以下CCN数浓度很高,过饱和度1%时,其平均浓度可达16000cm-3,但对于4级风速以上CCN平均浓度为4000cm-3左右;在过饱和度0.1%～0.4%间CCN浓度变化较大,过饱和度每增加0.1%,CCN浓度增加值平均约为过饱和度0.4%～1.0%间浓度增量的5倍。低过饱和度(0.1%、0.2%)下,活化率受风速影响明显,1级风速下的CCN活化率约为4级风速下的3倍,但在过饱和度1%时活化率则相差不大。CCN浓度的日变化呈双峰型,峰值时刻为北京时间08:00和18:00左右,活化率的日变化则呈双谷型,这主要是受局地排放影响的结果。利用指数函数拟合各风速下CCN浓度过饱和度谱,表明该地谱型为典型的大陆型。     

A comparison of shelf observation platforms for assimilation in an eddy-resolving ocean model

An assessment of the likely benefits of assimilating in situ temperature (T) and salinity (S) observations from repeat glider transects and surface velocity observations from high-frequency radar arrays into an eddy-resolving ocean model is presented. The deployment of new shelf observation platforms around Australia is being undertaken through the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System program. In this study, various options for an observing system along the coast of New South Wales, Australia, are assessed for their benefits to an ocean forecast and reanalysis system. The forecast system considered here uses ensemble optimal interpolation (EnOI) for data assimilation. Using error estimates from the EnOI scheme, estimates of the theoretical analysis errors are calculated for different observing systems that include a range of remotely sensed and in situ observations. The results demonstrate that if HF radar observations are assimilated along with the standard components of the global ocean observing system, the analysis errors are likely to reduce by as much as 80% for velocity and 60% for T, S and sea-level in the vicinity of the observations. Owing to the relatively short along-shore decorrelation length-scales for T and S near the shelf, the glider observations are likely to provide the forecast system with a more modest gain.     

MODIS反照率产品在模拟黄河源区陆面过程和降水中的应用

地表反照率是陆面过程中一个重要的物理量, 其变化直接影响地表能量的收支状况, 进而可以影响气温和降水等其它气象要素。本文利用WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) 模式, 通过两组数值模拟试验分别探讨了地表反照率改变在黄河源区不同下垫面情况下潜热、 感热的分配关系, 详细分析了地表反照率改变对降水变化的影响机制, 最后应用EOS/MODIS地表反照率产品替代原模式低时空分辨率的地表反照率。研究结果表明: (1)当地表反照率减少(增加)时, 模拟的区域平均地表温度、感热、潜热数值相应增大(减少)。当地表反照率减少0.1时, 地表温度上升约1.0 K, 感热和潜热量增量比约为3∶1。 (2) 地表反照率改变对降水量变化影响最大的区域是黄河源区下游的草场区域, 其次是黄河源头区域, 最小的是黄河源区北部的稀疏植被区域。地表反照率通过对大气动力、 热力以及水汽条件的影响, 使得降水发生的环境改变, 主要体现在: 当地表反照率减少时, 地表气压的减少使得大气低层的辐合气流增强, 有利于上升运动的发生; 2.0 m气温的升高增强了大气近地层的热力不稳定度; 2.0 m比湿的增加表明近地层空气水汽含量增加。 (3) 与实况对比分析发现, 使用卫星遥感产品后在月尺度上能够更准确地模拟降水量的变化过程。     

国家气象中心业务数值预报发展的回顾与展望

本文回顾了国家气象中心建立数值预报业务以来,国家级业务数值预报系统,主要是中、短期预报系统的发展历程,评估了目前业务数值预报的预报水平和基本特点,简述了我国业务数值预报发展的不同阶段取得的主要进展。通过对目前我国业务数值预报发展中存在的问题和不足的分析,讨论下一步的工作重点,并对未来的发展做初步展望。